Research · Small cars

Small cars aren’t small any more: today’s superminis are wider than 1990s family cars

Today’s “small” cars are as long as the family hatchbacks of the 1990s, and wider. A 2017 VW Polo is 407.4 cm long, the same as a 1991 Golf.

Car Size Guide analysis · 6 well-known models · Updated October 2026

+5.7 cm

wider: a 2017 VW Polo vs a 1991 VW Golf, at exactly the same length.

Body width (cm): today’s small cars vs 1990s family cars

Small cars today1990s family cars

Bars start at 150 cm.

Key findings

A 2017 VW Polo is 407.4 cm long, exactly the same as a 1991 Golf (407.4 cm), and 5.7 cm wider (175.1 vs 169.4 cm).
A 2019 Vauxhall Corsa is 176.5 cm wide: 7.1 cm wider than the 1991 Golf and 5.6 cm wider than a 1998 Astra (170.9 cm).
A 2019 Renault Clio is 179.8 cm wide, wider than a 1990 BMW 3 Series (171 cm).

Method and caveats

We picked well-known models across segments on purpose, so this is a comparison of familiar cars, not a market average. Body widths exclude mirrors; figures are for the hatchback (BMW: saloon).

Cite this

Car Size Guide (2026), “Small cars aren’t small any more: today’s superminis are wider than 1990s family cars”, https://carsizeguide.com/research/small-cars-arent-small/