How much longer is an X-wing starfighter than a London black cab?
An X-wing starfighter measures 12.5 m (41 ft) end to end, and a London black cab measures 4.6 m (15.1 ft) end to end. A London black cab would have to grow by 172% to match an X-wing starfighter, which is 2.72 times its length. Take 2 London black cabs laid end to end and you reach 9.2 m (30.2 ft), still 3.3 m (10.8 ft) short of an X-wing starfighter; one more would overshoot by 1.3 m (4.27 ft). An X-wing starfighter is written in tens of metres and a London black cab in single metres, a whole band of scale apart.
| Object | Real size | Axis measured | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-wing Starfighter | 12.5 m 41 ft |
Length | Star Wars, T-65B |
| London Black Cab | 4.6 m 15.1 ft |
Length | Whole body or structure, end to end |
Both figures, X-wing Starfighter and London Black Cab, come from the Size It Up measurement set, one real-world size and one measured axis per object, last checked in September 2026; outline provenance is listed on the sources page.
Why this one is hard to judge by eye
An X-wing starfighter has never been measured, only stated: the figure comes from its source and moves when the source is redrawn, while a London black cab can be checked with a tape, so this pair sets a decision against a measurement. An X-wing starfighter is drawn about 2.72 times as wide as a London black cab as well as 2.72 times its length, so the area it takes in the frame grows faster than the figure anyone quotes. An X-wing starfighter sits in the range with no handy yardstick: too big to hold against anything you have carried, too small to need a horizon, so it and a London black cab end up filed under the same vague heading of very large.
What each figure covers
X-wing Starfighter. The fighter is measured nose to tail with the wings closed. Opened into attack position the span widens considerably without changing the length.
London Black Cab. The cab is measured bumper to bumper. Its turning circle, not its length, is the specification London has always been strict about.
An X-wing starfighter and a London black cab are both quoted as a length, which is what makes the ratio above a like-for-like figure.
What else is about that size?
Measured the same way, X-wing Starfighter at 12.5 m sits within a tenth of Whale Shark at 12.1 m, T. rex at 12 m and Hubble Space Telescope at 13.2 m. London Black Cab at 4.6 m has Land Rover Defender 110 at 4.6 m, Kyogre at 4.5 m and Saltwater Crocodile at 4.5 m for company, within a tenth. Swapping any of those in for an X-wing starfighter would move its ratio to a London black cab by less than 10%.