Best SUVs and Trucks for Fat People and Big & Tall Drivers

How to read these numbers

Hip room and shoulder room are measured across the whole front row, door to door, with the center console inside that number. They're for comparing vehicles, not a measurement of your seat. Legroom is measured with the seat all the way back, and headroom runs from the seat to the headliner. Where a trim with a sunroof or panoramic roof has less headroom, the lower figure is in parentheses. All figures are in inches.

Full-size pickups (crew cabs)

The Silverado and Sierra lead on both headroom and legroom by a clear margin. The F-150 has the widest shoulders, and among trucks with a published hip-room figure, only the Tundra edges it, by a tenth of an inch. The Ram is wide but has the least legroom of the group, a full 3.6 inches less than the GM trucks.

Full-size SUVs

GM's four body-on-frame SUVs share nearly identical front dimensions, so pick on price and features. The Wagoneers are the widest SUVs here but give up 3.6 inches of legroom to the GM models. The Navigator is the one to sit in carefully if you're tall: its 38.3 inches of headroom is about 4 inches less than a Tahoe's.

Three-row midsize SUVs

The Traverse is the standout. On paper it has more front headroom than a Tahoe and nearly the same legroom, at a lower price point, though it's about 3 inches narrower at the shoulders. The Palisade's 44.2 inches of legroom is the other number worth noticing. Spec sources disagree on some panoramic-roof headroom figures (the Atlas, for one), so sit in the exact trim.

Midsize pickups

The Colorado's 45.2 inches is the most legroom of any truck or SUV in this guide, but midsize trucks are sedan-narrow. The unibody Ridgeline is the exception, with three-row-SUV width.

Don't forget payload

This is the spec almost nobody checks, and it matters more when the people inside are big. Every car, SUV and light truck has a tire and loading placard, usually on the driver's side door pillar, and federal standard FMVSS 110 requires it to state that "the combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed" a specific number of pounds. Four large adults plus luggage can approach that limit in some vehicles. Check the placard on the actual vehicle, since it varies by trim and options.

Getting in and out of a tall vehicle

Height is a mixed blessing. A truck seat near hip height means no deep squat, but you're climbing up and stepping down. Look for running boards or power steps, and an A-pillar grab handle on the driver's side. Some full-size trucks and SUVs offer air suspension that can lower the vehicle for entry; ask whether the trim you're considering has it. For portable handles and swivel cushions, see our car entry aids guide.

Buckling up in a big vehicle

Wide cabs don't guarantee a seat belt that fits. IIHS says a properly fitted lap belt sits low on the hips or across the upper thighs, not the belly. If yours won't reach, ask the dealer for the automaker's extender before buying anything online; our car seat belt extender safety guide walks you through it. Comparing smaller vehicles too? See the best cars for big and tall drivers.

Sources

Kelley Blue Book spec pages, with hip room from iSeeCars dimension pages where KBB doesn't list it: Silverado, Sierra, F-150, Tundra, Ram 1500, Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, Escalade, Expedition, Navigator, Grand Wagoneer, Wagoneer, Sequoia, Traverse, Palisade, Explorer, Ascent, Atlas, Grand Highlander, Telluride, Colorado, Ranger, Tacoma. Honda figures come from Honda's spec pages for the Pilot and Ridgeline. Specs change by model year, trim and cab; confirm with the dealer.