Umm, it doesn't? I'm assuming you're comparing Tesla non-SUV's to other SUV's. Tesla's aren't light, but they're lighter than most comparably sized SUV's. For example, a model 3 weighs 3800 pounds but a BMW X3 weighs 4200 pounds.
The Tesla is very close. The Renault Scenic EV, which is a popular kind of car here, weighs 1842 kg according to Wikipedia. Not sure if it's considered an SUV, but it's taller and this model used to be considered a "family car".
The limit is very low, 1800 kg (4000 lbs) initially and it's lowered gradually to 1500 kgs (3300 lbs).
My 2005 gasoline-powered mercedes c coupé weighed 1600 kg. My dad's hybrid corolla weighs over 1500 kgs.
An X3 (1930kg) is 100kg heavier than a Tesla (1822kg) in the EU (according to the manufacturers websites) and nobody here would think of an X3 as a small car.
Umm, it doesn't? I'm assuming you're comparing Tesla non-SUV's to other SUV's. Tesla's aren't light, but they're lighter than most comparably sized SUV's. For example, a model 3 weighs 3800 pounds but a BMW X3 weighs 4200 pounds.