The lightest car in this database, the Tesla Model 3 RWD, weighs 1,847 kg; the heaviest, the Kia EV9 99.8 kWh AWD, 2,625. That is 778 kg — roughly the mass of 10 adult passengers — and the average across the 18 cars with a published curb weight is 2,107 kg (4,645 lb).
Every car, lightest first
Curb weight is the car as delivered with fluids and a full battery and no occupants, as published by EV Database for each trim on its car page. The two right-hand columns are the consumption figures the rest of this site is built on — WLTP watt-hours per kilometre and, for the US-rated cars, EPA kilowatt-hours per 100 miles — so the cost of the mass is visible in the same row. Kilograms per usable kilowatt-hour says how much car each unit of battery has to carry.
| Car | Curb weight | Usable kWh | kg per kWh | WLTP Wh/km | EPA kWh/100 mi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 RWD | 1,847 kg | 4,072 lb | 60.0 | 30.8 | 133 | — |
| Volvo EX30 Single Motor Extended Range | 1,850 kg | 4,079 lb | 65.0 | 28.5 | 178 | 29.2 |
| Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD | 1,899 kg | 4,187 lb | 79.0 | 24.0 | 142 | 26.4 |
| Tesla Model Y RWD | 1,981 kg | 4,367 lb | 60.0 | 33.0 | 158 | — |
| Hyundai Ioniq 6 Long Range RWD | 1,985 kg | 4,376 lb | 74.0 | 26.8 | 149 | 26.0 |
| Kia EV6 84 kWh RWD | 2,050 kg | 4,519 lb | 80.0 | 25.6 | 178 | 29.6 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 84 kWh RWD | 2,060 kg | 4,542 lb | 80.0 | 25.8 | 178 | 30.0 |
| Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD | 2,072 kg | 4,568 lb | 75.0 | 27.6 | 165 | 27.5 |
| Toyota bZ4X AWD 73.1 kWh | 2,095 kg | 4,619 lb | 69.0 | 30.4 | 184 | 28.0 |
| BMW i4 eDrive40 | 2,120 kg | 4,674 lb | 81.3 | 26.1 | 155 | 28.5 |
| Volkswagen ID.4 Pro | 2,139 kg | 4,716 lb | 77.0 | 27.8 | 173 | 29.8 |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD | 2,161 kg | 4,764 lb | 91.0 | 23.7 | 185 | 30.7 |
| Porsche Taycan (rear-wheel drive) | 2,165 kg | 4,773 lb | 82.3 | 26.3 | 166 | 37.1 |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E Standard Range RWD | 2,175 kg | 4,795 lb | 72.6 | 30.0 | 191 | 31.4 |
| Volkswagen ID.7 Pro | 2,180 kg | 4,806 lb | 77.0 | 28.3 | 162 | — |
| Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE 87 kWh | 2,259 kg | 4,980 lb | 87.0 | 26.0 | 216 | 36.6 |
| BYD Seal AWD Excellence | 2,260 kg | 4,982 lb | 82.5 | 27.4 | 185 | — |
| Kia EV9 99.8 kWh AWD | 2,625 kg | 5,787 lb | 96.0 | 27.3 | 221 | 40.0 |
The Rivian R1T Dual Motor, Large pack publishes no curb weight in our source and is left out of the table rather than estimated; the R1T’s 42.9 kWh per 100 miles, the highest EPA energy use on the site, is consistent with a truck well above anything listed here, but we do not print a mass we have not read.
What weight does to consumption
Sorted by WLTP consumption the table reorders, but not randomly. The lighter half of the cars average 163 Wh/km; the heavier half 184. The most frugal car on the WLTP cycle, the Tesla Model 3 RWD, is the lightest of the 18; the thirstiest, the Kia EV9 99.8 kWh AWD, is the heaviest of the 18. Mass is not the only term — frontal area, tyres and drive-unit efficiency all count — but among cars of similar shape it is the one you can read off a spec sheet.
The exceptions are the interesting rows. The Volkswagen ID.7 Pro sits 15th on weight and 6th on consumption: it uses less energy than its mass predicts. The Volvo EX30 Single Motor Extended Range is the reverse, 2nd lightest and 10th on consumption. Body shape helps too: the 7 sedans average 2,065 kg against 2,133 for the 11 SUVs and crossovers, and a lower roofline is worth as much at motorway speed as a few hundred kilograms.
Kilograms per kilowatt-hour
A big battery is the easiest way to add range and the surest way to add mass, so the fairer question is how much car each kilowatt-hour has to move. The Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD carries the least at 23.7 kg per usable kWh; the Tesla Model Y RWD the most at 33.0. A low figure usually means a large pack in a modest body; a high one, a small pack in a heavy car — which is also the profile that suffers most on a cold day, when the pack needs warming before it will accept charge. The chemistry behind those differences is in LFP against NMC: LFP cells store less energy per kilogram, which is why an LFP car of a given range tends to sit higher in this table.
Why it matters beyond the electricity bill
Tyres. Every extra 100 kg is carried by four contact patches, and tyre wear rises faster than linearly with load; a 2,625 kg car on the same rubber as a 1,847 kg one will not see the same mileage from a set. Braking is the other cost, though regenerative braking recovers most of what mass adds to a stop. Bridges and car parks with posted limits are a real if rare concern for the heaviest cars here, and towing ratings scale with mass in the other direction: the heavier cars are the ones rated to pull. None of this appears in a running-cost calculation, including ours, which is why the table above is worth a look before the spec sheet’s range figure.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an electric car weigh?
Between 1,847 kg (Tesla Model 3 RWD) and 2,625 kg (Kia EV9 99.8 kWh AWD) across the 18 cars in this database with a published curb weight, with the median at 2,120 kg. In pounds, 4,072 to 5,787.
What is the lightest electric car?
Of the cars here, the Tesla Model 3 RWD at 1,847 kg. Its 60.0 kWh usable pack is joint smallest on the site, shared with Tesla Model Y RWD, which is most of the reason; small pack, small car.
Does a heavier EV use more electricity?
On average, yes: the heavier half of these cars use 21 Wh/km more than the lighter half on the WLTP cycle. The relationship is loose at the level of individual cars because aerodynamics and drivetrain efficiency matter as much, but across the table it holds.
Why does the battery make EVs so heavy?
A usable 96.0 kWh pack like the Kia EV9 99.8 kWh AWD’s weighs several hundred kilograms on its own, and the structure that protects it adds more. The trade is deliberate: that mass buys range. The per-kWh column in the table is the honest way to compare how well each car spends it.
Sources
Curb weight, usable capacity and WLTP consumption: EV Database, credited with the date read on each car’s page. EPA energy use: fueleconomy.gov. Pounds are kilograms multiplied by 2.20462 and rounded; kg per kWh uses the unrounded usable capacity.