If you're searching for the best cars for tall people, you've come to the right place. This page covers the fundamentals of what makes a car tall friendly, from legroom and headroom to traffic light visibility and ease of getting in and out. All of this is important for both comfort and safety. There are also sections on car seat modifications and general tips for tall people. Lastly, you'll be left with a view of how the car industry may affect tall people in the future. I put this page together to help my fellow tall drivers on this challenging quest.
If you're even a few inches taller than the average person, you may have struggled to find a sports car that you can fit in. Sure, you can make the uncomfortable squeeze into plenty of small cars like the Lotus Elise, but chances are you at least want enough space to sit up straight and stretch out a bit. While there are plenty of sports cars on the market, finding one that can comfortably accommodate taller drivers requires a little bit more effort.
There are so many reasons that people love the classic American muscle power of a Ford Mustang. Useable back seat space and ample trunk capacity is just the tip of the iceberg for tall drivers because there is plenty of space to sit comfortably behind the wheel even if you're on the taller side. Whilst this is true, most of the time sports cars are pretty much suited to a much smaller fit to hug the drivers better.
I have started following Tall Dot Life on many topics. Being that this is the case, I always have struggled finding good cars to drive. I have read a lot of articles including many on Tall Dot Life commenting on cars for tall individuals. My problem is that I also have a bad back and have had one for years. I find that many seats in cars today are horrible on my back and hit me at a bad spot since my torso is so long.
The car with the most comfortable seats for my back is a Toyota Four Runner. I have a family member who has let me borrow theirs temporarily. I need those comfortable seats, but also the headroom. I've ordered several different curvature support devices that maybe can help with this. Not to disagree - but I feel like I'd like to be a voice of reason.
You'd think a big hole in your vehicle's roof would be a plus for headroom, but it's often the opposite. The sunroof panel needs tracks and other mechanical bits to power open, and that hardware—along with the obligatory sliding sunshade—has to fit somewhere. The sunroof's housing and other components usually eat up an inch or two of headroom compared to a non-sunroof model. In some vehicles, that doesn't matter, but in vehicles with lower rooflines, those couple inches can be the difference between a comfortable fit or the top of your head brushing the headliner.
As the Spanish song goes, tall people may never make love in something like a Fiat 500, but short drivers also have difficulties with cars. Many sit too close to the steering wheel when airbag guidelines suggest a distance of 10 inches. Intelligent airbags which sense the closeness of the driver and the severity of the impact before "deciding" to either fully or partially deploy, are an attempt to address this.
The best modern V10-powered mid-engined supercar for a tall driver is unquestionably the Audi R8. The R8 offers at least 38.5 inches of driver's headroom and 41 inches of driver's legroom. And there are lots of 7 feet tall Audi R8 drivers out there, and if you combine that with the impressive comfort of the R8, there is no better option. Even in cars that allow a lot of seat and steering wheel adjustment, it can be tricky to get a decent position behind the wheel that doesn't leave you with horrific back ache. That's something the taller drivers in the CT office have found with the manual Jaguar F-Type we've had on test this week.
If you are a car enthusiast chances are you've heard of the YouTuber, VINWiki creator, and Cannonball record holder Ed Bolian. Ed is known for many things and fitting into small sports cars with his tall-stature isn't one of them — though we do like to see him try. A broad range of steering-wheel adjustment makes dialing in a comfortable driving position much easier, especially when you're long-limbed. I'd say telescopic adjustment might be even more important than tilt adjustment, especially in a cramped cockpit. One of the Mazda MX-5 Miata's upgrades for 2019 was the addition of telescopic adjustability to the previously tilt-only steering column. Even though its range of adjustment is only 1.18 inches, that feature makes the latest Miata's cabin noticeably more hospitable for me (though sadly, it's still a real squeeze overall).
Some vehicles have a much better range of steering-wheel adjustment than others, so make sure you check out that out when you're trying vehicles on for size. In determining which coupes are best for tall drivers, we first must define a coupe. A coupe is a two-door car with a hard top and a back seat.
Some manufacturers claim "coupe styling" for four-door models, but those are not coupes. We're not including those, nor roadsters or models with back seats that are vestigial, and we're not cheating by including the ultimate tall driver cars – convertibles. "Steering wheels that can be adjusted for reach have helped counter the Italian drive," says Browne. "Italian cars up to 10 years ago were designed for those with short legs and long arms. Before that taller drivers had to recline the seat fully and then sit forward to reach the steering wheel and the gear stick." This list will look at some of the worst sports cars for tall people.
This model is 5.5 years old, weighs about 49 pounds and is 45 inches tall. She's tall for her age, but also has a long torso for her height. While she still barely meets the rear facing weight limit, she is too tall, so we put the seat in forward facing.
The harness is on the top position and she's using the crotch buckle with the longer webbing position that's the furthest from the back of the seat pan. Despite being moments away from outgrowing the Fllo, she found it comfortable. If you aren't a big fan of American muscle cars, or maybe just want something that stands out from the crowd, perhaps the Jaguar F-Type is more your style.
Surprisingly spacious inside, this sporty coupe offers enough space for most tall drivers to fit comfortably inside. With enough room for your head, shoulders, knees, and toes, you could make the F-Type your weekend roadster or enjoy its practicality on your daily commute. The seat rail is raised above the floor with two shims.
I had the rear shim removed by a custom modification guy. He simply cut the rear shim off, re-welded the rear track directly to the floor and left the front one in place. Now the seat automatically gets lower the further back it gets from the steering wheel. With the seat all the way back my head is about 2 1/2 inches below the closed top and can comfortably see the horizon below the mirror, just as the short car designers intended. This fix also fits my 5'-7" wife as she uses the seat at a closer and higher setting. As there does not appear to be any downside for shorter bodies, I wonder why all car seat rails are not designed on an incline.
Sometimes it's not just about the space when you're behind the wheel… it's getting behind the wheel in the first place. Be sure to take note of front-door openings when you're out shopping—there are a few vehicles out there that have decent front-seat space for tall folks, but stingy front-door apertures. A tight door opening makes it awkward for big and tall types to squeeze in and out of the vehicle, even though the space behind the wheel is fine.
With the most front legroom of any coupe in our roundup, the 2018 Lexus RC F stands out as one of the best coupes for tall drivers. Starting at $65,675, RC F may have been eclipsed in the Lexus lineup by the arrival of the LC sports car, but it still is an amazing ride for drivers of any height. Civic Coupe starts at $19,340 and goes up to $26,425. You also can choose a hot rod Civic Si Coupe (starting at $24,100) with a 205-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter engine, but you'll sacrifice 1.7 inches of headroom in the process. And if you're tall, that could be the difference between a comfortable ride and an annoying, headbanging torture trip. The 500's front doors open all the way to a 70-degree angle, which gives tall drivers a little bit more space to get their legs and feet inside.
Both eyeroom and VLH are better than headroom for picking out the best cars for tall people. For those willing to do modifications, VLH will be better. You'll find a list of VLH measurements for various cars at the bottom of this page. Humans have longer legs than arms, so if the seat is moved far enough back for a taller person's legs, it will have been moved too far for their arms. Hence tall people, as odd as this may seem, will find themselves reaching for the steering wheel.
This is worsened by the fact that we like to recline our seats to get more headroom. The result is that we end up slouching in the upper back. When it comes to chairs, tall people are better suited by taller chairs. But when adjusting car seats, a tall driver is more likely to lower their seat.
We do this to get more headroom, but this causes our knees to be higher relative to our hips, which is uncomfortable for our hips and backs. In other words, it's a flawed seat adjustment for tall people. However, being a Porsche, the car still quite remains to be impractical in terms of size for taller people. Since the seats are designed to be supportive for the driver, they may be uncomfortable for taller people.
Generally, it is big enough for storage and for people to sit in, but the car definitely comes up short in consumer reviewsranking cars for taller people. Having a sports car that a driver can fit in starts with deciding if you want a manual transmission or a more modern automatic transmission. When it comes to having a manual transmission, you need a little bit more legroom to comfortably use your clutch foot.
On the other hand, it's much easier to find newer sports cars with an automatic transmission, even though there are a handful of brand-new options with stick shifts. For a family sedan, the Kia Optima is quite spacious. Its two rows of seats provide great space for tall people who might question the viability of owning a car over an SUV. Also appealing is Kia's 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty that leads its class. Just because a vehicle is small on the outside, that doesn't mean it's small on the inside, and vice versa. For a vivid illustration of this, climb into the driver's seat of a Hummer H1 , then get behind the wheel of a Mini Cooper.
Many subcompacts offer excellent front-seat space, and some of them even have OK room in the rear seat as well (maybe not for you, but for your average-height friends). In fact, there are some subcompact cars that I fit into better than I fit in some large cars and SUVs. Don't rule small vehicles out just because you're tall—give them a try, and you might be surprised how well you fit.
Still, car makers are building taller cars and this is evident even with superminis such as the Yaris and the C3. So, while tall people earn more, win more elections and fare better at dating, or so the research goes, fitting into the average car can be like trying to get a pint into a wine glass. Many tall drivers have to put up with poor road visibility and back pain when they really need cars which allow for maximum adjustment. The GT40 offers 40 inches in height, not in the headroom department, but height in general.
Another issue with the GT40 was the doors which weren't fond of tall people either, and even the later Ford GT road-legal supercar had this very same issue which was later resolved for the 2017 Ford GT. Now, the normal Yaris is pretty difficult for tall people to get into, and it certainly isn't the most comfortable of cars if you are a tall person in the driver's seat or if you are a passenger. The same issue is in the Toyota Yaris GR-Sport and makes it definitely one to steer away from if one is quite tall. We can provide the safest cars and racetracks for you to enjoy your dream cars, but none of that matters if you don't know what you're doing on the track. As an Xtreme Xperience participant, no previous experience is required, so we employ top notch professional instructors to teach you in a classroom setting and coach you on the track.
Our instructors are rigorously vetted by our Chief Instructor and come from a variety of backgrounds including professional racing, SCAA, and other accredited organizations. We also partner with RaceCraft1, the industry leader in instructor training, to continuously improve communication and instruction techniques. The Forester is an excellent solution for drivers who seek a compact SUV that provides a quiet and smooth ride, along with an extensive list of safety features. It includes ample headroom, with a larger front legroom space. The cargo area measures in at 35.4 cubic feet, which becomes 76 cubic feet with the seats folded down.
Cars for tall people satisfy the main concerns of having enough interior space to sit and drive comfortably. Because cars come in all shapes and sizes, it is important to consider long-term satisfaction when determining whether your next vehicle offers the best fit for you. However, there's a growing sentiment that our current usage of cars is unsustainable. This is because of pollution, inaccessibility for people who don't drive, and impaired drivers. Perhaps the most likely replacement will revolve around electric robotized smaller forms of public transportation that can go door to door. The troubling word here is smaller; if these things are designed for the masses, and thus cater to the average size, it will be a chore for us to stand up for more space.
Hopefully, knock on wood while there still is some, these things won't go down the same dark path as airplane seats. Long-limbed tall people may find legroom to be a bigger problem than vertical space. Such people may prefer to use legroom as the main measurement when searching for a car. However, picking a car with a large VLH is still important as it means the seat can be in a higher position, which coincides with more legroom. Besides, it is possible to modify cars to get more car legroom for tall people, but this is not the case for cabin height. A lack of legroom can affect reaction time for hitting the brakes,2 increasing the likelihood of an accident.
Somewhat less obvious is the gradual insidious onset of chronic musculoskeletal injuries that arise from poor ergonomics. A great example of this is the Mercedes SLS AMG because the SLS offers almost 40 inches of driver's headroom and 41.7 inches of driver's legroom. These headroom figures are not common in the supercars segment, and pair that with a lovely 6.2L naturally aspirated V8, the SLS certainly does seem like a great all-arounder. However, rally cars aren't exactly known for their large size. Many tall people would struggle in the Stratos, and the 43.7-inch height is reflective of how tiny the car is - not being that much taller than the Ford GT40. Add in the awful driving position, and it gets even worse.
First, it's a coupe - so there's inherently more headroom than in a convertible with the top closed. I can get into what I consider very close to an ideal driving position. My head still will hit the roof beam by the driver side window, but not as bad as in the 650S spider. I seem to be looking through a point in the windshield a couple of inches lower than in the 650S, which is important - and the outward visibility is better. Now that that's out of the way, let me pass on a few pointers I've picked up over the course of 17 years of test-driving new cars and trucks.
