Standard Size of a Carpark Space - New Zealand

If you've ever pulled into a tight parking spot and found yourself inching your way out of the car door, you're not alone. While many of us might feel like carparks are shrinking, the reality is that they haven't. In New Zealand, the standard parking space hasn’t changed much in decades — but the vehicles we drive have.

Let’s take a closer look at the standard dimensions of a car park space in New Zealand, how increasing car sizes are making parking feel tighter than they should, and how you might use this information to make a decision on parking space size for your car park.

A 1970s Fiat 126 next to a 2006 Toyota Corrola and a 2023 Skoda "Mid size" SUV

90 Degree Parking Spaces

In New Zealand, the dimensions for off-street parking spaces are set out in AS/NZS 2890.1:2004, which provides guidance for the design of parking facilities. According to this standard, a typical 90-degree (right angle) carpark space is:

• 2.5 metres wide

• 5.0 metres long

• Line width: typically 100 mm, included in the overall width

• Aisle width (between rows): around 6.0 metres

These dimensions are intended to fit the average passenger vehicle and allow for reasonable access in and out of the car.

There are also smaller car spaces (often used in tight developments), wider accessible/mobility parks (typically 3.5 m wide), and different dimensions for angled and parallel spaces. The use type matters (long term like an office can have narrower bays, whereas a shopping centre will be wider). The isle width also matters, as the turn in angle affects the ability to park straight and accurately.

Angled Parking Dimensions

Angled parks take up more space along the row of cars (along the kerb), but require less space for the turn in manoeuvre and less space between aisles, so there is a trade off that suits some sites and not others. A 60 degree angle park that is 2.5m wide perpendicular to the line, takes up 3m along the kerb, it also needs to be longer - 5.7m minimum. However, that extra 0.7m is quickly recovered by being able to narrow the aisle between two rows of angled parking. Not to mention it is safer.

Accessible Parking Dimensions

Layouts are governed by NZS 4121 and the Building Code. There are minimum requirements that must be followed to be compliant. These are that a space must be 3.5m wide and 5.0m long, minimum. Two accessible parks next to one another can share a hatched aisle which reduces the overall space needed. The spaces must be marked with a compliant sized accessible symbol, and though not a requirement in New Zealand, the symbol being on a blue background is becoming standard in a lot of cases.

The issue is of course, with the exception of accessible parks, a standard is only a guideline, and even though resource consents for the development likely state the car park must be kept laid out in the same way as the original plan, the reality is the property owner can determine the space size when line marking. They must weigh up the value of extra car parks over the frustration caused to drivers by reducing the space width. It is a balance that is difficult to get right, and we at Precision Line Marking think too much weight goes on the number of car parks, as people underestimate how the difficulty of parking and the anxiety of being able to get in and out without having doors bumped and cars damaged impacts peoples' decision on where they decide to shop.

Vehicles are Growing

Cars are getting bigger. Especially SUVs, utes, and crossover vehicles — which are increasingly popular in New Zealand.

To put it into perspective:

• A Toyota Corolla from the early 2000s was around 1.7 m wide and 4.3 m long.

• A modern Toyota Hilux or Ford Ranger - even SUV's like the Audi Q7 are about 2.0 m wide (mirrors folded) and 5.3+ m long.

That leaves only half a meter between cars, or when the door is open, about the length of a ruler to get in and out of your car!

Why It Feels So Tight

So while the actual size of carparks hasn't shrunk, our vehicles have grown into — and sometimes beyond — those dimensions. Add in thicker door panels, high curbs, pillars, and other cars pushing the limits of their bays, and it’s no wonder parking feels more stressful than it used to.

In some developments, narrower parking bays (e.g. 2.4 m) may be used to increase capacity, making the squeeze even more noticeable.

What Can Be Done?

Some commercial carpark designers and developers are now:

• Increasing the standard bay width to 2.6–2.7 m in high-traffic areas.

• Using "overhang zones" to accommodate longer vehicles without needing deeper paving.

• Installing double lines to assist drivers in keeping to the middle of parking spaces and therefore maintaining intended separation

These methods increase utilisation as drivers are able to make use of all spaces, rather than parking offset within a space, creating an unattractive, and therefore under utilised parking space to the side.

Need Carpark Layout Advice?

Whether you’re planning a new carpark or refreshing line marking on an existing one, it’s worth considering modern vehicle sizes and usage trends. Slightly larger bays, wider aisles, and clear markings can improve safety, usability, and customer satisfaction.

Need help designing or line marking a compliant, functional carpark? Get in touch — we’d be happy to help. Carpark Line Marking.