Standard Garage Dimensions for 1, 2, 3, or 4 Cars (with Visuals)

If you are looking to build a garage for your home, you may have questions about getting started. Specifically, how big of a garage you need, how hard it is to add to an existing garage, and its dimensions. Keep reading while we cover all of these things and more for one, two, three, and even four-car garages.

Dimensions for 1-Car Garage (with Visual)

Most modern garages are about 12-feet wide and have an 8-feet wide door. There are some garage doors with 9-foot-wide doors, but they are rare. Single car garages stand 7-8-feet tall, and most experts recommend the taller for more headroom, and it gives you some space to upgrade to a larger vehicle.

Dimensions for 2-Car Garage (with Visual)

Two-car garages are the most popular and expand the width to 18-20 feet. We recommend going wider if you can because you’ll have more room between cars. The door will need to be wider, and the standard is 16 feet. However, the depth will stay the same at 20-24 feet.

Dimensions for 3-Car Garage (with Visual)

The three-car garage is larger still and will require a center post. Therefore, you will need two doors. Most people have one 16-foot door and one eight-foot door. Three separate doors are rare and require a lot of setup and maintenance. The depth stays the same at 20-24 feet, and the height is usually 8 feet.

Dimensions for 4-Car Garage (with Visual)

The four-car garage is the largest structure we are going to discuss. Like the three-car garage, the four-car will also require two doors, each of which will be 16-feet wide, and it will also require a center post. It will be about 34-36-feet wide, and though most experts will recommend a 20-24-foot depth like the others, many people will build them 24 feet or longer for added space. It will also be about 8-foot tall.

Choosing Your Garage Height

As we’ve mentioned, most garages stand between seven and eight feet tall. If you only drive small cars, you can save building costs by having a 7-foot ceiling. However, an eight-foot ceiling can give you quite a bit of extra space that will make the environment more comfortable, and you can use it for storage.

Choosing Your Garage Depth

Most experts recommend a garage depth of at least 20 feet to fit most vehicles and provide you with a little space in front and behind the vehicle to move around and to reduce the risk that your garage door will close on the trunk. Let’s take a look at the average vehicle size for each class to give you an idea of what you will need.

Compact Cars

Compact cars like the Kia Ria, Chevy Cruze, Ford Focus, and others are the smallest and are usually between 14 and 15 feet long. These cars are rarely wider than six feet and stand about five feet tall.

Mid-Sized Cars

Mid-sized cars like the Honda Accord, Mazda 6, and the Toyota Camry are a little larger and are usually about a foot longer at 15-16-feet long.  It will also be slightly wider than compact cars but not by much, and it will be about the same height.

Full-Sized Cars

Full-sized cars like the Toyota Avalon, Dodge Charger, and Chevy Impala are larger still and will usually be between 16 and 17-feet long. It will also be a little wider than 6 feet and will stand a little taller as well.

Mid-Sized Trucks

Mid-Sized Trucks like the Chevy Colorado, Ford Ranger, and Toyota Tacoma are the next size up and will be between 17 and 18-feet tall, so at this point, you will start to cut it close with a 20-foot-deep garage.

Full-Sized Trucks

Full-Sized Trucks like the Chevy Silverado, Ford F150, and Toyota Tundra will be the most difficult to fit as they often are close to 20 feet long, requiring a depth of at least 20 feet. These trucks can also be close to 7 feet wide, which will give you only 6 inches on either side of the truck when pulling it through the garage door, and most of these trucks are about 6.5 feet tall, which will be cutting it close if you choose the 7-foot ceiling.

Crossover SUVs

The Crossover SUVs like the Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, and Mazda CX-5 are like tall mid-sized cars with a length of a little over 15 feet and a width of about 6 feet. The height of these vehicles will be a little over 5.5 feet.

Mid-Sized SUVs

The Mid-Sized SUVs like the Ford Explorer, Dodge Durango, and Toyota 4Runner are the next size up. These vehicles are 16-16.5 feet long and about 6.5 feet wide. It’s also a little bit taller than the crossover SUV at about 6 feet.

Full-Sized SUVs

The Full-Sized SUV is the largest SUV class and features vehicles like the Cadillac Escalade, Ford Expedition, and Chevy Suburban. A 20-foot-deep garage is enough, but like the full-sized trucks, it will be tight getting them through the door because they are usually close to 7-feet wide, giving you less than six inches on each side as you drive in. Full-sized SUVs also tend to be about 6.6 feet tall, so you will need to worry about your garage height.

Other Variables to Consider

You will also need to consider what else you will store in the garage beside your car. Many people lie to keep their lawnmower, shovels, and garden tools in the garage for easy access when you need them. Bikes are another item commonly found in the garage, and you might want to leave a little room for a workbench and a toolbox so you can perform routine maintenance on your vehicle as needed. Storing these things might mean you need to add more width, length, and width to your garage.

If you are using steps to connect the garage to your home, those steps may take up room in your garage. Steps usually extend 10 inches per step, meaning just three steps will extend 2.5 feet into your garage. Many people also like to install bumpers to protect the driver from driving in too far and hitting a wall, especially in tight witting garages, ut these will use up a lot of space. We recommend using wood blocks to create car stops like you see in many parking lots, one for each front tire. You can even purchase commercial curbs made from a durable rubber that you can use to prevent the car from going too far without taking up space in the garage.

Garage Door Dimensions

The most common size for garage doors is 8-foot wide by 7-feet tall for one car and 16-feet wide and 7-feet tall for two two-car garages, but there are several sizes available to fit any need. You will need to measure your opening to find the right size. If you are building the garage, we recommend choosing the largest size that will fit.

Beware: Zoning Regulations on Garages

You will also need to worry about local zoning regulations and building codes. Every state has a set of building codes that you will need to follow when constructing your garage. These codes will determine how large any steps need to be and how high and wide the building should be, among other things. Zoning will tell you if the city gives you permission to build and what you need to do first. In many cases, you will need to get signed consent from your neighbors to build a structure, and sometimes you will need to appear at a city council meeting depending on where you live. You will need to check the laws in your area before you begin construction.

Conclusion

When building a garage, the most important thing to remember is that different vehicles will need to park in there in time. Though cars have been steadily getting smaller with each generation, you may choose to get an SUV or full-sized truck and wish you chose a larger design. We recommend going with the largest size that will fit on your property and your budget will allow. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you use up any extra space you didn’t think you needed.

We hope you have enjoyed reading and found the dimensions you needed for your garage. If we have helped answer your questions, please share this guide to standard garage dimensions on Facebook and Twitter.

Featured image credit: Donosos, Pixabay