Utility ATVs sometimes dominate the Motorsports market with their powerful yet comfortable design. To produce such power these machines need monstrous engines. One of the main units of measurement to understand these engines is cubic centimeters more commonly known as CC. But how much CC is in a utility ATV and how does that relate to its performance? To further understand an ATVs engine let’s dive into those questions.
Usually their engines will range anywhere from 300 to 1100 cc in a utility ATV. Different ATVs with different engines will be a better suit for the rider depending on what they are using it for.
There are a lot of logistics and reasons behind why these engines were designed this way. It is really important to remember ATVs have many purposes and people buy them for many reasons which is why there is this range. We will talk more about this in the article.
Why There Is Such a Large Range
Utility ATVs are so popular these days and the big ATV brands notice that. If they made all their models over say 850 plus, they just cut off a huge chunk of their buyers. Not only do people not need such high CC they also wouldn’t be able to afford it. The price difference between say a Can Am Renegade XMR 1000 and a Kawasaki Brute Force 300 is exponential. If you are just a casual rider who wants an ATV to ride around a few times a year you will not be paying $15,000 or more for an ATV with 1000 cc. The market understands that different size engines will meet different needs and sell to different types of people. There are people who have 1000 cc engines for their quad because that’s what they need or want. All the biggest ATV brands will offer smaller engines like say 500 cc and bigger ones like maybe 850 cc.
The other factor that you have to consider is what that difference in engine means. Smaller ATVs that are in a 300-500 cc range would better fit someone that’s just looking for some easy trail riding and a comfortable, somewhat casual ride. An ATV that is in a 500-750 cc range will be for larger tasks such as heavy work loads and rougher, more power dependent trail riding. Finally we get to the big boys which are 750 plus. These ATVs are absolute powerhouses and they are designed for the toughest trails, hills, mud and tasks. Pricing will vary a ton based on how much CC the ATV has.
The following chart is of the relation between price and engine size for a 2023 Polaris Sportsman
| CC | 450 | 570 | 850 | 1000 |
| Price (cad) | $8,499.00 | $9,299.00 | $12,799.00 | $18,499.00 |
If you liked this article and are interested in other information regarding CC in ATVs, the following links are for the amount of CC in a side by side ATV and the amount of CC in a sport ATV.
A Brief Explanation Of CC
CC or cubic centimeters measures the volume of fuel and air that can be pushed through a vehicle’s cylinders
Measuring CC uses this formula:
(π/4) x bore diameter squared* x stroke length** x number of cylinders*** = CC
* bore diameter refers to the diameter of the cylinder
**stroke length is how far the piston travels within the cylinder
***number of cylinders is just how many cylinders are in the engine
If you are looking for a more in depth look at what CC is, here is another article we wrote about that.
Why Are Higher CC Quads So Much More Expensive?
If you look at the chart that was shown a little bit earlier in this article you will notice that there is a $10,000.00 difference between an ATV with 450 cc vs an ATV with 1000 cc. For 10,000.00 you could buy a whole other ATV, brand new. The biggest difference between these quads is obviously the engine. The price difference comes from the engine, but why does that cost so much? Building an engine requires so many parts, so much critical design and a long process of manufacturing. All these added up just boosts that price tag sky high. When you are designing a machine that weighs hundreds of pounds and contains gallons of flammable, combustible liquid, every minute detail needs to be taken into consideration. When you consider the size, the process, the importance and other factors, it is no wonder that the price tag is so high. You also have to account for what these businesses and brands want to charge on top of that process to make your total even more.
CC In ATVs Vs CC In Other Vehicles
Some of these numbers that we are seeing in ATV engines are incredible but how do they relate to other vehicles? Dirt bikes for example, are much smaller vehicles but don’t worry they still pack a punch. Smaller dirt bikes will have around 150 while larger dirt bikes will usually top out around 500. They do weigh much less and are really completely different vehicles so comparing the two is hard.
Another vehicle we can try comparing is cars. Obviously a car engine is extremely different to that of an ATV or dirt bike but they still must have CC right? Cars do have cc but it is hard to compare it to ATVs simply because of how different the vehicles are. Car engines are also big enough that they would normally use litres instead because saying 1.4 litres is easier than saying 1390 cubic centimeters. A car’s CC can range anywhere from 800 cc to 6000 cc depending on the type, the brand and obviously the engine.
