Is the London Eye the Biggest Ferris Wheel in the World?
No, and it has not been since 2006. But the London Eye still holds a different world record that Dubai's 250-metre wheel has never come close to taking from it.
No. The London Eye stopped being the world's biggest Ferris wheel in 2006, and it is no longer even close to the top of the list. It does still hold a genuine world record, one that Dubai and Las Vegas have never taken off it, and those two facts get tangled together constantly. Here is the clean version.
The wheel on the South Bank stands 135 metres tall. When it opened to the public in March 2000 that was the tallest Ferris wheel anywhere on earth, and it held the outright title for six years. The dates are slightly messier than the record books suggest, incidentally: the wheel was ceremonially opened on 31 December 1999 to mark the millennium, which is where the Millennium Wheel name comes from, but technical delays meant the public opening took place on 9 March 2000. In 2006 the 160-metre Star of Nanchang opened in China and took it. The 165-metre Singapore Flyer took it again in 2008. Since October 2021 the record has belonged to Ain Dubai at 250 metres, close to double the London Eye's height.
The other comparison people reach for is Las Vegas. The High Roller on the Strip opened in March 2014 at 167.6 metres, so the Vegas wheel does beat London by roughly 33 metres. It is nowhere near Ain Dubai either.
The record the London Eye does still hold
Walk toward the Eye across Westminster Bridge and something about it looks structurally wrong. The whole wheel appears to lean out over the water with nothing propping up the far side. That is not a trick of perspective. It is the entire design.
Almost every giant wheel ever built sits in a cradle, carried by legs on both sides of the rim. The London Eye is not. It is cantilevered, supported solely by an A-frame on one bank, with the load held in balance by tensioned cables anchored into the ground behind it. Nothing at all stands on the river side. That is what makes it the world's largest cantilevered observation wheel, and it is a record Ain Dubai's 250 metres does not threaten, because Ain Dubai is not cantilevered. Different engineering problem, different record.
There is a second technicality behind the phrasing the operator uses. On a classic Ferris wheel the gondolas hang from the rim and swing freely. The London Eye's 32 sealed capsules are attached to the outside of the wheel's circumference and motorised to stay level as the rim turns. That is why the ride is one continuous 30-minute rotation you step into while the wheel is still moving, instead of a stop-start loading cycle. Strictly speaking the London Eye is not a Ferris wheel at all, which is a mildly irritating answer to a question that is really asking about size.
Does 115 extra metres change what you see?
Height is only half of a view. The other half is what happens to be underneath it.
Ain Dubai stands on a man-made island off Bluewaters, looking out over a marina and the Gulf. The London Eye's 135 metres put you directly above the Thames, with the Palace of Westminster, Whitehall, the river bends and the whole dense middle of a 2,000-year-old city inside a few hundred metres of the glass. A taller wheel over emptier ground does not automatically buy you a better half hour.
Height and popularity do not decide which view you will enjoy. The Eye puts the Thames and Westminster at the centre of its panorama; Ain Dubai offers a different city and coastline. Choose the setting you want to see, rather than treating the taller wheel as automatically better.
The honest one-line answer
The London Eye is not the biggest or tallest Ferris wheel in the world. It was, from 2000 to 2006. It is still the largest cantilevered observation wheel ever built, and its cantilevered design remains distinctive. If the question underneath the question is whether it is still worth going up, the height league table is the wrong place to look for an answer.
One practical footnote, since the ranking usually comes up while somebody is deciding what to book. The wheel-entry options discussed here provide the same 135-metre wheel and approximately 30-minute rotation. What changes between them is how you board and what comes with it: a fast-track slot instead of the standard queue, a glass of Moet in the capsule, or the Eye bundled with a river cruise and a hop-on hop-off bus. The wheel is identical in all of them.
For the operator's own account of the structure and its history, the official London Eye site covers the build and the A-frame in more detail.
Choose Your London Eye Experience
Ready to see London from inside the wheel? Check your date and entry option before fixing the rest of your South Bank plans.
London Eye Standard or Fast Track Ticket. A 30-minute rotation. Choose standard or fast-track boarding; security and some waiting remain. Reserve the dated option that suits your party.
Tailor Your Ticket Choice
- London Eye Champagne Experience: A shared-capsule 30-minute ride with fast-track entrance, an English host, Eye Lounge access and a glass of champagne for adults aged 18+. Security screening still applies.
Choose dates directly on GetYourGuide
Confirm your visit date on the booking page before payment.