The Meaning of GVWR: What It Is and How To Use It

Have you seen a truck or car advertised with its GVWR and not known what it meant? This article will cover what the meaning of GVWR and how to use it.

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You may have heard the term GVWR referenced by people in the automotive industry. Maybe they were bragging about their own vehicle’s GVWR or commenting on the GVWR of another vehicle. This article will tell you about the meaning of GVWR, the difference between GVWR and other types of weight capacity for vehicles, and translations of GVWR if you are looking for a car overseas.

What Does the Word GVWR Mean?

According to Live About and The Free Dictionary, the abbreviation GVWR stands for gross vehicle weight rating. This refers to an automobile’s maximum safe weight. The gross vehicle weight rating should never be exceeded and will never change. 

Gross vehicle weight rating includes not only the weight of the vehicle itself — called the curb weight — but also any equipment that has been added to the car or truck, the weight of the passengers, and the weight of any cargo. Additionally, if you attach a trailer to a car or truck for towing, the gross vehicle weight rating increases by the amount of weight attached to the hitch.

There are many components that make up the GVWR, including the weight of gasoline and other liquids in a car. The auto manufacturer is able to provide the vehicle’s GVWR alongside the vehicle’s curb weight, payload capacity, and tow capacity.

A bigger car or truck might have a higher GVWR in lbs than a small car. This maximum weight increases because of the initial weight of the car and because larger cars are often meant for hauling. A tow vehicle like a pickup truck or RV is able to carry a heavier load like the weight of the trailer or other accessories or gear like tonneau covers. 

Regulations might be enforced at a weigh station for large semi-trucks and commercial vehicles. If they have too much cargo, they may be forced to unload some of it. If the weight is higher than the GVWR rating, it could put too much downward force on the brakes, causing the brakes to fail and endangering others on the road. 

What Is the Difference Between Weight Capacity Types?

There are many different types of weight capacity that should be taken into account when thinking about the total weight of a vehicle. We know that GVWR refers to the maximum loaded weight of a vehicle, including all of its cargo and passengers.

Remember, GCWR stands for gross combined weight rating and refers to the maximum amount of weight that a vehicle can tow. Next, the gross trailer weight (GTW) is pretty self-explanatory. This refers to the total weight of a trailer. 

The GAWR refers to the gross axle weight rating, which determines the maximum total weight that each vehicle axle can handle for both the front and rear axles. Curb weight refers to an empty vehicle’s weight and is abbreviated as CW.

A trailer’s tongue weight, or TW, refers to the weight at the coupling point. DW, or dry weight, refers to a vehicle with no fluids in it, such as gasoline, coolant, or wiper fluid. Finally, a payload capacity refers to the weight of only the cargo and passengers that are in a vehicle.

What Are Translations of GVWR?

If you are trying to rent or purchase a car in a country that does not speak English, it is important to know translations of gross vehicle weight rating. You would not want to get into a situation where you do not know your car’s gross vehicle weight rating, end up overloading it, and endanger others.

You can study this list of translations of gross vehicle weight rating from Nice Translator to learn how to communicate with people in a non-English-speaking automotive industry about GVWR.

  • Norwegian: Brutto kjøretøy vektrurdering
  • Urdu: مجموعی گاڑی وزن کی درجہ بندی
  • Latvian: Bruto transportlīdzekļa svara novērtējums
  • Russian: валовая веса автомобиля
  • Malay: Penilaian berat kenderaan kasar
  • Czech: Hrubá hmotnost vozidla
  • Malayalam: മൊത്ത വാഹന ഭാരം റേറ്റിംഗ്
  • Turkish: Brüt araç ağırlık derecesi
  • Chinese (PRC): 总车辆重量评级
  • Basque: Ibilgailuen pisu gordina
  • Finnish: ajoneuvon painoarvo
  • Greek: Μεικτή βαθμολογία βάρους οχήματος
  • Chinese (Taiwan): 總車輛重量評級
  • Gujarati: કુલ વાહન વજન રેટિંગ
  • Swedish: Brutto fordonets vikt betyg
  • Dutch: Gewichtsclassificatie
  • Italian: Valutazione del peso lordo del veicolo
  • Spanish: Calificación bruta de peso del vehículo
  • Hindi: सकल वाहन भार दर
  • Polish: Ocena wagi pojazdów brutto
  • German: zulässiges Gesamtgewicht
  • Estonian: Sõiduki brutokaal
  • Japanese: 総車の体重評価
  • Arabic: التقييم الإجمالي للوزن
  • Telugu: స్థూల వాహన బరువు రేటింగ్
  • Welsh: sgôr pwysau cerbydau gros
  • Indonesian: Peringkat berat badan kotor
  • Bengali: মোট গাড়ির ওজন রেটিং
  • Marathi: एकूण वाहन वजन रेटिंग
  • French: Niveau de poids brut du véhicule
  • Tamil: மொத்த வாகன எடை மதிப்பீடு
  • Korean: 총 차량 체중 등급
  • Bulgarian: Оценка на теглото на бруто превозно средство
  • Danish: Brutto køretøj Vægt bedømmelse
  • Slovenian: Ocena mase bruto vozil
  • Hebrew: דירוג רכב ברוטו
  • Kannada: ಸಮಗ್ರ ವಾಹನ ತೂಕ ರೇಟಿಂಗ್
  • Vietnamese: Tổng trọng lượng xe
  • Amharic: አጠቃላይ የተሽከርካሪ ክብደት ደረጃ አሰጣጥ ደረጃ
  • Thai: คะแนนน้ำหนักรถยนต์รวม
  • Ukrainian: Важливий рейтинг вагонів
  • Lithuanian: Bendras transporto priemonės svorio įvertinimas
  • Serbian: бруто тежина возила
  • Catalan: Valoració del pes brut del vehicle
  • Romanian: Evaluarea în greutate a vehiculului brut
  • Portuguese (Brazil): classificação de peso bruto do veículo
  • Portuguese (Portugal): classificação de peso bruto do veículo
  • Croatian: Bruto težina vozila
  • Hungarian: Bruttó jármű súlyértékelés
  • Slovak: Hmotnosť hrubého vozidla

Conclusion

GVWR stands for gross vehicle weight rating. This term refers to the maximum weight of a car, truck, or other types of vehicle. Gross vehicle weight rating includes the weight of the car itself, the weight of all passengers, cargo, liquids, and the hitch weight.

Sources:

  1. Meaning of GVWR or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating | Live About 
  2. GVWR – What does GVWR stand for? | The Free Dictionary 
  3. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating | Nice Translator