Why you need to know your car's GVM

Have you ever witnessed a semi-trailer trying to do an emergency stop? It ain’t pretty. There’s smoke, tyre screeching, the smell of burning brakes (and rubber) and, most likely, expletives aplenty.

Simple physics determine how quickly and effectively a large, weighty vehicle with momentum comes to a standstill. Your car is exactly the same.

There are lots of environmental factors that can change the way your car responds in everyday driving, let alone an emergency situation.

The weather and road surfaces are good examples. Worn tyres are another. Then there’s exceeding your vehicle’s gross vehicle mass (GVM).

Your car is built to a certain specification based primarily on its size, weight and power. Mess with any of those and nothing works as it was intended.

Your car’s gross vehicle mass is the maximum operating weight of your vehicle – that is the vehicle’s weight and then whatever you may add to it such as people, luggage, fuel, etc.

It does not include anything you may choose to tow — that’s a whole other matter, a fairly confusing one, to be honest. However, it does include towball download.

Go beyond this official GVM and your car’s legality, safety and performance is compromised. Handling diminishes and braking distances lengthen.

Put simply, you should consider it the law. Would your insurance cover your overloaded vehicle in the case of an accident?

GVM limits are set by the manufacturer and form part of the car’s credentials. You can find your vehicle’s GVM in the owner’s manual or on the driver’s door B-pillar.

This all sounds simple enough. The problem is our burning desire to load our cars as full as humanly possible. From compact hatches to voluminous SUVs, we love to load ‘em up with little thought to the safety implications. Just because you can fit something, doesn’t mean you should.

Utes are the red flag to a bull in this story and a shining example of how easy it is to exceed a load limit. Payloads (the weight your vehicle can handle in the tray or boot, along with anything else carried inside the car or on the roof) contribute to your vehicle’s GVM. Don’t exceed it.

We highly recommend you stick to the factory-specified GVM and carry out regular maintenance checks as per your owner’s manual.