Blindspot: SUV buyers undeterred by safety warnings, new research finds

British drivers significantly underestimate the road danger risks of SUVs, and providing more information does little to change drivers’ plans to buy SUVs in future, according to new research. This strengthens calls for tougher restrictions such as higher taxes or design limits on SUVs and larger cars.

Analysing the results of a YouGov survey* of 1838 British adults conducted in April 2026, researchers at Swansea University found that only 34% of British licence holders thought that ‘SUVs and pickup trucks pose a greater risk to other road users than smaller cars’. 

Amongst current SUV and pickup owners, only 14% thought that SUVs and pickups pose a greater risk to other road users. This figure rose to 40% of respondents who don’t own or drive an SUV or pickup, suggesting a significant difference in how drivers view the safety risks of SUVs and pickups depending on what kind of vehicle they drive themselves. 

Respondents to the YouGov survey were also shown mocked-up marketing images for SUVs, either with or without prototype safety labels outlining the dangers posed to pedestrians and cyclists by larger, heavier cars. After seeing the marketing images with safety labels, one fifth (20%) more respondents overall said they were aware that SUVs could be dangerous after previously thinking otherwise. However, there was no significant change in future SUV purchase intentions after viewing the warning information, even among drivers who said they now understood SUV risks, and even among drivers who claimed other people’s safety was important when choosing a vehicle.

Of respondents who reported a desire to buy or lease an SUV or pickup for their next car, only 3.6% said they would change their mind after seeing the warning labels. 

Sales of SUVs and other larger cars like pickup trucks have been rising rapidly around much of the world, and two in three cars sold in the UK is now an SUV. As well as causing congestion and worsening the pothole crisis, the growing number of SUVs is increasing road danger. A recent meta-analysis found that pedestrians and cyclists have 44% greater odds of being killed if struck by an SUV compared to a small car, rising to 82% for child pedestrians and cyclists. The dangers arise from the vehicles’ increased size and weight, and their higher front-ends, and so a shift to electric vehicles does nothing to solve this problem. 

Jimin Choi, a Swansea University PhD student who co-authored the paper, said: “Our study reveals a significant blindspot in current conversations about road safety. British drivers — and SUV drivers in particular — showed a lack of awareness about the well-documented hazards SUVs pose to pedestrians and cyclists. What’s more, raising awareness failed to persuade the SUV drivers to choose a smaller car in the future. Policymakers need to reckon with the fact that concerns about other people's safety might play only a negligible role in people's car purchase decisions."

Campaigners have called for the government to act to reverse the trend towards ever-bigger, ever-heavier vehicles. Measures such as weight-based parking charges, higher taxes and advertising restrictions have all been recommended by the SUV Alliance. The government’s Road Safety Strategy, published in January 2026, recognised the growing concerns about increasing vehicle size and its effects on road danger, and committed the government to gather evidence on the issue. 

James Ward, Co-Director at Adfree Cities, said: “SUV marketing and advertising feed a public delusion that these are safe, family cars. It's easy to get the idea that choosing a large car over a small car is a harmless matter of personal preference, no different to choosing a white car over a blue car. Whilst SUVs may be popular amongst drivers, the cost of that popularity is measured in lives. Policymakers need to take the wheel and act in the interest of public safety.”

Given how the ‘blindspot’ about SUV risks was barely touched by giving people information, the authors of the research say that ‘soft’ policies - like warning labels - are unlikely to work in practice. Instead, policymakers must look at ‘hard’ policies like regulation and taxation as necessary measures to shift the auto market away from growing numbers of SUV and pickups.

Professor Ian Walker, environmental psychologist at Swansea University, added: "Buying whatever vehicle we like, and driving it wherever and whenever we please without having to think about the consequences for other people, has become normalised and ingrained across our society over decades. As such, it’s not surprising there’s a growing body of evidence that says asking or encouraging people to drive differently doesn’t work, and that stronger interventions will be needed if governments want to get serious about the issue. This almost certainly includes having a more honest conversation about how driving, no matter how useful to the person doing it, imposes harms onto other people. Until we recognise this, and try to reduce those harms as much as possible, it’s not clear how we’re going to take the steps needed to create a safer, healthier country."

A weight-based car registration tax with the top rate of €30 per kg has been in force in France since 2022. This amounts to over €20,000 for a typical mid-range SUV. In October 2025, Cardiff became the first UK city to approve plans for higher parking charges for heavier cars. Other UK cities including London, Edinburgh, Bath and Bristol are exploring similar policies to curb SUV use.

*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,105 adults, of which 1848 held a UK driving license (including provisional). Fieldwork was undertaken between 29th - 30th April 2026.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).