Smart Motorist » How Much Does a Car Weigh?

How Much Does a Car Weigh?

Have you ever thought to yourself, how much does my car weigh, in case it breaks down and you need to tow? It might just be a flash of thought across your mind, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an important question. Although it’s not a popular topic, we should at least know the average weight of a car in Kg, pounds or tons.

In this article, we’ll be giving you the average weight of a car in pounds, kilogram, or tons.

What is the Average Weight of a Car?

So many features you should consider in determining the average weight of a car. These include the type of car, the company that produced it, and the material used to make it. This analysis might seem ridiculous to be pondering over, but the fact is that it’s good to know how much a car weighs.

If you know the weight of your car, it helps you in finding out how best to handle it on the road. If it’s a small car, you should know that it doesn’t weigh much and so shouldn’t be made to scale big bumps. But you can use big SUVs which weigh about 2000kg for specific tough road functions.

Smaller cars could weigh around 200kg depending on the material used to produce it.

Different Types of Car Weight Rating

When it comes to cars, there are two universally accepted kinds of weight. The gross vehicle weight (GVW) and the car Curb weight. You can find these on the car’s user manual.

Car Curb Weight

Also known as, the Kerb weight, curb weight is the exact weight of the car with its parts intact. This measurement excludes the weight of passengers, loads, or the driver. Curb weight includes the weight of the available fuel in the car.

Gross Vehicular Weight (GVW)

This measurement is the total weight of the car, including the cargo, humans, and curb weight. Gross vehicle weight covers everything that adds load in the vehicle.

Cargo Weight

This measurement involves the weight of goods and equipment in the car. It also includes the weight of passengers and drivers inside the vehicle at the time of weighing.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating

The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is the highest weight each vehicle can carry at a given point in time, as stipulated by the manufacturer. It takes into account the limit which cannot be exceeded in load, passenger, and item weight. You will find it in its user manual.

Collective Gross Weight

The collective gross weight is the combined weight of the car attached to the tow vehicle. Manufacturers recommend a load that a vehicle should have when it’s attached to a trailer for a tow.

Highest Trailer Load Weight

This weight concerns a trailer. It is the highest load weight that the big vehicle should weigh when users load it with goods and passengers.

Total Axle Weight

This weight totals the front and back axle weights which the car in motion. The axle is the vital beam on which the wheel of a vehicle oscillates.

Total Axle Weight Rating

Total Axle Weight Rating

Just GVWR, the overall axle weight rating, is the highest weight limit that should be carried on an individual axle. The manufacturer notes these weights in the user manual, and for the safety of the car, no one should exceed it. TAWR is the highest weight for each axle, according to the carmaker.

Classes of Car Weight

Smart Cars

When you see how sleek they are, you can’t help but wonder how much does a smart car weighs? The small two-door road beauties are products of selected companies like Mercedes Benz and Porsche. However, going by the Ferrari magazine, the average weight of a smart car ranges from 2000-2100 pounds; that’s approximately 900-1000kg.

Slightly Compact Cars

Slightly compact cars are the most rampant cars you can see on the roads and one of the least weighing cars. The reason is that they are very economical cars with regards to fuel consumption. They consume about one liter per mile.

Car like Hondas, Toyotas, and Nissans are in this category.

Compact Cars

These are just like the slightly small cars because they are all from the same circle of companies. Compact cars are the highest selling cars like Toyota Yaris (approximately 1700kg), Kia (approx. 1400kg), and Honda accord (approx. 1300kg). These are the average weight of compact cars.

Mid Weighing Cars

Mid Weighing Cars

These are some of the highest-selling vehicles in the 21st century. The mid weighing cars are common among the working class which include the Camry and Accord and Corolla.

They are the mainstay of businessmen. They weigh within the range of 1400 to 1500 kilograms on average.

Big Vehicles

The bigger vehicles don’t make enough markets than smaller and smarter cars. And as expected, the weighing here varies with a higher degree than the other categories. The lighter class here weighs about 1900kg while the heavier ones weigh around 2100kg.

These categories of cars have higher fuel consumption than the mid weighing and compact vehicles.

Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs)

Slightly Compact SUVs

Contrary to what many people see in SUVs as heavy fuel consumers, these compact ones are just like the smaller cars. They go as far as 15km on only a liter of fuel in the city. They weigh about 1400-1500kg on the average.

Compact Sports Vehicles

Slightly weightier than the previous category, the compact SUVs are certified to be about 15 percent weightier. The best sellers in this category are the Nissans, which weigh not less than 1500 to 1600 kilograms per car. Compared to the former section, these sets of vehicles are more economical.

Mid-weighing SUVs

Mid-Weighing SUVs

This category of SUVs is what comes to mind when thinking of what an SUV is. These categories are the most popular among the SUVs like the Ford Explorer and the Toyota Highlander.

In this category, there is an approximately 25 percent increase in weight than the compact SUVs. The range here is between 1700 and 2000 kilograms.

Big SUVs

These vehicles are the ones used for family picnics and vacation travels. They are bigger, and so weigh the highest. The range of their weight falls between 2400 kilograms and 2600 kilograms.

Pickup Truck

Pickup trucks are popular among the ranchers and are among the highest selling cars. These trucks challenge the smaller cars like Toyota Corolla and Honda Accord in the number of sales.

The manufacturers have significantly improved their fuel economy and moderate weight.  The improved weight of these trucks is about 2100 to 2500 kilograms.

How Much Does My Car Weigh

It’s not possible to get all weights of different vehicles in one write up except we’re making it a user manual. Instead, we’ll tell you where they indicate the weight of your car or how you can get it.

  • Owner’s Manual: You will find much information written down here, and that includes the various weights of your car. For instance, you can see Gross Vehicle weight and Curb weight here. Check on the internet if you can’t find the manual.
  • Drivers Door Side: You will find this at the general lockdown set, and your car specs are written on a poster. You can see the weight of the car and chassis number on the door at the driver’s side.
  • Contact the Car Maker: You can contact the car manufacturer and confirm any information you want for your car. Once you have your Vehicle Identification Number, they will tell you specifically anything that concerns your vehicle.
  • Weigh the Car: You could go to a car scale and weigh your car to get the precise weight of the vehicle.

Final Word

Knowing how much does my car weigh is an essential determinant on which car to buy. These findings can help you determine the purpose of that vehicle. It might not be easy, but with this guide, you could easily find out how much your car weighs.