How to measure your car's loaded height
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The short answer
Measure your car on level ground with the roof kit fitted, to the highest point: a tent, a box or an aerial. Write the figure down in metres and feet. Then check it against height signs and each ferry operator's stated limit. Car parks set their own limits, so the sign at the entrance counts.
Measuring your loaded height
Measure with everything you'd drive with: the bars, the tent, and any roof box or aerial. Take the reading from the ground to the highest fixed point, and note the date and what was fitted. If the roof load changes, measure again.
To check your figure, or work it out from the car's height plus the bars and tent, use the vehicle height calculator. For how tent sizes are given, see roof tent dimensions explained. If you carry a box as well, roof box sizes explained helps you compare the figures.
How UK height signs work
The Highway Code shows a sign reading "No vehicles over height shown". A plate under the overhead electric cable sign gives the maximum height of vehicles that can pass safely. Highway Code: traffic signs.
Read the figure on the sign itself, not one you remember. If your measured height is close to it, find another route. The same check applies to low garage entrances, drive-throughs and multi-storey car parks, where the sign at the entrance gives the limit. For more on parking with a tent fitted, see can you leave a roof tent on your car.
What ferry operators state
Each operator words its limits differently, so compare your figure with the category its page describes:
- Brittany Ferries says supplements apply to cars, MPVs and 4x4s over 5m long and 1.83m high. It asks for the full height of your vehicle, including any roof load. Brittany Ferries: booking the correct vehicle type.
- Stena Line lists a low car with a maximum height of 2m, and a high car with a maximum height of 3m. Both figures include roof boxes or bicycles. Stena Line: vehicle categories.
- Condor Ferries lists a standard car up to 1.85m high, a standard car with roof load up to 2.2m, and a medium car with roof load up to 3.1m. It says vehicles up to 3.1m can be booked online, and taller ones must be arranged by contacting the company. Condor Ferries: travelling by car.
- LeShuttle asks whether your vehicle is higher than 1.85m. The page gives no maximum height. LeShuttle: high vehicles.
None of these pages names roof tents. When checked, the DFDS vehicles page gave no height figures, so check its booking pages directly. If you are booking a crossing, taking a roof tent to Europe covers the wider planning.
The checklist
- Park on level ground.
- Fit the roof kit as you would drive with it, including bars, tent and any box or aerial.
- Measure from the ground to the highest point, and write the figure down in metres and feet.
- Convert using 1 metre, which is about 3.28 feet.
- Keep the figure in the car, such as on the dashboard.
- Check each height sign at car parks, garages and low bridges against that figure.
- Before you book a ferry, read the operator's vehicle page and state the full height, including roof loads.
- Measure again whenever you change bars, a box or the tent.
FAQs
Do ferry operators count a roof tent in the height?
The pages checked do not name roof tents. Brittany Ferries asks for the full height including any roof load, and Stena Line's figures include roof boxes or bicycles, so measure the tent as fitted.
What does "No vehicles over height shown" mean?
It is a Highway Code sign, and the height shown on it is the limit for vehicles. If your measured height is at or above that figure, do not go under it.
Is 1.85m a limit for LeShuttle?
LeShuttle asks whether your vehicle is higher than 1.85m, but the page checked does not give a maximum height. Check the current guidance on its page before you book.
Do the figures use metres or feet?
The operators checked use metres. To compare with a figure in feet, 1 metre is about 3.28 feet.
Next: work out your vehicle height
Cross-check your measurement with the vehicle height calculator, which adds the car, bars and tent heights you enter.
More in Roof bars and boxes
Sources
- Highway Code: the "No vehicles over height shown" sign, and the plate under the overhead electric cable sign that gives the maximum height of vehicles that can pass safely (checked )
- Brittany Ferries: supplements apply to cars, MPVs and 4x4s over 5m long and 1.83m high; asks for the full height including any roof load (checked )
- Stena Line: low car maximum height 2m, and high car maximum height 3m, both including roof boxes or bicycles (checked )
- Condor Ferries: standard car up to 1.85m high, standard car with roof load up to 2.2m, medium car with roof load up to 3.1m, online booking up to 3.1m (checked )
- LeShuttle: asks whether the vehicle is higher than 1.85m; the page gives no maximum height (checked )