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Cars for older drivers

A car does not become suitable for an older driver through its age but through two measurements and a sight line. The first measurement is the height of the seat cushion: at roughly hip height you sit down — below that you drop in, above it you climb up. The second is the door opening angle, which counts in your own garage and not on the dealer's forecourt. The sight line is what modern cars have lost: thick A-pillars, high waistlines and small rear screens.

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What matters

  • Check the seat height standing beside the car: the cushion should sit at roughly hip height. That is why a compact SUV or a high-roof car-derived van is almost always easier here than a saloon — and why a very tall off-roader gives the advantage straight back.
  • Try getting in and out where you do it every day: in a tight bay and in your own garage. Door width and opening angle differ considerably between two equally sized cars, and a grab handle on the driver's side roof frame is missing more often than you would expect.
  • Visibility is safety: get in and look over your shoulder before you look at the equipment list. A low waistline and a large rear screen replace any camera. Where they are missing, a reversing camera and parking sensors are not convenience but compensation for a body shape.
  • Physical dials for temperature and volume can be found while driving without looking; a touchscreen menu cannot. That is not nostalgia but a point about the time your eyes spend off the road — which counts for every driver, not only an older one.

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Common questions

Is an SUV really the better choice for an older driver?
Up to a certain height yes, beyond it no. The advantage lies purely in seat height, and it is spent as soon as you have to pull yourself up to get in. The compact shapes with a cushion at roughly hip height hit it best. There is also a drawback worth counting in: the taller the bonnet, the larger the area directly in front of the car you cannot see. If you reverse out of spaces a lot, a lower car gains you more than you lose in entry height.
Which assistance systems help most day to day?
The ones that supplement a shoulder check. Blind-spot monitoring reports what the mirror does not show, and rear cross-traffic alert reports a car approaching from the side as you back out of a space — precisely the two situations in which restricted neck movement becomes a problem. Both appear in the car's equipment list and can be checked on the test drive by asking the seller to demonstrate them once.

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