At a glance
CARZ charges 0.7% a year, above the 0.36% average of the 8 funds most like it (the most expensive of 9). It has $53.3M in assets, the 8th largest of that group; it paid 1.07% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, annual. Over the past year it returned +29.7% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%), 4th of those 9 funds; over three years it returned +30.7% a year. At its worst it fell 41.9% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 39.1% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 5 months and 21 months after the lows. Its ten largest positions make up 52.7% of the fund, out of 101 in all.
The short version
First Trust S-Network Future Vehicles & Technology ETF (CARZ) is an index fund that tracks about 100 companies tied to electric and self-driving vehicles: carmakers plus their battery, chip, software and materials suppliers. Despite the name, its largest holdings as of June 30, 2026 were chip makers Micron, AMD and Intel, not automakers. Its 0.70% yearly fee was about twice the 0.36% average of similar funds.
Price history
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CARZ +29.7% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARZ official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +36.83% | — | +10.30% | +10.08% | +8.61% |
| CARZ price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +29.3% | +29.7% | +30.7% | +11.5% | +13.5% | +9.9% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, CARZ returned +29.7%, 4th of 9 among similar funds.
- Its 5-year annualized return was +11.5% and its 10-year +13.5%.
- In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 41.9% and regained its old high 4.6 months after the low.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-31.2%); its best was 2020 (+54.7%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 51.2% (Jan 23, 2018 to Mar 18, 2020), recovered by Nov 5, 2020.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +29.3% | — |
| 2025 | +37.2% | +36.83% |
| 2024 | +3.3% | +3.17% |
| 2023 | +42.5% | +41.47% |
| 2022 | -31.2% | -30.51% |
| 2021 | +18.0% | +17.63% |
| 2020 | +54.7% | +54.43% |
| 2019 | +11.4% | +11.38% |
| 2018 | -23.9% | -23.37% |
| 2017 | +25.5% | +24.65% |
| 2016 | -2.5% | -2.58% |
| 2015 | -1.4% | — |
| 2014 | -4.5% | — |
| 2013 | +37.5% | — |
| 2012 | +28.6% | — |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Lost 41.6% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 41.9%, back to its old high 4.6 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 35.8% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 39.1%, back to its old high 20.9 months after the low |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1.6700 | +142.0% |
| 2024 | $0.6900 | -13.8% |
| 2023 | $0.8000 | +23.1% |
| 2022 | $0.6500 | -51.9% |
| 2021 | $1.3500 | +309.1% |
| 2020 | $0.3300 | -69.4% |
| 2019 | $1.0800 | +21.3% |
| 2018 | $0.8900 | -0.3% |
| 2017 | $0.8930 | +3.8% |
| 2016 | $0.8600 | +45.8% |
| 2015 | $0.5900 | -6.3% |
| 2014 | $0.6300 | +117.2% |
| 2013 | $0.2900 | +26.1% |
| 2012 | $0.2300 |
What's inside
As of Jun 30, 2026, the fund held 101 securities; the ten largest made up 52.68% of assets.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY INC | 9.09% | |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES INC | 8.15% | |
| INTEL CORP | 7.51% | |
| SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD | 5.20% | |
| TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD | 4.34% | |
| TESLA INC | 4.04% | |
| ALPHABET INC | 3.73% | |
| APPLE INC | 3.69% | |
| NVIDIA CORP | 3.61% | |
| MICROSOFT CORP | 3.32% | |
| MAXLINEAR INC | 2.38% | |
| TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC | 2.27% | |
| MARVELL TECHNOLOGY INC | 2.17% | |
| DAIWA CAPITAL MARKETS AMERICA INC. RA | 1.92% | |
| QUALCOMM INC | 1.65% |
By country
United States 68.13%South Korea 7.61%Taiwan 4.34%Japan 4.07%Cayman Islands 3.88%By asset type
Stocks 99.79%RA 1.92%By sector
Sectors of the companies held, for the 53.7% of the fund in companies that have a stock page here; other holdings and cash aren't classified. Source: N-PORT holdings report as of Jun 30, 2026. Cash, money-market funds and derivatives are shown separately from the securities list.What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jun 30, 2026, investors withdrew a net $10.6M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +27.31%, +16.28%, -0.82%.
How it works
CARZ aims to match the S-Network Electric & Future Vehicle Ecosystem Index, which is owned and run by VettaFi. The fund normally puts at least 90% of its assets in the index's stocks and tries to hold all of them. To qualify, a company must trade on a major exchange, meet size and trading-volume tests, and work in one of three areas: building electric or self-driving vehicles, making the technology behind them (batteries, charging, sensors, driving software, automotive chips), or mining the materials they need, such as rare earth metals.
The index first picks "pure-play" companies, meaning those that earn at least 50% of their revenue from these areas, starting with the largest. If it finds fewer than 100, it fills the rest with larger companies that are only partly involved. Bigger companies get bigger weights. Each stock is set between 0.5% and 4.5% at each rebalance, but weights can drift between rebalances. By June 30, 2026, Micron had grown to about 9.1% of the fund.
The index is rebalanced and reconstituted every quarter, which pushed portfolio turnover to 46%. The fund is "non-diversified," so it can put more money into fewer companies. To own some Chinese companies that foreign investors can't buy directly, it uses variable interest entities (VIEs). These are offshore shell companies that are tied to the Chinese business by contract rather than by direct ownership.
What it really costs
- CARZ charges 0.7% a year, versus an average of 0.36% for the similar funds below (9th of 9, cheapest first).
In a retirement portfolio
CARZ is a narrow, chip-heavy theme fund with a beta of 1.78 and a 0.70% fee, so it fits as a small add-on to a broad portfolio rather than a foundation.
CARZ adds focused exposure to semiconductor and vehicle-technology stocks, but with large swings. It fell 41.9% in the 2020 COVID crash and recovered within 4.6 months. In the 2022 bear market it dropped 39.1% and took 20.9 months to get back to its old high. Its worst calendar year was 2022, at -30.5%. The fund launched in 2011, so it has no 2008 record. Its deepest drop was 51.2%, from January 2018 to March 2020. Anyone forced to sell in a slump like that would lock in big losses. The yield was 1.07% as of October 27, 2026, paid once a year, so this isn't an income fund. Its 0.70% fee was the highest among the nine similar funds compared. Past results don't predict future returns, and a retirement plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors who want one fund spanning electric-vehicle makers, automotive chips, batteries and rare-earth miners, rather than picking individual companies.
- Long-term holders who can live with sharp drops, like the 39.1% decline in 2022 that took 20.9 months to recover.
- Those who want some exposure to companies like Samsung, Taiwan Semiconductor and Japanese firms, since about a third of the fund was outside the US.
Look elsewhere if
- Cost-conscious investors: at 0.70% a year, CARZ cost the most among nine similar funds, whose fees averaged 0.36%.
- Those who mainly want carmakers: Micron, AMD and Intel outweighed Tesla, and technology stocks dominated the fund as of June 30, 2026.
- Retirees who need steady income: the yield was 1.07% as of October 27, 2026, paid just once a year.
Close alternatives
Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.
| Fund | Overlap | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARZ this fund | — | 0.7% | $53.3M | +29.7% | +30.7% |
| SOXX iShares Semiconductor ETF | 42% | 0.35% | $47.82B | +48.5% | +44.1% |
| SOXQ Invesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF | 35% | 0.19% | $3.00B | +60.9% | +53.6% |
| QQQ Invesco QQQ Trust Series I | 35% | 0.2% | $490.10B | +8.8% | +24.0% |
| SMH VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 35% | 0.35% | $77.20B | +40.5% | +52.2% |
| NACP Tidal Trust III NAACP MINORITY EMPOWERMENT … | 32% | 0.49% | $76.0M | +22.8% | +29.2% |
| DRIV Global X Autonomous & Electric Vehicles ETF | 32% | 0.68% | $373.7M | +1.1% | +15.0% |
| SFYF SoFi Social 50 ETF | 30% | 0.29% | $42.5M | +12.7% | +38.8% |
Questions investors ask
What stocks are in the CARZ ETF?
Mostly semiconductor and other technology companies. Tesla is the only carmaker in the top 10. CARZ, from First Trust, tracks the S-Network Electric & Future Vehicle Ecosystem Index, which VettaFi owns. As of June 30, 2026, the biggest holdings were Micron (9.1%), AMD (8.2%), Intel (7.5%), Samsung Electronics (5.2%) and Taiwan Semiconductor (4.3%), with Tesla sixth at 4.0%. The fund had 101 holdings, and the top 10 made up 52.7% of assets.
What is the expense ratio for CARZ?
CARZ charges 0.70% a year, according to its prospectus filed January 28, 2026. The expense ratio is the yearly fee taken out of fund assets. CARZ's is the highest when compared with eight funds that hold similar stocks, which average 0.36%. The iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX), which shares about 42% of CARZ's holdings, charges 0.35%. The Invesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF (SOXQ) charges 0.19%. Global X's electric-vehicle fund, DRIV, charges 0.68%.
What's the difference between CARZ and DRIV?
Both are electric-vehicle-themed ETFs with nearly the same fee: 0.70% for CARZ and 0.68% for the Global X Autonomous & Electric Vehicles ETF (DRIV). About 32% of their holdings overlap, based on the latest N-PORT reports, the holdings filings funds make with the SEC. DRIV is much larger, with $373.7 million in net assets as of August 31, 2026, versus $53.3 million for CARZ as of June 30, 2026. As of October 27, 2026, CARZ's price was up 29.7% over one year, versus 1.1% for DRIV.
Does CARZ pay dividends?
Yes, but the payout is small and comes once a year. CARZ's trailing 12-month yield was 1.07% as of October 27, 2026, or about $1.08 per share over that span. Trailing yield means the past year's payouts divided by the share price. The fund tracks a technology-heavy index and is not built to produce income. It may suit investors who want growth exposure more than those who need regular cash from their portfolio.
Is CARZ good for retirement?
It is high-risk and may suit only a small part of a retirement portfolio. CARZ averaged 10.08% a year over the 10 years ended December 31, 2025, but it lost 30.51% in 2022 and 29.36% in the first quarter of 2020. From January 2018 to March 2020, its price fell 51.2%. As a non-diversified fund, it can put big stakes in a few companies, and it holds large stakes in tech and Asian companies. Some Chinese holdings come through variable interest entities, contracts that give weaker rights than direct ownership.