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The data suggests that new cars are much heavier in a much shorter time span than ever before.
Over the past seven years, Autocar has found that the average weight of new models has increased by almost 400kg – the equivalent of adding the volume of a grand piano.
The increase in mass is said to be primarily the result of the growing popularity of a particular type of vehicle in Britain…
The average unladen weight of new models has increased from 1,553 kg to 1,947 kg over the past seven years – that’s 394 kg more volume. And there’s a very good reason for that. Pictured: a BMW X7
As well as being heavier, new models like this Kia EV9 are much longer and wider than the cars that preceded it. Studies have shown that the average model sold in the UK grows by 1cm every two years.
Autocar analysed the weight of vehicles it tested on the road between 2016 and 2023, the seven years that represent the typical life cycle of a new car on sale.
During this period, the average unladen weight has increased from 1,553 kg to 1,947 kg.
The biggest factor tipping the balance is the growing demand for large SUVs, which could overtake superminis to become the most popular body type in the UK in the coming years.
Sports utility vehicles accounted for three in ten (30.4 per cent) of all new models registered in the UK in 2023.
A decade earlier, in 2013, they accounted for just 11 percent of the new vehicle market.
While SUVs are the main reason for the additional volume of new models, the magazine also notes that heavy-duty electric vehicles increase the size of the new car market.
Electric vehicles tend to be heavier than gasoline or diesel cars because they have large battery packs to power them.
In 2023, the average weight of an internal combustion engine (ICE) car was 150 kg lower than that of an average electric vehicle in the same year. This excludes hybrid powertrains, which use both battery and fuel power.
What is the equivalent of 394 kg? It is like adding the weight of a grand piano, which typically weighs between 300 and 600 kg.
The BMW i5 eDrive40 is also heavier than the mild hybrid 520i: 405 kg heavier
Autocar has found that the Peugeot e-208 is 342kg heavier than a petrol 208, while a Kia Niro EV weighs 399kg more than the hybrid version
Comparatively, electric versions of popular models tend to be significantly heavier than their combustion equivalents.
Autocar found that the Peugeot e-208 is 342kg heavier than a petrol 208, while a Kia Niro EV weighs 399kg more than the hybrid variant.
The BMW i5 eDrive40 is also heavier than a mild hybrid 520i – in fact, it is 405kg heavier.
The recent rise in popularity of larger, higher-riding SUVs has also added considerable weight to the roads.
Unsurprisingly, many SUVs driven in 2023 turned out to be heavier than their sedan or hatchback counterparts.
The Skoda Kodiaq SUV weighs 1,751kg, 26kg more than a Skoda Superb saloon, while a Jaguar F-Pace 2.0-litre diesel SUV weighs 180kg more than a Jaguar XF saloon with the same engine.
The Asphalt Group, one of the UK’s largest road surface treatment companies, wants to put to rest speculation that electric vehicles are the cause of the increase in potholes plaguing the country’s roads.
Are heavier cars a problem for our road infrastructure?
There has been much speculation lately about whether heavier electric vehicles are to blame for the sorry state of Britain’s roads.
Last week, a major road paving company joined forces with Shadow Roads and Transport Minister Bill Esterson to put an end to this speculation.
Stephen Cooke, managing director of Asphalt Group, took a bold stance on the issue: “Let’s be very clear: electric vehicles are not the cause of the current state of the UK’s roads.”
The Asphalt Group says the real reason for our potholed roads is “a lack of investment in the solutions of the future and a lack of awareness of what is available” – and the solution is not sticky “fill and hope” solutions.
Mr Esterton agreed, saying: “Instead of looking for conspiracy theories and scapegoats, we need a plan to fix the roads.”
Earlier this year, The Guardian noted that the University of Edinburgh’s 2022 research paper The hidden cost of road maintenance due to the increased weight of battery- and hydrogen-powered trucks and buses: a perspective I actually didn’t find any fault with electric vehicles.
IsHe said any additional wear is “overwhelmingly caused by larger vehicles – buses, heavy goods vehicles” and that road wear caused by cars and motorcycles “is so low that this is irrelevant”.
Cars are not only heavier, but also wider
In January, This is Money reported that new car models sold in the UK are growing by 1cm every two years.
Green campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) found that the average width of new vehicles (not including side mirrors) increased by 2.5cm between 2017 (177.8cm) and 2023 (180.3cm).
Last year, the average width of a new car sold in Britain was 180.3cm with the side mirrors folded, or 200cm with them unfolded.
This is wider than the average on-street parking space in big cities like London, which is just 180cm wide.
And the Green campaign group went on to single out “mega SUVs” for intimidating other road users such as cyclists because they are 200cm wide on average, or 220cm including side mirrors.
New cars are longer, which is a problem for parking.
In recent years, the average length of new cars has grown exponentially due to a combination of modern car design and stricter safety regulations requiring larger crumple zones and more protective reinforcements for the driver and passenger.
While this is good for safety, it is proving problematic for parking, as drivers of the larger engines are likely to find it very difficult to fit into the spaces in supermarkets and multi-storey buildings, which are often just 4.8 metres wide.
Seven of the ten best-selling car brands in the UK last year produced at least one car that exceeds the length of a standard-sized British parking space.
And earlier this year it was revealed that five UK councils had already introduced length restrictions on vehicles parked in their spaces, banning any vehicle that is larger than their maximum dimensions.
Popular models, including the Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW X7 and Tesla Model S, are longer than some (if not all) of these municipal parking lots.
Although cars are expected to continue to get bigger, most authorities have no intention of increasing the size of their parking spaces.
Nine out of ten municipalities contacted by Autocar said they have no existing plans to change the dimensions of their parking spaces.
The British Parking Association’s recommended minimum dimensions for spaces (4.8 metres long and 2.4 metres wide) have not changed since the 1970s.
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