Being aware of the dimensions of any potential parking space is essential, especially if you have a larger vehicle. Should you need to know how wide a single car garage is, we can help you. We researched home garages from multiple professional sources so that you will know the dimensions.
The average width for a single-car garage is 12 feet. This is more than enough room for a mid-sized car and will still allow enough room for a bit of storage.
Now that we know how wide a single-car garage is, we'll take a closer look at the dimensions of these spaces. You might also be curious if you can fit an SUV inside a single-car garage or if you can fit two cars in a garage that's 20x20. For the answers to these questions and more, keep reading!
Breaking Down The Dimensions Of A Single-Car Garage
Knowing whether or not you will have enough room to park your vehicle in a single-car garage is about being aware of more than just the width. Some cars are a lot longer than others as well.
We mentioned earlier in this post that the average single-car garage width was 12 feet. But that isn't the only single-car width option out there. Some are built to be a standard width of 14 feet or 16 feet.
This is still too small for two cars, but the extra room on either side of the vehicle will allow for a workspace or plentiful storage.
The average length of a single-car garage is 20 feet. Though some are built a bit larger at 22 feet, 20 is the most common. You'll find that this is ample room for almost any passenger vehicle.
Can A Single-Car Garage Fit An SUV?
We mentioned earlier in this post that a single-car garage will be able to fit any mid-sized car easily. But will your SUV fit inside this style of the garage?
There is a wide range of widths and lengths for SUVs. We know that a single-car garage, on average, is 12 feet wide and 20 feet long. Experts say you should have a minimum of 36 inches of clearance on either side of the parked vehicle.
This is for ease of entry and exit and so that your doors won't hit anything upon opening.
If you have a single-car garage, familiarize yourself with its exact dimensions before buying a new vehicle. You should also carefully examine the specs of any prospective new car to be sure that it will safely fit inside your home's garage.
Garage Width Vs. SUV
Needing three feet of clearance on either side means that the SUV should be six feet wide or less to be comfortably parked in a garage.
While several full-sized SUVs are 78 inches wide or bigger, most will be under or close to the 72-inch magic number.
Though a Ford Explorer, at 78.8 inches wide, might be a tighter fit in a single-car garage, you might be able to sacrifice three inches on either side if you need to park it in a garage in a pinch.
Garage Length Vs. SUV
With the average length of a single-car garage measuring 20 feet, you shouldn't have much of a problem worrying about this dimension when parking your SUV.
One of the largest SUVs on the market is the Cadillac Escalade.
This SUV measures just shy of 19 feet long. That will only give you a foot of clearance, but that is more than enough when it comes to the depth of your garage.
How Wide Is A Single-Car Garage Door?
The width of a single-car garage door will vary a bit, depending on the design of your garage. The garage door width will be eight feet or nine feet wide in almost all cases.
No matter the width, the height will be the same. The garage door will be seven feet tall. This opening is large enough for most passenger vehicles, including most pickup trucks.
Can You Fit Two Cars In A 20x20 Foot Garage?
Earlier in this post, we discussed the recommended clearance needed between the side of your vehicle and the sidewall of the garage. We can do some simple math here and determine whether or not two cars can be safely and comfortably parked in a garage that is 20x20.
Consider The Width Of Your Vehicles
Taking the recommended three feet of clearance into consideration, this will subtract nine feet from the overall width of the garage.
Three feet between car one and the garage wall, three feet between car one and car 2, and three feet between car two and the garage wall. This leaves 11 feet of room that is divided by two.
So long as the two cars average 5.5 feet or less in width, they will be able to be comfortably parked in this space and have the suggested room between themselves and the garage walls. But since the average car is 5.8 feet long, this is a tad over what experts recommend between the vehicles and the vehicles and the walls.
Being a bit over won't matter too much, so long as you're mindful when the doors of each vehicle are opened. You won't be able to store anything along the sidewalls of the garage in this case, but you should still have plenty of room at the rear of the garage for this.
Know The Length Of Your Garage
We know that the length won't be an issue since almost any passenger vehicle will measure 19 feet or less.
With that in mind, you should be able to park two cars in a garage this size and most mid-sized SUVs and smaller trucks.
Will A 1/2 Ton Truck Fit In A Single-Car Garage?
So far, we've covered whether or not SUVs or mid-sized cars will fit in a single-car garage. But there are many pickup truck owners out there who might be curious if they could park their vehicle in this space.
As you'll see, whether or not you can park a pickup truck in this style of the garage will depend on whether your garage is 12 feet or 14 feet wide.
Using the recommended clearance of three feet on either side of the truck, it would be best to have a width of no more than six feet if parked in a 12-foot wide garage or 8 feet if parked in a 14-foot wide garage.
At 80 inches wide, the largest passenger trucks would be a little tight in a 12-foot-wide garage. But a 14-foot-wide garage will be more than wide enough to park your pickup truck with plenty of spare room.
To Conclude
Single car garages can accommodate almost any vehicle, though some might make it a little tighter than recommended for the width.
Keeping a six-foot-wide car or under will give you more than enough room in a 12-foot wide garage, and a 14-foot wide garage will fit even the biggest passenger pickup trucks.
Be aware of your garage's dimensions before committing to a new vehicle. Drive safe!
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