Why Americans Are Obsessed With Huge Cars (It Isn’t Toxic Masculinity)

A sweeping aerial shot of a mountain landscape cascades downwards. The setting sun bathes the Earth in its glow.

A deep, authoritative voice booms, “In a world where adventure begins where the road ends…you need options.” A truck barrels through a dirt road. Its all-terrain tires grip the ground and splash the mud away.

Cut to a shot of the truck’s bold grille and muscular lines. Cut to a shot of the Ford logo. Cut to a shot of Brett Favre in jeans smirking at the camera. Cut to a shot of the exhaust pipe blowing black smoke rings at the sun.

“Built to conquer any terrain, the Ford XXXL² EcoTrash will trigger them alarmist hippies.”

But seriously. I finished researching this article and groaned, “Have we learned nothing?”

American vehicles are only getting bigger. The top three selling vehicles in the US in 2023 are all enormous pickup trucks.

1. Ford F-Series (382,893 units sold)

2. Chevy Silverado (264,070 units sold)

3. Ram Pickup (223,049 units sold)

Even more alarming: of the top 15 vehicles sold, only 3 were sedans. The remainder were either an SUV or a truck.

I was initially skeptical of this data so I did a quick eyeball check while running errands yesterday. I was shocked: Tampa has turned into a monster truck rally.

Giant trucks and SUVs flew by one after another. And then, climactically, an 8-foot-tall red truck roared by, honking, speeding, and spewing thick smog in its wake.

With the rise in global warming and heat records being set around the world and hurricanes now hitting southern California, I’d have thought smaller cars would be falling in fashion, if only for self-preservation.

How naive of me. It’s only getting worse. So what gives? Why are Americans so obsessed with huge cars? There must be reasons beyond global warming defiance.

An unfortunate regulatory environment

The bitter irony is that fuel efficiency is a central cause of vehicles ballooning in size.

The government began regulating fuel economy in the 1970s. Initially, they didn’t take into account car size. Then, new regulations made foot-based standards, meaning larger vehicles were subject to fewer regulations.

Specifically, two categories were assigned: passenger vehicles and light trucks (which include SUVs). Light truck is far more favorable for manufacturing with lower design and engineering costs. In short, the bigger the car, the lower the regulatory expectations.

Conversely, smaller cars have far harder goals to hit. Some manufacturers throw their hands up, focus on bigger vehicles, and spend billions to brand and evangelize these new trucks.

It’s working.

Even worse, we’re seeing a “size creep” on trucks. Pickup trucks have increased by more than 1000 lbs since the 1990s. A 1000 lb increase leads to a fatality increase of 40–50%. Which brings us to the other reason.

Safety concerns by drivers

There’s a common perception that bigger cars are safer. This is partly why people are abandoning sedans for light trucks in alarming numbers.

I see it firsthand in my own family. My mother freaks out every time I buy a new smaller car, thinking I’m signing up for a death trap. When I peruse our family photos, I see the vehicles getting bigger and bigger over the decades. We used to be a station wagon family. Now, we own an F150 and a big SUV or three.

And it isn’t a knock on my folks. It’s a common storyline for many of us.

Safety concerns aren’t without merit. Here in Florida, where huge cars are everywhere, you can easily feel bullied on the road. During rush hour, it feels like Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. The fact is: you can’t choose the size of other cars on the road.

I’ve also long noticed the most aggressive and problematic drivers are in large trucks. Studies show it’s because the drivers buy them for that very reason, it gives them a feeling of dominance.

Yes, larger newer vehicles are safer, but only for you.

They are far more dangerous to other people. Pedestrian deaths have increased with larger cars. They hit you harder and at higher points of contact — in more vulnerable parts of your body. Big trucks also have egregious blind spots, especially with children.

Last year, 80% of all new cars sold were trucks or SUVs.

I feel stuck in an arms race between manufacturers and consumers. Car companies index their competitor’s trucks and incrementally make theirs bigger. And then, existing customers feel like their car is shrinking, so they supersize it.

The logic of being the safest by owning the biggest vehicle feels like buying bigger weapons to feel safer. Many Ford F-series trucks now have front hoods that are over 55 inches tall.

Cultural factors

We have long romanticized the spirit of exploration on open roads, vast landscapes, and proud independence.

Owning a house and car is of unique importance in the United States. More than 90% of Americans own a vehicle (less than 60% of Europeans own one).

I grew up with a generation that followed this storyline and was encouraged to leave home at 18 and own a car.

In short, cars are a thing here. You need only peruse YouTube’s car reunion videos, where silver-haired men are reunited with older vehicles and brought to tears.

Historically, larger vehicles are driven much more often by conservative-leaning voters, who tend to be less accepting of climate change concerns. But even that is changing.

I do wonder if Elon Musk, who has been Republicanized in recent years, might be doing some good on this front. The days of only far-left voters driving electric cars are certainly in the rearview mirror. Tesla came in fourth in top car sales in 2023, behind the three other trucks.

In retrospect

For the record, I’ve driven a few larger vehicles over the years but switched to Sedans in 2013 (Hyundai, and then a Kia K5 recently).

My initial decision was more of convenience. I realized it was overkill to drive big trucks and get robbed on fuel costs. I rarely used my truck for its intent.

It’s long overdue for people to think about their energy consumption.

Road transportation is expected to be the biggest contributor to global warming over the next 50 years. If you are a trade worker and use a truck, have at it. But I suspect many of these tanks I’m seeing aren’t needed.

Please consider reducing your carbon footprint. If each of us did something, anything, and didn’t fall into traps of convenience, and stopped overkilling it driving mini-buses, we’d be moving in the right direction.

And — you’d save some money along the way.

I find it rewarding to give back, to do something for the greater good of humanity. It warms my lifeforce and helps atone for my sins to the collective. Let’s not wait until we get an annual apocalyptic mega-storm to solve things.

But, alas, this is the contradiction of being an American. It often feels like we are both the most intelligent and foolish people you’ll ever meet, the most stubborn and open-minded.

Countless times, I’ve seen peers complaining about gas prices while driving their 6,000 lb SUV to their office job each day.

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