CARZ vs. KARS

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust NASDAQ Global Auto Index Fund (CARZ) and KraneShares Electric Vehicles and Future Mobility Index ETF (KARS).

CARZ and KARS are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. CARZ is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the NASDAQ OMX Global Automobile (TR). It was launched on May 9, 2011. KARS is a passively managed fund by KraneShares that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg Electric Vehicles Index. It was launched on Jan 18, 2018. Both CARZ and KARS are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

CARZ vs. KARS - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust NASDAQ Global Auto Index Fund (CARZ) and KraneShares Electric Vehicles and Future Mobility Index ETF (KARS). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

CARZ vs. KARS - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
CARZ First Trust NASDAQ Global Auto Index Fund	3.74%	37.18%	3.26%	42.47%	-31.25%	18.09%	54.66%	11.39%	-27.81%
KARS KraneShares Electric Vehicles and Future Mobility Index ETF	5.76%	46.04%	-17.88%	-7.85%	-39.20%	24.11%	71.17%	34.66%	-28.33%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, CARZ achieves a 3.74% return, which is significantly lower than KARS's 5.76% return.

CARZ

• 1D: 5.11%
• 1M: -8.16%
• YTD: 3.74%
• 6M: 12.72%
• 1Y: 54.64%
• 3Y*: 18.45%
• 5Y*: 8.71%
• 10Y*: 11.68%

KARS

• 1D: 2.70%
• 1M: -2.48%
• YTD: 5.76%
• 6M: 6.44%
• 1Y: 52.44%
• 3Y*: 2.35%
• 5Y*: -3.85%
• 10Y*: —

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

CARZ vs. KARS - Expense Ratio Comparison

CARZ has a 0.70% expense ratio, which is lower than KARS's 0.72% expense ratio.

KARS

KraneShares Electric Vehicles and Future Mobility Index ETF

CARZ

First Trust NASDAQ Global Auto Index Fund

Return for Risk

CARZ vs. KARS — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

CARZ

CARZ Risk / Return Rank: 89
CARZ Sharpe Ratio Rank: 87
CARZ Sortino Ratio Rank: 88
CARZ Omega Ratio Rank: 86
CARZ Calmar Ratio Rank: 91
CARZ Martin Ratio Rank: 92

KARS

KARS Risk / Return Rank: 89
KARS Sharpe Ratio Rank: 88
KARS Sortino Ratio Rank: 89
KARS Omega Ratio Rank: 85
KARS Calmar Ratio Rank: 89
KARS Martin Ratio Rank: 92

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

CARZ vs. KARS - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust NASDAQ Global Auto Index Fund (CARZ) and KraneShares Electric Vehicles and Future Mobility Index ETF (KARS). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	CARZ	KARS	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.80	1.85	-0.05
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.45	2.46	-0.01
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.34	1.33	+0.01
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.10	2.88	+0.22
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	12.53	12.52	+0.02
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

CARZ vs. KARS - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current CARZ Sharpe Ratio is 1.80, which is comparable to the KARS Sharpe Ratio of 1.85. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of CARZ and KARS, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	CARZ	KARS	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.80	1.85	-0.05
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.32	-0.13	+0.45
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.45	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.34	0.16	+0.18

Correlation

The correlation between CARZ and KARS is 0.74, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

CARZ vs. KARS - Dividend Comparison

CARZ's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.06%, more than KARS's 0.17% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
CARZ First Trust NASDAQ Global Auto Index Fund	2.06%	2.13%	1.17%	1.40%	1.59%	2.25%	0.63%	3.23%	2.85%	2.11%	2.47%	1.64%
KARS KraneShares Electric Vehicles and Future Mobility Index ETF	0.17%	0.18%	0.78%	0.88%	1.13%	6.73%	0.14%	1.85%	1.38%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

CARZ vs. KARS - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum CARZ drawdown since its inception was -51.20%, smaller than the maximum KARS drawdown of -64.85%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for CARZ and KARS.

Drawdown Indicators

	CARZ	KARS	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-51.20%	-64.85%	+13.65%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-16.91%	-17.74%	+0.83%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-40.30%	-64.85%	+24.55%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-51.20%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-10.07%	-35.53%	+25.46%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-13.03%	-28.30%	+15.27%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.19%	4.09%	+0.10%

Volatility

CARZ vs. KARS - Volatility Comparison

First Trust NASDAQ Global Auto Index Fund (CARZ) and KraneShares Electric Vehicles and Future Mobility Index ETF (KARS) have volatilities of 11.13% and 10.90%, respectively, indicating that both stocks experience similar levels of price fluctuations. This suggests that the risk associated with both stocks, as measured by volatility, is nearly the same. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	CARZ	KARS	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	11.13%	10.90%	+0.23%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	19.44%	19.51%	-0.07%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	30.54%	28.53%	+2.01%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	27.64%	29.62%	-1.98%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	26.03%	29.33%	-3.30%