Of all the height biased man made objects, cars are perhaps the most problematic for tall people. The one size fits all approach results in poor ergonomics leading to both long term and immediate health hazards. There are some modifications that can be done to improve a car’s fit, but the first step is to choose a car with the most space possible.
With so many cars on the market, finding the best fit can be difficult. The measurement most often cited when characterizing a car’s suitability for a tall person is headroom. Headroom is the vertical distance from the lowest point on the seat to a point directly above it on the roof. Here are two major cruxes with this: First, cars that allow the seat to be adjusted really low to the floor of the cabin have misleadingly larger headroom; this position leaves the tall driver with insufficient legroom. And second, it does the driver no good to utilize the top inch or so of the cabin as the roofline cuts off visibility.
This leads to the hereby coined term, Vision Line Height (VLH): the vertical height between the foot well and where the windshield meets the roof. VLH is measured inside the car with the floor mat removed, which can often be in excess of 1/2″ thick. Most cars can be measured with just a tape measure: Use one hand to hold the end to the floor and measure vertically to the roof line. The measurement should be taken as close to the steering wheel as you can while still keeping the tape vertical.
At the end of this article you will find a VLH list. Though it is a few years old, it is still useful as not much has changed. If you get a chance, please check out you car’s VLH and post it in the comments. Below are some of the more interesting VLH findings.
The top cars are the Ford Transit Connect (51-1/2″), Ford E-series vans (49-1/8″), the pre-2007 Scion XB (47-1/2″), and the Honda Element (46-5/8″). Other noteworthy cars are the Nissan Titan (46″), the Honda Pilot (46″), the Ford Escape (46-1/4″), and the Ford Flex (46-3/8″). If you are truly desperate, there is also the commercial Mercedes Sprinter (52-3/4″))
Much to the contrary of popular opinion, behemoth vehicles don’t necessarily provide lots of space for tall people, the Hummer (VLH = 43″) being a prime example.
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.
It is my hope that, with your help, Vision Line Height will become a standard measurement provided by car manufacturers. This will make the suitability of cars for tall people more transparent and might even inspire a visionary manufacturer to produce a car with an unusually large Vision Line Height! So please use this term whenever you can.
| Make | Model | Year | Vision Line Height (inches) |
| Nissan | Titan | 2013 | 46 |
| Pathfinder | 2014 | 44-1/2 | |
| Juke | 2013 | 43-3/4 | |
| Altima | 2013 | 43-1/8 | |
| Versa | 2014 | 43-3/4 | |
| Honda | Element | 2003-2011 | 46-5/8 |
| Pilot | 2013 | 46 | |
| Civic Coup | 2013 | 42 | |
| Accord | 2013 | 43 | |
| Fit | 2013 | 44 | |
| CRV | 2014 | 43-1/8 | |
| Odyssey | 2013 | 45-3/8 | |
| Ford | Taurus | 2002 | 43 |
| Fusion | 2013 | 42-1/2 | |
| Focus | 2014 | 42-3/4 | |
| Fiesta | 2013 | 41-3/4 | |
| Escape | 2013 | 46.25 | |
| Econoline | 2013 | 49-1/8 | |
| Flex | 2013 | 46-3/8 | |
| Edge | 2013 | 45-3/4 | |
| Transit Connect | 2013 | 51-1/2 | |
| GMC | Silverado | 2013 | 45-1/2 |
| Terrain | 2014 | 42-1/2 | |
| Trax | 2014 | 45-1/2 | |
| Spark | 2014 | 42-3/8 | |
| Camaro Coup | 2013 | 38 | |
| Cruze | 2014 | 41-1/2 | |
| Malibu | 2013 | 41 | |
| Impala | 2014 | 41 | |
| Lacross | 2013 | 42 | |
| Hummer | 2008 | 43 | |
| Chrysler/Dodge | Journey | 2014 | 45-1/2 |
| Ram | 2013 | 46-1/4 | |
| Caravan | 2014 | 44-7/8 | |
| Wrangler | 2014 | 45-1/2 | |
| LX 200 | 2014 | 41 | |
| Dart | 2014 | 42-3/8 | |
| Chrysler 300 | 2013 | 42-3/8 | |
| Suburu | Outback | 2014 | 42-3/4 |
| Impreza | 2013 | 42-1/4 | |
| Crosstrek | 2014 | 42-1/4 | |
| Forester | 2014 | 45-7/8 | |
| BRZ | 2014 | 39-1/2 | |
| Legacy | 2012 | 43 | |
| Kia | Optima | 2013 | 42 |
| Sportage | 2013 | 43-1/8 | |
| Sorento | 2014 | 44-1/4 | |
| Soul | 2013 | 44-1/4 | |
| Cadenza | 2014 | 41-1/2 | |
| Rondo | 2014 | 45-3/4 | |
| Rio | 2013 | 42 | |
| Hyundai | Sante Fe | 2013 | 44-1/2 |
| Tucson | 2013 | 44-7/8 | |
| Elan Tar | 2013 | 41-1/2 | |
| Mercedes | Sprinter | 2013 | 52-3/4 |
| GLK 350 | 2010 | 43-7/8 | |
| ML 350 | 2010 | 43-3/8 | |
| R 350 | 2011 | 44-3/4 | |
| Audi | Q5 | 2010 | 42-7/8 |
| A4 | 2014 | 40-1/2 | |
| Saab | 9-3 | 2008 | 41 |
| Lexus | IS 250 | 2009 | 39-1/8 |
| Cadillac | SRX | 2014 | 43-1/2 |
| Escalade | 2013 | 45-1/8 | |
| CTS | 2013 | 40 | |
| ATS | 2013 | 29-1/2 | |
| Toyota | Prius | 2014 | 44 |
Toyota Prius V (2014) 44”
Could you give an update on these and/or add in things like the Toyota forerunner etc
I plan to at some point, though it’s a lot of work and I’m swamped these days. I’m always eager to put up data collected by the community 🙂
This is a really interesting topic. As a tall guy I completely understand where you are coming from. Let’s try to get more cars in this list. Can you share your data collection methodology and others can take measurements and post.
I added a couple sentences describing how to measure. I’ll try to take some pictures when I get a chance. I’m hoping people can just send me the car model and year along with the VLH measurement, either in the comments or via the contact page. I’ll then update the table on this page.
This would be a great idea. But we need to establish a standard for ho wwe measure the windshields. Please tell us how to measure a windshield or post a video about how to do it.
I love the premise! There’s one aspect that might be misleading however, which is minimum seat height. Some cars’ seats go a lot lower/closer to the floor than others, which can change the value of Vision Line Height pretty dramatically.
Yup, that’s the crux of it. So ideally we would have seat height measurement too. It’s a lot trickier to measure though as you would need some custom apparatus… As far as a single measurement to characterize how friendly a car is for tall people, I think VLH is the best way to go.
Toyota Prius V (2014) 44”
I’ve always used my own subjective assessment of where the headliner or windshield tint is and also how much I have to lower and tilt back the seat to get as much vision below the headliner-windshield seam as possible, which makes most vehicles ridiculous to drive. A standard measure for shopping from the couch is a great idea. Has Consumer Reports taken up the idea? I suggest anybody interested in this write them since they actually buy the cars they test and do not have to rely on factory published dimensions. I keep looking for something to replace my older SUV and the options are horrible particularly if you have a long torso. Full-size SUVs no longer help with their sloping windshields.
Contacting consumer reports is a great idea, such a prominent third party could really help popularize this measurement!
This is an incredibly helpful blog. I’m not sure if you’re motivated to keep it up, but I’d be happy to donate if you put up a PayPal link. This is a frustrating shopping experience- and you’ve nailed the problems. Even top Google search results for “cars for tall guys” come back with prominent car mags measuring headroom
Here’s praying you can keep this up or fund a clever way for the community to post the measurements
Thank you for the feedback and kind words! The VLH concept is something I came up with when I was desperate to be sit up straight to save my spine further degeneration. My old man accompanied me as we drove all around town checking out different cars. Some day I’ll do it again. In the meantime, as I’ve mentioned, anyone who sends in measurements via the comments or contact email, I’ll post these to the list. I wish I had the resources to do some kind of collaborative system… some day perhaps.
I’ve added a donation button to the top of the sidebar. Any donation will help fund Tall.Life projects. But honestly, the best motivation for me is comments like yours. It’s hard not to feel like all this content is going out to an empty void sometimes, but comments like yours make me realize I’m being helpful 🙂
Thank you again!
Check out the Nissan Rogue. Plenty of headroom, tilting/telescoping steering column, and good VLH (except for the rear view mirror).
This is the dumbest way to measure it possible!!!! You could have a seat that is low to the floor and still be fine. You must measure from the seat to the roof. NO ONE sits on the floor that I know of. LOL
Try not to think one dimensionally. It’s useful to compare the headroom with how low the top of the windshield is. Not much used in fitting inside, but then not being able to see red and green lights overhead.
I disagree Jackie, I’ll explain: A seat pushed all the way to the floor may technically allow me to fit in a car, but that arrangement is untenable for some of us. It puts too much pressure on the wrong parts of my spine and changes all the other driving dynamics negatively. I myself want a very upright position AND I want to see out the windshield AND not have my head mere centimeters from hitting the door jamb in the event of an accident. So, this is VLH is a pretty decent proposal.
Legroom isn’t usually a problem for me. I have a friend who is 6’6″, I’m 6’2″, and his legs are 4″ longer than mine. So when I am seated, I look like a *really* tall guy. What is of most concern to me is the seated headroom minus the distance from the ceiling line down to the VLH. I get what you are saying about the vision line being important. I have driven cars where I could barely see past the hood of the car, so I either had to bend over sideways to drive, or sit up really tall and stick my head out the sunroof.
I disagree Jackie, I’ll explain: A seat pushed all the way to the floor may technically allow me to fit in a car, but that arrangement is untenable for some of us. It puts too much pressure on the wrong parts of my spine and changes all the other driving dynamics negatively. I myself want a very upright position AND I want to see out the windshield AND not have my head mere centimeters from hitting the door jamb in the event of an accident. So, this is VLH is a pretty decent proposal.
We bought into a rivian rs1 to accommodate my 6’8 and a family of five. I know that many consider it a luxury vehicle but for my body size, family size (tall boys), and carbon footprint, the choice between a Suburban or the rivian, of equal size and cost, the Rivian felt like more of a future forward purchase. PLUS the Rivian does not have a full length center console which means room to swing the knees sideways.
Headroom 41in
VLH 44 in
Legroom 43 in
Legroom past the pedals 52 in