Buying a garage that’s too small is one of those mistakes you only make once. The car fits, just, then you realise there’s nowhere to open the doors, store the bikes, or swing a mower around. A bit of extra thought up front saves years of squeezing past the bonnet.
So how big should your garage actually be? Here’s a straight guide to single, double, triple and four-car garages in Australia, what the standards say, and the sizes you’ll be glad you went with.
Start With What You’re Parking
Before you pick a size, take stock of what’s going in there. Not just today, but a few years out.
Think about the vehicles themselves, measured with the doors open and the mirrors out, not just bumper to bumper. Then add what else lives in a garage: bikes, tools, the mower, sporting gear, a workbench, maybe a trailer or boat down the track. The minimum sizes below will park a car. Whether they’ll do everything else you want depends on how much room you build in around it.
One rule holds for every size. Build a bit bigger than you think you need. It costs very little at the design stage and saves a lot of regret later.
Single Garage
A single garage suits one car and not a lot else.
The Australian Standard minimum is around 3 metres wide by 5.4 metres long, but that’s tight. A more comfortable single is about 3.5 to 3.6 metres wide by 6 metres long, which gives you room to open the door and fit a bit of storage along one wall. A standard single roller door is around 2.4 metres wide.
If you want space for a workbench or the bikes as well as the car, size up from the minimum or look at a shed or garage with a bit more width.
Double Garage
The double is the most common garage on Australian homes, and the one people most often build too small.
The bare minimum under the standards is 5.4 by 5.4 metres. It’ll fit two cars, but only just, with little room to open doors or store anything. The size most people are happier with is 6 by 6 metres, which gives you about 36 square metres and proper room to move. If you run larger vehicles or want a workshop corner, 7 by 7 metres is better again. A double garage at 6 by 6 or larger is the sweet spot for most families.
Triple Garage
A triple garage is the step up when you’ve got the block and the gear to justify it.
A good triple runs around 9 metres wide by 6 metres deep, often set up with a double roller door on one side and a single on the other. It’ll take three vehicles, or two cars plus a dedicated zone for storage, a workshop or a hobby space. For a lot of people a triple garage is less about three cars and more about two cars and room for everything else.
Four-Car and Bigger
If you’re running multiple vehicles, or want a serious workshop alongside the cars, this is where you go.
A four-car garage is usually a custom build, often around 11 to 12 metres wide by 6 metres or more deep, or laid out as two double-door bays. It’s a popular choice on acreage and for anyone storing a mix of cars, a ute, a boat or a caravan along with a work area. A four-car garage gives you the flexibility to fit it all under one roof. Whatever the number of bays, size it to your actual vehicles plus room to move.
Don’t Forget the Height
Width and length get all the attention, but height catches people out.
The standard ceiling height is around 2.4 metres, which suits most cars. But if you drive a 4WD with roof racks, a tall ute, or you want to fit a boat, a vehicle hoist or mezzanine storage, you’ll want 3 metres or more. It’s a cheap thing to add at the design stage and impossible to fix later, so think about the tallest thing you might park before you lock it in.