Vehicle Weight Check: How Heavy Is This Car?

A car's vehicle weight is usually quoted two ways: the kerb weight, what it weighs empty but ready to drive (with fluids and a nearly full tank), and the gross vehicle weight, the most it may legally weigh fully loaded with people and luggage. Most cars have a kerb weight between about 1,000 kg and 2,000 kg. You can find your car's figures on its V5C log book, or by registration in the search box above: the free check shows the revenue weight where the DVLA holds it, and the full report shows the kerb, gross and revenue weights and the length, width and height recorded for the vehicle.

How to find out how heavy your car is

• V5C log book: section G ("mass in service") is close to the kerb weight, and section F.1 is the maximum permissible mass, the gross vehicle weight.
• The plate on the car: the manufacturer's plate, usually on the door pillar or under the bonnet, shows the gross vehicle weight and, below it, the gross train weight (the car plus a loaded trailer) and the axle limits.
• By registration: enter the reg above. The full report lists the weights and dimensions held for that exact vehicle, so you don't have to search by make, model and trim.

Vehicle weight terms explained

Kerb weight vs gross weight vs revenue weight

Kerb weight is what the car weighs; gross weight is what it may weigh; revenue weight is what it is taxed at. They answer different questions, so a listing or a form may ask for any of the three. Take a typical family hatchback:

The difference between the first two, 500 kg here, is the payload. A car usually has no revenue weight at all, because car tax is set by CO2 and list price, not weight; vans, pick-ups and motorhomes do.

What is revenue weight? Revenue weight meaning

Revenue weight means the weight a vehicle is taxed at. It is the figure the DVLA records for vehicle tax, and for goods vehicles it decides the tax band. For most vans and lorries it is the gross vehicle weight (or the gross train weight for a vehicle that tows). It matters most when you buy a van: a vehicle over 3,500 kg needs a different licence category and pays a different rate of tax. The free check shows the revenue weight where the DVLA holds it, and the full report shows it alongside the vehicle's other weights.

What is gross vehicle weight (GVW)? Maximum authorised mass explained

Gross vehicle weight is the most a vehicle may legally weigh when fully loaded: the car itself plus fuel, driver, passengers and luggage. It is set by the manufacturer and shown as the maximum permissible mass in section F.1 of the V5C and on the plate on the car. Driving licence rules call the same figure the maximum authorised mass (MAM): a category B licence covers vehicles up to 3,500 kg MAM, and the trailer rules are written in MAM too. Take the kerb weight away from it and you get the payload. For example, a car with a kerb weight of 1,400 kg and a gross vehicle weight of 1,900 kg can carry 500 kg of people and luggage.

How much does a car weigh? Average car weight in kg

A typical car weighs about 1,000 to 2,000 kg (1 to 2 tonnes) empty, and an average family car around 1,300 to 1,500 kg. The weight of a car depends mostly on its size and type: small city cars are lighter, and large SUVs and electric cars heavier. As a rough guide to kerb weights in kg:

So how heavy is your car? Weights vary with engine, gearbox, trim and options, which is why a check on the registration is more reliable than a figure for the model: the full report gives the weights recorded for that exact vehicle.

Vehicle dimensions by reg: length, width and height

The full report shows the length, width, height and wheelbase recorded for the vehicle, in millimetres, next to its weights. The DVLA record doesn't hold dimensions, so the free check can't show them; they come from the manufacturer data in the full report. People look them up for:

• Parking spaces and garages. Many family cars are now over 1.8 m wide before the mirrors; check the recorded width (usually without mirrors) and length against the space you have.
• Ferries and the Channel crossing. Operators price by length and height, and roof boxes and bikes count. Book with the recorded figures plus anything on the roof.
• Height barriers and car parks. Vans, campervans and cars with roof bars need the height before they turn in.

Why a car's weight matters

• Licence: a standard car licence (category B) covers vehicles up to 3,500 kg gross vehicle weight.
• Towing: the gross train weight minus the gross vehicle weight is the most a loaded trailer may weigh; the exact towing limits are on the manufacturer's plate and in the handbook.
• Loading: the payload tells you how much people and luggage the car can carry before it is overweight.
• Running costs: heavier cars use more fuel and wear tyres and brakes faster. Our free check estimates each car's running costs.
• Parking and garages: the length, width and height in the full report tell you whether the car fits.

What the full report shows

The weights come with the car's whole history. The report that gives you the weights also checks outstanding finance, insurance write-offs, stolen records, previous keepers and plate changes, for one price.

The weights and dimensions section of the full report shows, where recorded for the vehicle: kerb weight, unladen weight, gross vehicle weight, gross combined and gross train weight, revenue weight, payload weight and volume, seats, axles, and the length, width, height and wheelbase. It comes with the finance, write-off and stolen checks and 200+ other data points: see the sample full report. For the engine, power and performance, see the car spec check; for the whole picture, the car history check.

Vehicle weight FAQs