Different Types of Utility Vehicle

A utility vehicle is an automobile equipment that is used for commercial, transportation, and recreational activities. It is particularly useful for off-road operations.

There are different types of utility vehicles found in the market today. Many are available for purchase; others are offered for rentals. Listed below are among the most popular types:

Sports Utility Vehicles – these are specifically designed for rough terrain (usually off-road) conquering light to heavy duty jobs or trails. John Deere Utility Vehicles are an example of this type. These are usually equipped with 4-wheel drive for on or off-road ability – they can blaze through water & climb over elevated areas.

Crossover Utility Vehicles – in a simple explanation, a CUV is a sports utility vehicle that is designed on a car frame and with a little off-road capacity. Data provided by Edmunds.com shows that there are more or less 40 crossovers on the road today like Toyota’s RAV4 and Infiniti FX.

Electric Utility Vehicles are a quiet, green alternative to UTVs powered by internal combustion engines. They are run by deep-cycle batteries. These can be registered as a motorcycle in many states, allowing them to be driven on city streets.

Light Equipment Vehicles - Vehicles like the Kawasaki's MULE in which a flat bed is added to an all terrain vehicle. Generally used as a maintenance vehicle.

Coupé Utility or Tray Utility Vehicle – originally designed in Australia, this particular type is simply known as ‘utility’ or ‘pick-up truck’. Holden Ute is one example of this type. It has the following features: body style with coupe lines, low profile road tires and alloy rims, low ground clearance.

Utility Terrain Vehicles – typically have higher payload and are longer and wider than ATV’s. UTVs can run payloads from 800 to 1350 lbs. above the operator/passenger weight. Some examples of utility-type models are Kubota, Polariz RZR and Kawasaki Teryx.