diff --git a/dumux/discretization/box/fvgridgeometry.hh b/dumux/discretization/box/fvgridgeometry.hh
index 2252cbc41c42cdca879c5d5ddeab3f12ca298023..4e04f43d917ce24f99c2f0ec64dc2eb39331cccd 100644
--- a/dumux/discretization/box/fvgridgeometry.hh
+++ b/dumux/discretization/box/fvgridgeometry.hh
@@ -88,6 +88,10 @@ public:
     std::size_t numBoundaryScvf() const
     { return numBoundaryScvf_; }
 
+    //! The total number of degrees of freedom
+    std::size_t numDofs()
+    { return this->gridView().size(dim); }
+
     //! update all fvElementGeometries (do this again after grid adaption)
     void update()
     {
@@ -100,7 +104,7 @@ public:
         scvs_.resize(numElements);
         scvfs_.resize(numElements);
 
-        boundaryDofIndices_.resize(this->gridView().size(dim), false);
+        boundaryDofIndices_.resize(numDofs(), false);
 
         numScv_ = 0;
         numScvf_ = 0;
@@ -268,12 +272,16 @@ public:
     std::size_t numBoundaryScvf() const
     { return numBoundaryScvf_; }
 
+    //! The total number of degrees of freedom
+    std::size_t numDofs() const
+    { return this->gridView().size(dim); }
+
     //! update all fvElementGeometries (do this again after grid adaption)
     void update()
     {
         ParentType::update();
 
-        boundaryDofIndices_.resize(this->gridView().size(dim), false);
+        boundaryDofIndices_.resize(numDofs(), false);
 
         // save global data on the grid's scvs and scvfs
         // TODO do we need those information?
diff --git a/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/mpfa/fvgridgeometry.hh b/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/mpfa/fvgridgeometry.hh
index 1ffaf94b049369e5aa71701e982249866d08f4e7..b02442694634a1ac1a5159dfb91bab07db0babd7 100644
--- a/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/mpfa/fvgridgeometry.hh
+++ b/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/mpfa/fvgridgeometry.hh
@@ -102,6 +102,13 @@ public:
     std::size_t numBoundaryScvf() const
     { return numBoundaryScvf_; }
 
+
+    /*!
+     * \brief Returns the total number of degrees of freedom.
+     */
+    std::size_t numDofs() const
+    { return this->gridView().size(0); }
+
     /*!
      * \brief Gets an element from a sub control volume contained in it.
      */
@@ -164,7 +171,7 @@ public:
 
         // determine the number of geometric entities
         const auto numVert = this->gridView().size(dim);
-        const auto numScvs = this->gridView().size(0);
+        const auto numScvs = numDofs();
         std::size_t numScvf = MpfaHelper::estimateNumScvf(this->gridView());
 
         // resize containers
@@ -475,6 +482,12 @@ public:
     std::size_t numBoundaryScvf() const
     { return numBoundaryScvf_; }
 
+    /*!
+     * \brief Returns the total number of degrees of freedom.
+     */
+    std::size_t numDofs() const
+    { return this->gridView().size(0); }
+
     /*!
      * \brief Gets an element from a sub control volume contained in it.
      */
@@ -548,7 +561,7 @@ public:
         elementMap_.clear();
 
         // resize containers
-        numScvs_ = this->gridView().size(0);
+        numScvs_ = numDofs();
         scvfIndicesOfScv_.resize(numScvs_);
         neighborVolVarIndices_.resize(numScvs_);
         elementMap_.resize(numScvs_);
diff --git a/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/mpfa/hybridfps/fvgridgeometry.hh b/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/mpfa/hybridfps/fvgridgeometry.hh
index 2d3d9dd47465a3368724cd28080d9f5e66a2f8cd..7af24aa15206f8128b38500855fbe9f290083682 100644
--- a/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/mpfa/hybridfps/fvgridgeometry.hh
+++ b/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/mpfa/hybridfps/fvgridgeometry.hh
@@ -93,6 +93,10 @@ public:
     std::size_t numBoundaryScvf() const
     { return numBoundaryScvf_; }
 
+    //! The total number of degrees of freedom
+    std::size_t numDofs() const
+    { return this->gridView().size(0); }
+
     // Get an element from a sub control volume contained in it
     Element element(const SubControlVolume& scv) const
     { return elementMap_.element(scv.elementIndex()); }
@@ -120,7 +124,7 @@ public:
 
         scvfs_.clear();
         // reserve memory
-        IndexType numScvs = gridView_.size(0);
+        IndexType numScvs = numDofs();
         scvs_.resize(numScvs);
         scvfs_.reserve(getNumScvf_());
         scvfIndicesOfScv_.resize(numScvs);
diff --git a/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/tpfa/fvgridgeometry.hh b/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/tpfa/fvgridgeometry.hh
index cc3d13771ab116797a8a9e8812b5367466c834c5..6ddb2493f025a5465df8ae44f722f01277b82936 100644
--- a/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/tpfa/fvgridgeometry.hh
+++ b/dumux/discretization/cellcentered/tpfa/fvgridgeometry.hh
@@ -95,6 +95,10 @@ public:
         return numBoundaryScvf_;
     }
 
+    //! The total number of degrees of freedom
+    std::size_t numDofs() const
+    { return this->gridView().size(0); }
+
     // Get an element from a sub control volume contained in it
     Element element(const SubControlVolume& scv) const
     { return elementMap_.element(scv.elementIndex()); }
@@ -116,7 +120,7 @@ public:
         elementMap_.clear();
 
         // determine size of containers
-        IndexType numScvs = this->gridView().size(0);
+        IndexType numScvs = numDofs();
         IndexType numScvf = 0;
         for (const auto& element : elements(this->gridView()))
             numScvf += element.subEntities(1);
@@ -343,6 +347,10 @@ public:
         return numBoundaryScvf_;
     }
 
+    //! The total number of degrees of freedom
+    std::size_t numDofs() const
+    { return this->gridView().size(0); }
+
     // Get an element from a sub control volume contained in it
     Element element(const SubControlVolume& scv) const
     { return elementMap_.element(scv.elementIndex()); }
@@ -362,7 +370,7 @@ public:
         neighborVolVarIndices_.clear();
 
         // reserve memory or resize the containers
-        numScvs_ = this->gridView().size(0);
+        numScvs_ = numDofs();
         numScvf_ = 0;
         numBoundaryScvf_ = 0;
         elementMap_.resize(numScvs_);
diff --git a/test/porousmediumflow/1p/implicit/incompressible/test_1p_box.cc b/test/porousmediumflow/1p/implicit/incompressible/test_1p_box.cc
index b29760a00b0b87ca3d298c7f329e5ea506c3387a..beb62a1ab81cc12ea9b1c7e12a67b36196aeb1f3 100644
--- a/test/porousmediumflow/1p/implicit/incompressible/test_1p_box.cc
+++ b/test/porousmediumflow/1p/implicit/incompressible/test_1p_box.cc
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) try
     // the solution vector
     using GridView = typename GET_PROP_TYPE(TypeTag, GridView);
     using SolutionVector = typename GET_PROP_TYPE(TypeTag, SolutionVector);
-    SolutionVector x(leafGridView.size(GridView::dimension));
+    SolutionVector x(fvGridGeometry->numDofs());
 
     // the grid variables
     using GridVariables = typename GET_PROP_TYPE(TypeTag, GridVariables);
diff --git a/test/porousmediumflow/1p/implicit/incompressible/test_1p_cc.cc b/test/porousmediumflow/1p/implicit/incompressible/test_1p_cc.cc
index 2374c7fbca6c7d7e9b894a356ff1ff5afb53cc7c..d3e6eb8119dbd4f2d190c802cf0da7458c73e560 100644
--- a/test/porousmediumflow/1p/implicit/incompressible/test_1p_cc.cc
+++ b/test/porousmediumflow/1p/implicit/incompressible/test_1p_cc.cc
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) try
 
     // the solution vector
     using SolutionVector = typename GET_PROP_TYPE(TypeTag, SolutionVector);
-    SolutionVector x(leafGridView.size(0));
+    SolutionVector x(fvGridGeometry->numDofs());
 
     // the grid variables
     using GridVariables = typename GET_PROP_TYPE(TypeTag, GridVariables);