In the last seven years, the average weight of a new car has increased by almost 400 kg. Specifically, for about one model cycle from 2016 to 2023, the average curb weight of new cars jumped from 1,553 to 1,947 kilograms.
According to experts at Autocar, the increase in weight is due in part to the growing popularity of SUVs. Of all the cars tested in 2016, 16 were SUVs or crossovers. They had an average weight of 1,722 kg, which was 169 kg more than all other models tested at the time.
In 2023, the number of crossovers is already 24, the average weight of which increases to 1,985 kg. This is a difference of 169 kg compared to the period of 2016.
The average weight of SUVs and crossovers is 1,906 kg, which is below the average for all models tested in 2023. This suggests that while the increase in SUV market share is partly responsible for the overall increase in weight, it is not the only reason.
Of course, electrification also played a role. Battery electric models tested last year averaged 1,991kg. Cars with internal combustion engines were almost 100 kg lighter - 1,897 kg.
Previously, the annual average fluctuated between 1,500 and 1,650 kg, but it wasn't until 2018 that it hit the 1,700 kg mark for the first time. It dropped again to 1,675 kg in 2019, but has steadily increased since then, reaching 1,879 kg in 2022 and then 1,947 kg a year later.
The trend shows no signs of changing either, with the average weight of cars tested in the first quarter of 2024, most of which are electric, SUVs or both, at 2,087 kilograms. The heaviest of them is the electric SUV Mercedes-Benz EQS, which weighs an incredible 2,899 kilograms.
Of course, not only electrification and the popularity of SUVs are to blame for the constant increase in weight of new cars. The downsizing of the city car and supermini classes also plays an important role in the increase in average weight, as fewer models under 1,000 kg appear each year to compensate for the heaviest cars on the market.
In 2003, the experts at Autocar Road Tested six cars that weighed under 1,000kg and a further six between 1,000kg and 1,100kg. In 2023, only one vehicle weighing less than 1000 kg was tested - the Citroen Ami, which is technically not a car, but an ATV.