Parking Space Size Calculator

Garages, driveways, and commercial lots all hinge on the same question: is there enough room to park, open the doors fully, and maneuver in and out without touching anything?

Standard parking space dimensions:

Residential garage (single car):

• Minimum: 2.7m × 5.5m (9ft × 18ft)
• Comfortable: 3.0m × 6.0m (10ft × 20ft)
• Ideal: 3.6m × 7.2m (12ft × 24ft), which allows full door opening and storage down one side

Residential garage (two cars, side by side):

• Minimum: 5.5m × 5.5m (18ft × 18ft)
• Comfortable: 6.0m × 6.0m (20ft × 20ft)
• At the two-car minimum the doors open a hand’s width before they touch. Aim for 6m and up

Angle parking (commercial/street):

• 45° angle: stall width 2.7m (9ft), depth 5.8m (19ft)
• 60° angle: stall width 2.7m (9ft), depth 6.4m (21ft)
• 90° (perpendicular): stall width 2.7–3.0m (9–10ft), depth 5.5–6.0m (18–20ft)

Where the angled depth figure comes from. Tip a 2.7m × 5.5m stall over to 45 degrees and it stops being 5.5m deep. The depth measured back from the curb is (stall length × sin θ) + (stall width × cos θ), which at 45° is 3.89 + 1.91 = 5.80m, exactly the 19ft in the table above. The same stall at 60° comes to 6.11m. This is the number most people get wrong when sketching a lot on paper, because the instinct is to use the car length and stop there.

Angling also changes how much curb each car eats. A stall 2.7m wide measured across its own axis occupies 2.7 ÷ sin 45° = 3.82m of curb, so a 45° row fits fewer cars per metre of frontage than a perpendicular row does. What angling buys you is a narrower aisle, not more stalls.

Vehicle size categories:

• Compact cars (e.g., Honda Fit, MINI): ~4.0m × 1.7m
• Mid-size sedans (e.g., Toyota Camry): ~4.8m × 1.85m
• SUVs (e.g., Ford Explorer): ~4.9m × 1.95m
• Large trucks / pickups: ~5.5–6.0m × 2.0–2.1m
• Minivans: ~5.1m × 2.0m

Important clearances:

• Door opening clearance (each side): minimum 600mm (24 inches)
• Overhead clearance for garage: minimum 2.1m (7ft); for SUVs/vans: 2.4m (8ft)
• Maneuvering aisle width (90° parking): minimum 6.0m (20ft)

For EV charging: Electric vehicle charging stations should have a minimum 3.3m (11ft) wide space to accommodate charging cable routing without tripping hazards.