Different sizes of windshield wipers?

On some cars, the driver's windshield wiper is regular-sized and the passenger's wiper is about half-sized and tilted up. On a Nissan car, passenger's wiper is about quarter-sized and tilted up. Why?

Because if the passenger side was the same size it would wipe completely past the windshield.

A few Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar cars had one windshield wiper. Why?

Because that's all they need to clear the shape of the windshield sufficiently. That single wiper also involves less mechanical components so it might reduce cost and slightly improve overall reliability (fewer moving parts and load on the wiper motor).


-Rod

A single wiper has to bear the load of cleaning the entire windshield. In wintery weather that could be a lot of work

Especially in snow or ice, it puts a lot of strain on the wiper and motor.

it's mostly just about clearing as much of the glass as possible. the driver side is usually longer to give you a better view, while the passenger side has to be shorter so it doesn't hit the edge of the frame.