Last updated on July 16th, 2023 at 10:32 am

There have been lots of questions on the internet revolving on the average length of a car and how long is a car. Different cars and car models have an average car width and length. This post is a full guide to knowing your specific car Average Car Length and width in both feet and meters

For starters, let’s consider the length of a compact sedan and a compact sport utility vehicles.

The average length of the compact sedan is 177.2 inches, while that of compact sport-utility vehicles are and 172.3 inches.

Medium SUVs and sedans are 10 to 20 inches longer than their counterparts. Large cars are longer by 15 to 20 inches.

Current vehicles have increased in length and in width according to a 2007 study by Edmunds.com.

This means that compact sedan cars were longer by 2 inches, wider by 2 inches, and heavier by 374 pounds on average than they were in 1997.

This new drift was also the same for medium and large cars.

So let look at the average car length and width in feet and then move to Car Dimensions Database,

We will also you can calculate average car width and length of your own car.

Average length of a Car| How Long is the Average Car?

How long is the Average Car Length in Feet?

Answering your question on how long is a car, I will say that the average length of car in feet is around 4500mm or 14.7 feet.

This is the length of a car in the mid-size class like Audi A4, which should give you an angle of the length of any car models. Though some vehicles may be longer or shorter than this length.

We have made a tabular list of different car lengths by different size classes to give you a hint of how large various car models are. This would give you a clue about the different length of cars.

Average length of a Car | Average Car Model Size Length

SIZE CLASS	MODELS	LENGTH (mm)	LENGTH (feet)
Large pickup	Chevrolet Silverado	5614	18.4
Small pickup	Nissan Navara	4981	16.3
Large SUV	Cadillac Escalade	5110	16.7
Small SUV	Ford Escape	4400	14.4
Full-sized	Audi A6	4800	15.7
Mid-sized	Audi A4	4520	14.8
Small car	Kia Rio	4215	13.8
Mini car	Suzuki Alto	3195	10.5

The length of small car are about 3000-4300mm/10-14 feet while big trucks are 5000-6000mm/18-19 feet.

Next, you may want to know how to get the exact length of your car now that you know some basics of the length of a car by different car models.

So let’s quickly look at how to find the exact car length for your car model.

Car Dimensions Database (Still on How long is a car topic)

How to find the exact car length for your car model

You can get the exact length of your car model by using different methods. Some methods are more consistent than others. Here are a few ideas:

1. The VIN

This is one easy way to find the exact length of your car. You have to know the VIN (17 characters mixed of numbers and characters) of your car to be able to use a VIN decoder. Your vehicle’s VIN is located on a few different places in your car and also on your car documents. The VIN number is stamped in different locations of your car including the driver door.

2. Length measurement

You can simply measure the length of your car manually to know the exact length using a yardstick from the rear to the front bumper. This is because your car may be equipped with some aftermarket parts that changed the exact length of your car.

3. Consult local dealer

If you aren’t certain of the two methods above, you can contact your local dealer to find out the length for your car using the license number or the VIN number. This is a cheap and reliable way to find out the length of your car.

Read this also: 10w40 vs 5w40 which one is better for your Car?

What is the Average Weight of a Car?

As at last year (2018), the average car weight was over 4,000 pounds, and this number has been static since 2015. The horsepower and fuel economy for 1975 model shows these statistics to be increasing through most of the years, while weight has remained mostly stable, according to an EPA graph.

The weight of a vehicle is closely connected to fuel economy, and the EPA has observed both since the 1975 model year. The average fuel economy for 2016 vehicles was 24.7 mpg, a figure which was a bit higher than the previous year and a record high. The fuel economy has improved since 2004 in ten out of 12 years with only two declines. Also, the fuel economy has kept improving while weight and horsepower have begun to level off.

Technological advancement in the auto-world made both power and fuel economy to surge as of 2005, while weight still remained the same.

Now, heavier vehicles are usually considered safer and in today’s market, more weight does not always mean poor fuel economy owing to transmission efficiency and engine improvement.

The advancement in technology increased efficiency and also helped automakers improve horsepower while weight remained unaffected.

The footprint of a vehicle is the size judged by the area it covers with all four tires. The footprint can be calculated by multiplying the wheelbase by the average track width (the width between the right and left tires).

The footprint of a vehicle is essential in determining fuel economy since the fuel economy values depend on it. So, the footprint data for 2008 vehicles were collected between 2008 and 2016 by EPA.

The results indicated that the average footprint size overall five vehicle types has remained slightly stable. Truck footprint rose by 2.4%, cars increased by 2.1%, minivans and vans rose by 1.9%, truck-based SUVs rose by 0.7% and CUVs reduced by 0.4%.

The market trends are now inclined towards trucks, CUVs and SUVs since 2008, while cars and vans have slightly reduced. This shift made the overall industry average footprint to increase by 1.2% to an average size of 49.5 square feet.

Technology Effects

Most vehicles were expected to use gasoline direct injection (GDI) by 2017. The technology was only used in around 3% of vehicles 10 years ago.

Several automakers like BMW, Ford, Mercedes, and VW have adopted this turbocharger along with GDI technology. This has led to a quarter of the market share also using continuously variable transmissions, which decrease weight but increased fuel economy. Japanese automakers mostly use CVTs, while domestic and European brands have moved towards transmissions with seven speeds or more.

What are the weights of the lightest cars?

The lightest new car as at 2018 sold in America weighed less than a 1998 four-door Toyota Tercel, though America still buys heavier vehicles than the rest of the world.

Currently, the Honda Fit is the 10th lightest new car in the U.S., weighing just over 2,500 pounds. When this figure is compared to 1988 when a base Civic weighed 1,933 pounds, the difference is clear.

Other lighter vehicles on the American market include the Nissan Versa at 2,400 pounds, the Mazda MX-5 Miata at 2,332 pounds, the Toyota Yaris at 2,315 pounds and the Chevy Spark at 2,246 pounds.

What are the weight of the heaviest cars on the U.S. market?

The heaviest vehicles on the American market are not only SUVs. The Mercedes-Maybach S560 4Matic sedan weighs in at just over 5,000 pounds. This figure is 300 pounds less than the Mercedes-Benz GLS. This SUV gets even heavier with an optional engine at 5,700 pounds.

The Ford Expedition is also a heavy vehicle, but recently decrease its weight by using aluminium for its body panels and by using a turbo V6 rather than a heavier V8, making it weigh just over 5,400 pounds. The Lincoln Navigator weighs 6,000 pounds with the addition of four-wheel drive.

Some other heavy vehicles include:

Cadillac Escalade ESV SUV (5,831 pounds)
Rolls-Royce Phantom luxury sedan (5,643 pounds)
Infiniti QX80 SUV (5,676 pounds)
Toyota Sequoia SUV (5,730 pounds)

Conclusion on Average length of a Car Article

Different car models come with different length, and there is really no average car length that you could use the information for. However, if you are going to use the information for something important, then you can use any of the procedures mentioned above.

As regards the weight of a vehicle, four-wheel drive, larger engines, and luxury trims balloon weigh as much as 500 or 600 pounds in some vehicles other than the ones listed above.

Jeffery Ekweghi

Hi dear, my name is Jeffery Ekweghi, and I am a certified mechanic and autobody parts technician. I created this site to share my expertise and experience with car lovers looking to resolve their car-related issues. I am certified in private cars and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. I have worked as a mechanic since 2015 and have experience in vehicle brands like Subaru, Jeep, Toyota, TATA, BMW, Mazda, Honda, Nissan, Kia, TVs, and Others; however, I primarily specialize in Toyota vehicles.