Average garage size: one-, two- and three-car dimensions
By Rohit GaurLast updated October 30, 2026Report a mistake
Most new US homes — 64% of those finished in 2025 — have a two-car garage, and city minimums for one run from 20 × 20 to 20 × 22 ft (400–440 sq ft). There is no official average garage size in square feet. The Census Bureau counts garages by the cars they hold, and leaves them out of a home’s floor area altogether (Census Bureau). By that count the two-car garage is the American standard: of the new single-family homes finished in 2025, 64% had one, 15% had room for three or more cars, 10% had a one-car garage, 2% a carport and 9% neither (Census Bureau). The three-car share peaked at 24% in 2015.
What a “two-car garage” measures is set locally. San Ramon, California, asks for at least 20 × 22 ft inside (City of San Ramon); Mill Valley, California, for 20 × 20 ft measured outside, with doors at least 16 ft wide in total (City of Mill Valley). In England many councils recommend at least 6 × 3 m (about 20 × 10 ft) for one car (Manual for Streets).
Garage sizes, from the rules and the data
| Size | Dimensions | Area | Cars, by the parking-space rule | Basis and source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England: single garage, 6 × 3 m guidance | 19.7 × 9.8 ft (6 × 3 m) | 194 ft² (18 m²) | 1 car | Space standard · Manual for Streets · Leicestershire |
| One car, San Ramon CA minimum (inside) | 22 × 10 ft (6.71 × 3.05 m) | 220 ft² (20.4 m²) | 1 car | Building code · San Ramon |
| One car, Mill Valley CA minimum (outside) | 20 × 12 ft (6.1 × 3.66 m) | 240 ft² (22.3 m²) | 1 car | Building code · Mill Valley |
| Two parking spaces by San Diego's rule | 19 × 18 ft (5.79 × 5.49 m) | 342 ft² (31.8 m²) | 2 cars | Worked out here · San Diego code |
| England: double garage, Leicestershire minimum | 19.7 × 19.7 ft (6 × 6 m) | 388 ft² (36 m²) | 2 cars | Space standard · Leicestershire |
| Two cars, Mill Valley CA minimum (outside) | 20 × 20 ft (6.1 × 6.1 m) | 400 ft² (37.2 m²) | 2 cars | Building code · Mill Valley |
| Two cars, San Ramon CA minimum (inside) | 22 × 20 ft (6.71 × 6.1 m) | 440 ft² (40.9 m²) | 2 cars | Building code · San Ramon |
| Three parking spaces by San Diego's rule | 26 × 19 ft (7.92 × 5.79 m) | 494 ft² (45.9 m²) | 3 cars | Worked out here · San Diego code |
The last column counts cars by San Diego’s published rule for a parking space: 8 ft wide in the open, 9 ft beside a wall, 9½ ft between two walls, 18 ft long — and a foot longer when a garage door closes behind it (San Diego Municipal Code). In a garage the two outer spaces each have a wall, so two cars need 18 ft of width and three need 26 ft, all 19 ft deep. The two rows marked “outside” lose the thickness of their walls before a car goes in.
What fits in a two-car garage
| Vehicle | Length | Width, no mirrors | Left in a 20 ft deep garage | Left in a 22 ft deep garage | Gap with two, 20 ft wide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota RAV4 (2026) | 15.2 ft | 6.2 ft | 4.8 ft | 6.8 ft | 31 in |
| Ford F-150 SuperCrew, 5.5 ft bed | 19.3 ft | 6.7 ft | 0.7 ft | 2.7 ft | 27 in |
| Ford F-150 SuperCrew, 6.5 ft bed | 20.3 ft | 6.7 ft | 0.3 ft too long | 1.7 ft | 27 in |
The depth is what catches people out. A 2026 Ford F-150 SuperCrew is 232.0 in long with the 5.5 ft bed and 243.9 in with the 6.5 ft bed, and 79.9 in wide before its mirrors, which make it 95.7 in (Ford): the long-bed truck is longer than a 20 ft garage is deep. A 2026 Toyota RAV4 is 4,595–4,620 mm (about 15 ft) long in Toyota’s preliminary figures (Toyota), which leaves almost 5 ft in front of it in a 20 ft garage.
The worked examples on this page use San Ramon’s two-car minimum, 20 × 22 ft inside.
Doors
The most common garage doors are 8 × 7 ft and 9 × 7 ft for one car and 16 × 7 ft for two, with 8 ft tall doors widely available (Clopay). A 16 ft door takes the paint off 112 sq ft of wall, which the paint figure below allows for.
Walls between the garage and the house
The US model code asks for at least ½-inch gypsum board on the garage side of any wall or ceiling it shares with the house, and 5/8-inch Type X board under rooms above it (2021 IRC, Table R302.6) — which is why a garage is a drywall job as well as a paint job. The drywall calculator works out the sheets.
How garages are really used
A garage is not always a car park. The UK government’s street design manual cites surveys that found only 36% to 45% of the garages studied were used for parking; many of the others held storage or had become rooms (Manual for Streets). If yours is being converted, measure it the way you would any room and open it in the calculator.