How Much Does A Car Weigh? – List of Weights by Car Model

There are a lot of occasions where it’s quite useful to know how much does your car weighs.

While you may need to tow the car someday and need this info at that time, or the question might just pop up in your head randomly.

Well, whatever the case might be, this article will help you let you know how much does an average car weighs and a list of weights that are listed according to different car models.

You can break it by taking the cars with certain categories. Compact cars weigh around 2,919 pounds, and large cars have a scale of around 3,882 pounds. The range SUVs start from 3,590 pounds for compact SUVs and go all the way up to 5,603 pounds for large SUVs.

As you might have anticipated, the weights of different cars vary quite a lot depending upon their build and model, so you really cannot have an exact figure. Rather, it’s better to view the model by model.

How Much Does a Car Weigh?

Well, as we just talked about it in the introduction, you really cannot answer such a question as long as you don’t know what car you are talking about.

The average weight of a small car differs a lot from the average weight of a jeep, for example.

So, we will see a list of car models and see their weights according to that, so it makes more sense to you. A brief list is given below. However, we will discuss these in further detail as you go deeper into the article.

Weight by Car Types

So, there are a lot of different types of car builds available in the market, like the small ones obviously weigh a lot lesser than the jeeps.

So, we will look at the average weights the different car types have.

1. Smart Cars

Smart cars are essentially the small cars which only feature two doors, and do not even offer a trunk. The average weight is around 950 Kgs.

2. Sub-Compact Cars

They can be seen in a huge number and are pretty cheap to keep up with. They weigh around 1100 Kgs. A common example is the Toyota Vitz.

3. Medium Sized Cars

Medium-sized cars are the smallest and the lightest ones which offer a trunk to the passengers. Common examples include the Toyota Corolla and Honda City. They weigh around 1300 Kgs.

4. Large Sized Cars

Much like the medium-sized cars, but they are quite heavy duty and are usually expensive. Cars like Toyota Camry are included in this list and weigh around 1600 Kgs.

5. Compact SUV

This is the most lightweight category when it comes to SUVs. They weigh around 1700 Kgs and are not very much heavier than the category of large-sized regular cars. Examples include Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue.

6. Medium Size SUV

This is the general perspective of people whenever they regularly refer to an SUV. They are significantly heavier than the compact SUVs as they weigh around 2100 Kgs. Cars like Honda Pilot are included in this list.

7. Large Truck/SUV

The ultimate topper of the list, the humungous SUVs which weigh more than any car in the above list. They have a big figure when it comes to weight and reach around 2500 Kgs. Chevrolet Tahoe is one of the most famous SUVs.

List of Weight by Car Model

Different Methods to Measure Car Weights

There are various methods by which people calculate the weight of a vehicle.

While the most common one is referred to as the curb weight, which means the gross weight of the vehicle without including anything.

The list we saw above was based upon curb weight, and no additional weight was included, like cargo, extensions, or the passengers.

However, many types of car weights exist, and we will briefly see each type of them to help you whenever you need to find a car’s weight.

Curb Weight

This is the simplest measure of the weight of a vehicle and doesn’t include anything but the vehicle itself. Without any cargo or passenger whatsoever.

Gross Weight

This refers to the total weight of the vehicle when the cargo is loaded to the max capacity, and all passengers are also included.

Gross Combined Weight

In the case that you also have a trailer attached to the vehicle. This measure will include both the trailer and the vehicle and all the cargo in them as well.

Gross Weight Rating

This is a measure of the maximum capacity of the car that it can withstand. Including everything. The passenger weight, cargo, and any extensions or attached trailer as well.

Gross Axle Weight

When you divide the total weight on each of the axles in your vehicle, you get the gross axle weight.

Payload

This refers to the collective amount of weight that has to be pulled by the engine. It includes the gross weight, trailer weight, as well as the passenger and the cargo weight on the vehicle.

Maximum Load Trailer Weight

The concept of the maximum load trailer weight is much similar to that of gross weight combined; however, it also includes the weight of the trailer in it, which is most fully loaded.

Why You Should Know the Weight of a Car

There are various reasons why one should know about the weight of their cars.

• This is basically a universal truth that a small car has a huge disadvantage against the larger and more heavy vehicles. One study shows that every 1000 pounds more weighing vehicles in collusion with smaller cars increases the fatality rate of that small car around 47 percent.
• This is a fact that larger vehicles perform poorly regarding fuel efficiency and have more rate of carbon exposure than smaller ones.
• Certain tools of cars vary according to the weight of the cars. For example, if you want to buy floor jack or jack stand for your car then it is very essential for you to know the weight of your vehicle.
• When you are traveling the word “Payload” is very important because certain roads have rules like this much weight you carry in your car including the passengers and cargo. There are also bridges that do not allow vehicles with heavy loads. And this is why you definitely need to know the weight of your car.

How to Find the Exact Weight of a Car?

As one simply cannot mention the weights of all the available car models in the market, or it would become an endless article. There are just a lot of models to cover, which makes it simply impossible to cover them all.

Well, if you have one of the rare models which are not listed, you definitely will have to put in some effort. But don’t worry, it’s not impossible to find the weight of your car if it’s not listed here.

Check Car Manual

While there are other methods as well, your foremost approach should be to jump to the car manual for help. The manual that came when you bought the car usually includes all the important information related to your specific vehicle.

If, however, you don’t have the manual or have lost it, you can always find the manual of your model online.

Driver Side Door

On most of the vehicles, there is a permanent sticker attached to the door of the driving seat. The sticker includes various pieces of important information about the vehicle, such as its chassis number.

So, there is a chance that you might find the weight information on that sticker. This can be one of the easiest ways if you can find that sticker.

Manufacturer

Well, if nothing from the above-listed methods work, and you still cannot work out the exact weight of your vehicle, you can always count the manufacturer in for some help.

Just ring them up at any of their offices and drop your query about the exact weight of your vehicle. They have all the information available about each of their model.

Weighing Machines

If, in some exceptional case, you cannot even contact the company you bought your vehicle from or their contact is not working, there are always car scales around you that you could use.

But remember, this will not be curb weight and will be the actual combined weight of your vehicle at that very specific moment.

How to Define Car Weight – Step by Step Guide

• The manufacturers basically use the term and this weight type is the weight of the car with all the equipment and tools of it and it is called curb weight. This definition does not go with passengers or cargo.
• GVW is also known by the name Gross Vehicle Weight and this is basically the curb weight including the cargo and the passengers.
• GVWR is basically an extended version of Gross Vehicle Weight. This is also known as the Gross Vehicle Weight Rate. This basically the weight a car can safely carry.
• Payload is basically for the wight type for SUVs and Trucks. These basically all the legal things your SUV or truck can carry including passengers, cargo, etc.

Importance of Weight

Well, you might be wondering why someone would care so much about the exact weight of the vehicle? Is it even useful in any way? Let’s see.

Towing the Vehicle

You might face a problem with your vehicle, which leaves you stranded along the road. In such a case, you would have to contact a towing company or otherwise ask someone to tow your vehicle.

Another cause could be if someone’s car you know breaks down, and you have to tow their car to the service station. Without knowing the exact weight of their vehicle and the capacity of your vehicle, it would be silly to carry on the job.

So, In such cases, one might need to know the exact weight of their vehicle to be sure what vehicle can tow it along.

Fuel Economy

Fuel economy is affected a lot more than you might think. According to research, for every 100 pounds taken off the vehicle, you actually get betterment of about 2% in fuel efficiency.

The figures might not sound impressive on paper, but in the real world, it really makes a significant difference throughout the life of your vehicle.

How much does a Car battery Weight

The very basic question is why knowing the weight of car battery is important. But knowing the weight of car battery is very important. This is because the performance of the vehicle heavily depends on the weight of the car. There is this saying that the greater your battery will weigh the greater it will weigh in totally.

As a result, knowing the weight is important. The car’s swiftness also has a thing with the weight. Because if the car is swift will not be durable and if it is durable it will not be swift. This is why selecting the ideal battery for your car is important and hope this article will help you.

Types of Batteries and Weight of Battery

There are different types of batteries in the market. You need to know the categories of batteries to find your ideal battery for the car.

Light Weight Batteries :

These special types of batteries are basically for small cars with high ambitions. These types of cars basically seek high performance and while selecting your battery keep this in mind that at least your battery provides proper energy in your car. Even if you purchase a battery too small it will weigh around 10 to 20 pounds.

Standard Batteries :

These types of batteries are very ideal for your everyday car. You can say it is also a very common type that is used by car owners. These type of batteries weighs around 40 to 60 pounds.

Empty Battery :

Transferring an empty battery will definitely reduce some weight. The remaining weight will basically depend on how it was before. An empty battery may weigh around 12 to 15 pounds but this also can be changed as lighter batteries weigh around 5 to 7 pounds.

Standardized Sized Battery Types

When the issue regarding replacing your car battery then you definitely should know the type of battery in your car. A car battery depends on some features like starting current and capacity.

These features also ask for other features like electrodes. And these dimensional features vary from one and another as there are different types of standard-sized cars.

Asian :

Asian battery is very different from European or American batteries. They have a very different appearance regarding size and features. Regarding the placement of this battery, it is placed in the same level as the cap. The hight of the shell is a bit higher but not that long as it appears. Lastly, this type of battery has a particular fixed way of remaining under the hood.

European:

European standard car batteries are very different than other types of batteries. Mainly European manufactured cars have these particular types of batteries. It is very easy to recognize a European battery by leads of the battery as they are buried in the cap.

American:

American standard batteries are different from Asian batteries in size but American and European types are more or less the same size. But still, you will find a couple of differences regarding features. As American batteries have side leads that are situated on the longest sides of the battery.

Final Thoughts

As we saw, there are a lot of times when we might need to know about the exact weight of a vehicle. While there are a lot of different types of vehicles having different sizes, there is no average weight of vehicles.

Rather, it’s according to the dimensions of the vehicle. So, it’s better to have an idea of the vehicle’s weight online or just hitting up the manufacturer to find it out.