How many cars does that weigh?

A car is the heaviest thing most people interact with daily, which makes it a natural unit for anything above a tonne.

The weight Unit Compared with

30 × a small car

36 t ÷ 1.2 t = 30 cars.

Reference figures are measurements and are rounded; the unit conversion behind them is exact.

Every reference on this page, with its size and its ratio to your number
Reference	Size	Yours ÷ theirs
small car	1.2 t	30×
family SUV	2 t	18×
pickup truck	2.2 t	16.4×
double-decker bus	12 t	3×
loaded semi truck	36 t	1×

The average new car has gained about 400 kg since 2000, mostly from safety structures and batteries.
An electric car carries 400 to 600 kg of battery — a third of a petrol car’s entire kerb weight.

Frequently asked

A small hatchback is about 1.2 tonnes, a mid-size saloon 1.5, an SUV 2.0 and a full-size electric pickup can pass 4.

The car with all fluids and a full tank but no people or luggage. Gross vehicle weight adds the maximum load it is rated to carry.