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Is the minivan you are looking to purchase, the correct size to fit in your garage or isn’t it? This is one of the aspects that many people don’t think about when purchasing a vehicle.
Minivans are sturdy vehicles and don’t necessarily need to be parked inside but they too will last longer if they are taken care of and the proper maintenance is done. Keeping it out in the open may sometimes result in malfunctioning of various of its parts and will certainly affect the way it looks since it is exposed to the sun, rain, snow, etc.
If the area you live in experiences heavy rainfall or lots of snow and ice then there will be a high chance of the vehicle accumulating rust on its different parts but storing it in a garage can help to keep that from happening (or at least happening as quickly).
A standard minivan is approximately 58-60 inches tall while a garage door is 80-82 inches. That means a normal minivan will easily fit inside of a garage. If your minivan is taller than that or you don’t have a standard height garage then pulling out a tape measure is the easiest way to know whether your minivan will fit or not.
In the rest of this article I will go into more detail about the size of minivans and also garages as you should also consider how wide the garage is (if a single car garage) as getting in and out of the minivan could be difficult if the garage is extremely narrow.
What is the average size of a minivan?
Minivans are pretty big in their construction and they are also sometimes popularly known as multipurpose vehicles. Minivans are often used for family trips and tours to nearby areas on the weekends but they are also often used for hauling large furniture, lumber, drywall, and more.
Minivans can accommodate all the members of an average-sized family. This automatically implies that it has a large interior. It also has a high roof design to fit in all kinds of people or cargo easily with comfort. Minivans will typically have five doors including the hatchback door as well. The doors require quite some space to open up completely to let the people in except in the cases of the sliding doors. They have a two or three rowed system on the inside for people to comfortably sit. These seats can also be shifted into the floor or moved/removed to make space for storage. It hence has a huge cargo space too.
Speaking in numbers, a typical minivan has a height of 68-72” but each model can vary slightly. It is high enough for almost all grown men to fit in perfectly inside and enjoy the ride comfortably. Its width is about 5’ which makes a perfect balance for its height.
What are the dimensions of a typical garage?
Even though minivans can withstand harsh climates and harsher terrains, that does not mean for us to exploit its toughness when it is not even needed. Having a well-fitting garage is one of the most essential things you will want to have when owning a car. Various problems may arise from not having enough garage space.
- There may be some undesirable damages to the body and paint of the vehicle if it is left parked on the street or driveway.
- It would be difficult to get in and out of the minivan if the garage isn’t wide enough.
- If the garage is too short then it might scrape the top of your minivan or require you to remove a roof rack for it to fit inside.
To avoid these kinds of circumstances, you will want to have a garage that can accommodate your minivan with enough room so you can get in and out of it without a problem and also don’t have to worry about the height of the garage.
In that case for a minivan, you would require quite a large garage. A garage with only enough room for one car would prove to be rather tight for a large vehicle such as a minivan even if it does fit.
A one car garage would have dimensions of about 12’×24’. However, these would not be a very good choice for minivans. For minivans, a 2 car garage would prove to be a much better choice. In that case, a minimum of 22’×24’ would be wanted. If you are okay with expanding the garage and have enough space and commodities to back you up, then a garage of about 24’×24’ would be the safest choice. It would then fit almost all models of a minivan quite comfortably and be large enough for the vehicle to move in and out of the garage without risk of damage.
Which minivan model is the best for small garages?
Minivans are in general relatively large vehicles. For such spacious vehicles searching for one that is a smaller size would still mean looking at quite a large vehicle. By far the smallest of minivans is the Toyota Sienna. While most minivans have a typical length of about 16’, this model of the minivan has a length which is just a bit more than that. The Chrysler models of minivans are amongst the largest on the market.
One thing to keep in mind is that minivans are constantly being redesigned so although the height and width is about the same on all models it can vary when they are redesigned.
If you have an odd shaped garage or an extremely small one then before buying a minivan you will want to measure and make sure that it fits inside of the garage completely. For smaller cars, it may not matter to such an extent, but with the size of minivans, it becomes very difficult to maneuver them and even get in and out of them. On top of that if the garage space is not big enough, then your car would be bound to suffer some scuffing or scratches on the doors when they bang into the walls or get rubbed against.
Conclusion
If you have a standard sized garage then a minivan will fit into it without any problem. However if you have a narrow one car garage or one that is a little shorter than normal than fitting your minivan inside might be an issue. The last thing that you will want to do is have to climb in and out of the trunk after parking your minivan in the garage so make sure that the garage is wide enough to not only fit the vehicle but also for you to open your minivan doors!
The easiest way to know for sure is simply measure how wide your garage is. As long as its over 7 feet wide then you should have no problem putting the minivan inside of it.