Their closest relatives are the other caimans in the subfamily Caimaninae. With a total length averaging  for males and up to  for females, Cuvier's dwarf caiman is not only the smallest extant species in the alligator and caiman family, but also the smallest of all crocodilians.
Cuvier's dwarf caiman is a member of the alligator and caiman family, and it is the smallest extant species within that group.