With SUVs growing ever more huge, are microcars the next big thing?

"Do you wanna jump in?" asks the car salesman as he sidles up to me. "Sure," I respond meekly. "But how?" 

I'm in a Microlino showroom in west London. The company is launching its new microcar, the Spiaggina, and it's invited me for a test drive. 

There's just one problem. I don't see a door. 

"You go in through there," says the salesman, pointing at the windscreen. "Just press the button on the side, and it'll pop open." 

I'm starting to realize this is not the average test drive. But then, this is not the average car. 

The Spiaggina is a two-seater electric vehicle. It's just 1.47 meters wide, a full 33 centimeters smaller than a standard car on European roads. It's allowed on the highway in most parts of the continent, but Microlino says it's ideal for short trips in the city.   

"When you look at city traffic, nine times out of 10 the driver is the only person in the car," says Lee Frankish, the firm's business development manager. "So that throws up an interesting question: how much car do you really need?"

I guess I'm about to find out. I drop the handbrake and slide out of the showroom, wait a good five minutes for the traffic to subside, then hit the road. 

Pretty soon there are a few flashy SUVs in my rear view mirror, and I'm a little worried they'll squish me like a bug. Then there's public transport. I find myself thinking about my grandmother's advice about wearing clean underwear in case I get run over by a red bus. 

It's all a bit nervy. But pretty soon, I settle down. The Spiaggina feels bigger than it looks, so it's not like my calves will seize up on a trip to the grocery store. 

Besides, everyone else on the road is giving me a wide berth. Maybe they're worried they'll flatten me, or that they'll look silly behind something so small. Either way, I buzz through Kensington without any trouble, even getting a few thumbs-up and the odd wave from a bemused stranger. 

The size of the problem

Back in the showroom (and relieved to still be alive), I can see the value of a microcar. And there is clearly a market for this kind of ride. Other European carmakers like Fiat, Renault and Smart have all released compact models in recent years. 

But most drivers still seem to think bigger is better. The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association says the global car industry produced around 95 million cars last year. 

Just over half were SUVs, or sports utility vehicles. Some now span nearly 2.2 meters in width (just over two meters when the mirrors are retracted). The standard parking bay in Europe is 1.8 meters wide. 

"The auto sector has spent billions on marketing these SUVs," says Lucien Mathieu, a director at research firm T&E. "The car brands have tried to create this sense of status and security and that's driven the demand."

Park big, pay big 

T&E looked at 100 of Europe's top-selling models across Europe in 2023, and discovered that 52 percent were too wide for a standard on-street parking bay. 

"We really don't want city authorities to make these parking spaces bigger," says Mathieu. "That would only encourage people to use these larger, heavier cars."

Some cities are trying to stop the SUV surge. Paris voted last year to hike parking fees for large vehicles in the city center. These vehicles can face fees of $21 an hour, if the drivers aren't residents of the area. 

Officials in the British capital are calling for similar action. The London Assembly passed a motion in June, urging Mayor Sadiq Khan to raise fees for supersized cars. But not everyone's convinced penalties are the only solution. 

"If more people used microcars then authorities would be forced to react," says Microlino's Lee Frankish. "You can park three in a single bay. So cities would have extra space for parking. And it could actually help their finances because more cars could park."

It feels like it will take a big culture shift before people really embrace microcars. But the fact is, something has to change. 

Forecasts by the World Economic Forum suggest there are now nearly 1.5 billion cars around the world. We're making more cars, but we aren't really making more space – not unless you count parking lots, which are about as pleasant as root canal surgery. 

Microcars may not be the solution. But maybe they're one of the solutions. They could open the door to all sorts of possibilities – even if, technically, there isn't a door to begin with…