Vehicles are manufactured and designed to be driven within a legal weight limit. Overloading causes significant damage to the engine, suspension, brakes, and tires, among others. It reduces a vehicle’s lifespan and reduces fuel efficiency.
This can lead to unnecessary repair costs and high fuel costs. Overloading also makes the vehicle difficult to control in emergencies, which may result in accidents. Checking vehicle weight by registration equips vehicle keepers with the knowledge of their vehicle weight, helping to prevent overloading of their vehicles and improve safety while on the road.
Let’s examine the best and most accurate ways to check vehicle weight by registration number.
What Do We Mean By Vehicle Weight?
Before we jump into the how-to, it’s useful to understand a few key terms:
- Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW): The maximum weight your vehicle can weigh when fully loaded.
- Kerb Weight: The weight of the vehicle with standard equipment and fluids but without passengers or cargo.
- Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM): The maximum weight the vehicle is allowed to be when fully loaded. Most times, it is often the same as GVW.
- Unladen Weight: The weight of the vehicle without any passengers, cargo, or fuel.
How to Check Vehicle Weight by Registration Number
Knowing how to check a vehicle’s weight by registration is the first step to ensuring that a vehicle (car, van, truck, trailer, etc.) matches the legal weight limit. There are several methods you can use to find the exact weight of a vehicle. They are:
- Owner’s manual
- Car Specs Check by VIN or Reg Number
- DVLA vehicle enquiry
Owner’s Manual
The manual comes with every vehicle and shows clearly all vehicle specifications, including the vehicle’s weight. If you have the owner’s manual of your vehicle, you can easily flip through the pages to the vehicle specifications section. Here, you’ll find the vehicle’s specs, including the:
- Kerb weight
- Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM)
- Payload capacity
If for any reason you don’t have the owner’s manual, you can get one easily online with a quick search or by visiting the manufacturer’s website. On the website, enter your car’s year, model, and trim to view weight specifications.
Make sure to pay attention to the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is a measure of the vehicle’s maximum allowable weight. It shows the maximum weight that the vehicle is allowed to safely carry.
The actual weight of a vehicle should be less than the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). With the manual, vehicle keepers or buyers may gain access to the Kerb weight, which is the weight of the vehicle without passengers and cargo.
Registration Number Check
A car registration plate check tool is by far the easiest way for car buyers, sellers, and owners/keepers to find the weight of a vehicle as accurately as possible. A reg number check reads the reg number and gives access to all vehicle specifications, weights, dimensions, and vehicle history records.
With our reg number check tool, you can view the following:
- Unladen weight
- Kerb weight
- Gross vehicle weight
- Gross combined weight
- Max Permissible Mass (MAM)
More than just the weight specifications, with a car history report you can view all past records, including:
- DVLA auction history
- Write-off records
- Scrapped vehicle records
- Outstanding finance
- Vehicle registration details
- MOT status and records
- Road tax
- Previous keepers, plates, and color changes
- Overall vehicle performance
- Mileage records
- High-risk records, and more.
DVLA Vehicle Inquiry
The DVLA Vehicle Inquiry service is another alternative tool that can be used to check a vehicle’s full specifications, including the weight of the vehicle. To check, all you need to do is:
- Visit the DVLA website and find the vehicle enquiry form.
- FIll out the form with the car registration number (number plate) and submit it.
- You’ll be shown a summary of your vehicle’s information, including make, model, fuel type, and tax status.
- Next you can check the vehicle’s weight, alongside other specifications.
Why Should You Check Vehicle Weight by Registration Number?
Knowing how much weight a vehicle is legally allowed to carry is necessary to increase safety while driving. A vehicle’s weight directly influences its performance and fuel efficiency. Other reasons to check vehicle weight by registration, include:
- It improves the safety of car drivers on the road.
- Vehicles with weights above the weight limit are difficult to control, especially in emergencies. With the weight limit known, drivers may be able to avoid unnecessary weight and improve the vehicle’s performance while on the road.
- Too much weight exerts too much strain on a vehicle’s engine. Regular overloading of a vehicle affects the vehicle’s engine performance, transmission, brakes, and fuel efficiency.
- It helps drivers avoid penalties or fines associated with overloaded vehicles.
Final Words
Overall, checking vehicle weight by registration number is necessary as it directly affects the performance of a vehicle, prevents unnecessary repairs, and improves the safety of the driver and other road users. To do this, vehicle keepers and buyers can check the manual or use the Smart Car Check car weight check tool. The latter provides information on the vehicle’s weight and also vital records and information on their cars.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the weight of my car?
Simply use our car weight check tool to determine your car's weight. This will help you understand how much weight your car can tow for maximum performance and fuel economy.
What is the tow weight of my car?
Your car's towing capacity depends on its make and model. Check the owner's manual or VIN plate for gross train weight (GTW) and subtract the gross vehicle weight (GVW). Use our to accurately estimate your vehicle gross weight.
Can I find the kerb weight of my car by reg?
Yes, you can use our tool to check vehicle weight by reg to find out about the kerb weight, gross weight, and more. This helps maintain the performance of your car for safety and legal compliance.
Can I check car weight by VIN?
Yes, simply use our VIN check UK tool to look up your car weight by VIN. It’s as accurate as checking the vehicle weight by registration number.
