Cars have caught the human condition – they’re obese

The average weight of a new car has increased by nearly 400kg in recent years, according to Autocar UK data. From 2016 to 2023 the mean kerb weight of new cars tested rose from 1553kg to 1947kg (394kg).

There are several reasons for this but the primary one is the increasing popularity of SUVs. Back in 2016 Autocar UK tested 16 SUVs or crossovers. Their average weight was 1722kg, 169kg above that for all models tested that year.

In 2023, Autocar UK tested 24 SUVs, crossovers and utes and their mean weight was 1985kg. That’s a difference of just 38kg compared with the overall average weight of all vehicles tested. It is also much less than the 169kg difference in 2016.

SUVs and crossovers averaged 1906kg, which was actually below the mean for all models tested in 2023. So while the increased proportion of SUVs on the market is partly responsible for the overall rise in weight, it isn’t the sole cause. That said, a recent article in The Guardian suggested vehicle emissions could have fallen 30 per cent more between 2010 and 2022, had the SUV trend not happened. As it is, the global fall in vehicle emissions averaged just 4.2 per cent in that time. It would have been far more had vehicles stayed the same size.

The average SUV weight tested in 2023 was 183kg heavier than it was in 2016, not anything close to the almost 400kg uptick across all vehicles. So other factors are in play.

Electrification has obviously played a contributing role. EVs tested by Autocar UK in 2023 weighed 1991kg on average, while ICE powered vehicles were nearly 100kg lighter (1897kg).

Broadly speaking, road cars tested by Autocar UK since 2000 weighed on average between 1500kg and 1650kg until 2018 when the figure hit 1700kg for the first time. After dropping slightly in 2019 it has only increased since, hitting 1879kg in 2022 and 1947kg a year later.

The upward trend seems to be ongoing this year. In the first quarter of 2024 when most vehicles were electric, an SUV or both, the average weight of Autocar UK test vehicles had ballooned beyond two tonnes to 2087kg.

And the model at the top of the weight list? The Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, tipping the scales at 2899kg. Here at New Zealand Autocar, we’ve tested a RAM 2500 Laramie that had a claimed kerb weight of over 3500kg.