This is a list of automobile drag coefficients (Cd) and drag areas (CdA) for production, limited-production, and concept or experimental vehicles. The drag coefficient is a dimensionless measure of aerodynamic resistance used in automotive design; a lower value indicates a more streamlined vehicle that passes through the air with less resistance. The drag area (CdA) is the product of the drag coefficient and the vehicle's frontal reference area, and represents the total aerodynamic drag force per unit of dynamic pressure — making it a more complete measure of real-world aerodynamic performance than the drag coefficient alone. Entries are grouped first by drag coefficient and then by drag area. Within each grouping, production vehicles and concept or experimental vehicles are listed separately. Unless otherwise noted, figures given are for the base model of a vehicle in a standard configuration. Measurements can vary by up to 5% depending on the wind tunnel and test methodology used.
Drag coefficients The average modern automobile achieves a drag coefficient of between 0.25 and 0.3. Sport utility vehicles (SUVs), with their typically boxy shapes, typically achieve a Cd=0.35–0.45. The drag coefficient of a vehicle is affected by the shape of body of the vehicle. Various other characteristics affect the coefficient of drag as well, and are taken into account in these examples. Some sports cars have a surprisingly high drag coefficient (such as the Ariel Atom at 0.40), but this is to compensate for the amount of lift the vehicle generates, while others use aerodynamics to their advantage to gain speed and as a result have much lower drag coefficients. Some examples of Cd follow. Figures given are generally for the basic model, which may not be available in some markets. Some "high performance" models may actually have higher drag, due to wider tires, extra spoilers and larger cooling systems as many basic/low power models have half size radiators with the remaining area blanked off to reduce cooling and engine bay drag. The Cd of a given vehicle will vary depending on which wind tunnel it is measured in. Variations of up to 5% have been documented and variations in test technique and analysis can also make a difference. So if the same vehicle with a drag coefficient of Cd=0.30 was measured in a different tunnel it could be anywhere from Cd=0.285 to Cd=0.315.
Production cars
Concept and experimental cars
Drag areas The drag area (CdA) is the product of the drag coefficient (Cd) and the vehicle's frontal reference area. It provides a single value that directly determines the aerodynamic drag force at a given speed, making it a more complete basis for comparison than Cd alone. In 2003, Car and Driver magazine adopted this metric as a more intuitive way to compare the aerodynamic efficiency of various automobiles. Average full-size passenger cars have a drag area of roughly 8 sq ft (0.74 m2). Reported drag areas range from the 1999 Honda Insight at 5.1 sq ft (0.47 m2) to the 2003 Hummer H2 at 26.5 sq ft (2.46 m2). The drag area of a bicycle (and rider) is also in the range of 6.5–7.5 sq ft (0.60–0.70 m2).
Production cars
Limited production cars
Concept and experimental cars
Notes
References
See also Automobile drag coefficient Automotive aerodynamics Drag (physics) Drag equation Drag area Fuel efficiency in transportation