How to read car dimensions without choosing on the wrong number

Overall length helps you judge how much space the car occupies front to rear. Width matters when passing between obstacles or sharing a porch. Height helps identify a possible low-clearance problem, provided the listed measurement includes the highest part of the actual vehicle. These dimensions describe the outside of a car; they are not cabin measurements.

Wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear axle centres. It describes proportions, not the distance between your knees and the seat in front. Seat thickness, adjustment range, floor height and the layout of the engine or battery all affect passenger fit. Test seating with the same driver in both cars.

MyCarSize calculates differences as B minus A. A positive length means Car B is longer; a negative width means Car B is narrower. Swapping the cars reverses the signs without changing the physical size of either car. Ten millimetres is one centimetre, so a 100 mm increase in length is 10 cm of additional body length.

For the S70 and City petrol RS entries, the bodies are close in length and height while width differs more. That is easy to miss in a side profile. If your problem is opening a door beside a wall, the width row may be more useful than a dramatic-looking overlap of the silhouettes.

The tool places the two prepared side-profile images on one common canvas. Car A is shown in front and Car B is translucent behind it; Swap changes which outline is easier to inspect. The numerical guides come from catalogue dimensions. Vehicle images are illustrations, so small perspective or preparation differences can remain.

A side view cannot show body width, mirror width, door sweep, turning circle or the shape of the luggage opening. It also cannot establish handling, crash safety or ride comfort. Use the specification rows for the recorded dimensions and a physical inspection for the fit questions the image cannot answer.

A model name can span several bodies and equipment levels. A facelift can change bumper length, while roof rails, tyres or an antenna can change height. A hybrid variant may have a different boot capacity from a petrol variant with nearly identical exterior dimensions. The displayed year identifies the catalogue entry, not a promise that it is the newest model on sale.

Build a shortlist around your actual constraint: driveway length, access beside the car, luggage shape or seating. Then follow the manufacturer references, confirm the variant on the quotation and try the vehicle. Very small dimensional differences should prompt a closer fit check rather than a confident claim that one car will be easier to live with.