Best Car Lists Comparisons

Best Vehicles for Tall or Short Drivers

Dusty Rhodes November 23, 2016

You wouldn’t purchase a pair of shoes for yourself if they weren’t your size, so why buy a car that doesn’t fit you? Just like a good fitting pair of shoes, there are plenty of vehicle styles, sizes, and options to choose from. We’ll take a look at a selection of the best vehicles for tall drivers, and the best vehicles for short drivers. But before we start, let’s review some of the criteria we used to determine our top picks.

Qualifiers

We chose a variety of vehicle types based on interior specifications, safety, quality, and comfort. Headroom measures the amount of room for your torso. It is measured from the vehicle’s roof to the bottom of the seat. This, in combination with the overall height of the vehicle, can help gauge the ease of entry and exit.

Legroom measures the distance between the floor pedals to the seat, either fully extended or in the fully forward position. The Society of Automotive Engineers determine this space using the seat in the full rearward position. Front hip room measures the width of the front seat. This metric is helpful if you travel extensively. Wider hip room allows for more wiggle room and less compression on your legs, allowing for better blood flow.

Safety is an important consideration, as some features such as knee airbags, are great for drivers both short and tall. Lastly, quality and comfort helped in determining the best vehicles for both tall and short drivers.

Best Vehicles for Tall Drivers

2017 Mercedes S-Class Coupe

Overall Vehicle Height: 55.8 inches
Headroom: 39.7 inches
Legroom: 41.4 inches
Front Hip Room: N/A

You wouldn’t typically think of a coupe as having the stretch room that the Mercedes S-Class has. Few coupes offer this spacious of a cabin and luxurious comfort. Don’t take for granted the convince of the standard multi-adjustable power seat when you lend this beauty to your spouse.

2017 Hyundai Sonata Sedan

Overall Vehicle Height: 58.1 inches
Headroom: 40.4 inches
Legroom: 45.5 in
Front hip room: 55.3 inches

With plenty of room to get in and out, the 2017 Hyundai Sonata continues its legacy as a top-in-class sedan. The cabin is roomy and comfortable, with plenty of headroom and more than enough leg room for most tall drivers. If you feel like an upgrade to the already impressive base, the Sonata Sport comes with an 8-way adjustable power driver’s seat and heated seats.

2017 Subaru Forester SUV

Overall Vehicle Height: 66.4 inches
Headroom: 41.4 inches
Legroom: 43.0 inches
Front Hip Room: 53.9 inches

The 2017 Subaru Forester has a ground clearance of 8.7 inches, which makes getting in and out that much easier for a vertically gifted driver sick of rolling into the driver seat. The driver’s seat is comfortable, and while the cabin is not breathtaking, it works for a vehicle you’d want to take camping.

To jazz it up, the Forester comes standard with a color rearview camera so you don’t need to wrench your neck to back out of your parking space. It earned an overall 5-Star NHTSA rating and comes with adjustable pedals and side head Airbags.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Minivan

Overall Vehicle Height: 69.9 inches
Headroom: 40.1 inches
Legroom: 41.1 inches
Front Hip Room: 59 inches

The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica has plenty of headroom and ample legroom. It comes with standard power driver’s seat and Nappa leather trim. The ride is extremely comfortable thanks to lumbar support and extra hip room. It also comes with available driver seat position memory in case the teenager needs to borrow the van. It is a Top Safety Pick + and awarded a 5-Star Overall NHTSA Safety Rating.

2017 Ford F-150 Truck

Overall Vehicle Height: 75.5 inches
Headroom: 40.8 inches
Legroom: 43.9 inches
Front Hip Room: 62.5 inches

Let’s just call it as it is. The Ford F-150 is arguably the best truck in America. It also happens to be the perfect vehicle if you need some extra legroom. For virtual virtuosos, getting in and out of this truck is a cinch. The extra hip room is a nice bonus, and the F-150 is again one of the safest trucks on the road, scoring a 5-Star Overall NHTSA Rating and being awarded an IIHS Top Safety Pick.

Best Vehicles for Short Drivers

2017 Audi TTS Coupe

Overall Vehicle Height: 52.8 inches
Headroom: 37.1 inches
Legroom: 41.1 inches
Front Hip Room: N/A

One beautifully laid out interior, the controls are pivoted toward the driver to eliminate excessive reach. The driver’s seat? Well, the 2017 Audi TTS has twelve-way power sport seats that include four-way lumbar adjustment. So, the seats adjust nicely whether you’ve got a short torso, short legs, or both.

2017 Toyota Camry Sedan

Overall Vehicle Height: 57.9 inches
Headroom: 38.8 inches
Legroom: 41.6 inches
Front Hip Room: 54.5

With a height-adjustable, 8-way power ‘Sport’ driver’s seat, adjustable lumbar support, and side seat bolsters, any driver can sit comfortably snug in the Toyota Camry. The materials used in the cabin are nice, even at the base level, and improve with each trim upgrade.

While 2017 IIHS ratings are not in yet, the 2016 Camry earned Top Safety Pick+ honors. 2017’s Camry has been awarded a 5-Star overall NHTSA rating. The Camry comes with 10 airbags, including driver seat-mounted side airbags and knee airbags.

2017 Cadillac XT5 Crossover

Overall Vehicle Height: 66.0 inches
Headroom: 38.4 inches
Legroom: 41.2 inches
Front Hip Room: 56.0

Cadillac outdid itself with the 2017 XT5’s upscale cabin. Materials are first class. The ergonomic seating comes standard with power slide and recline. It’s comfortable, particularly for road trips. Worried about getting in? The XT5 comes with available assist steps to make entry and exit a breeze. Top to it all off, the XT5 was awarded IIHS Top Safety Pick+ honors.

2017 Volvo XC90 SUV

Overall Vehicle Height: 69.9 inches
Headroom: 38.9 inches
Legroom: 40.9 inches
Front Hip Room: 56.0 inches

A spacious cabin for folks of most sizes, with quality materials and comfort at its core, the 2017 Volvo XC90 has a lot to offer. With standard premium synthetic seats, seat memory, 14-way power-adjustable slide and recline, and spine support, the driver seat can be positioned to easily reach pedals and concurrently the 9-inch touch-screen infotainment system. The XC90 also earned an overall 5-Star NHTSA safety rating.

2017 Nissan Frontier Pickup

Overall Vehicle Height: 68.7 inches
Headroom: 39.7 inches
Legroom: 42.4 inches
Front Hip Room: 55.8 inches

While you may be excited enough to jump into the 2017 Nissan Frontier, you don’t have to. The pickup’s ground clearance is 8.7 inches, making entry and exit easy when factoring in the location of the assist handle for those who are very short. Another great feature is built right into the front seats. The supplemental air bags move with you as you adjust your seating position, offering side-impact protection. The Frontier is a great choice for someone wanting a pickup that won’t swallow you whole.