EVs are usually much heavier than gas cars.
Gas cars don't have big heavy batteries but they do have big heavy engine blocks and more complicated (heavier) drivetrains.
Size up to the Accord which is 8 inches longer and a half inch wider than a Model 3 (and 9ft^3 more interior space), and it still only weighs 3131-3362 lbs.
Regardless, the Accord dwarfs it and supports the above point that the Model 3 is a heavy car, and the BMW 3 series is heavy because it was built to have a premium feel as a design priority, not because it is ICE.
The BMW comparison is interesting as the performance numbers are similar. The 3 series heft vs a civic is largely due to the engine and drivetrain choices. Its much easier to optimize weight on a low powered FWD car.
Really though, the Civic and Accord aren't competing with the Model 3. They're front wheel drive. They have less power and torque. They use struts for the front suspension. All of these measures save significant weight (and cost). That's why I picked the BMW 3 series. It's similar size, performance, and cost. If we look at other competitors to the Model 3 we get similar weights:
- Volvo S60: 3,724-4,468lbs. (The low number is front wheel drive. The high number is a plug-in hybrid.)
- Audi A4: 3,682-3,726lbs.
- Mercedes C-Class: 3,472-3,605lbs.
- Cadillac CT4: 3,422-3,616lbs.
- Volkswagen Passat: 3,014–3,794lbs. (The lighter versions are front wheel drive only. The heavier versions are hybrids.)
In general, fancier cars are heavier. Also safer cars tend to be heavier. Yes batteries are heavy, but so are engines, drivetrains, starter motors, turbochargers, exhaust systems, fuel tanks, and so on. Early electric cars were significantly heavier because they were based on combustion platforms. When EVs are designed from the ground up, the weight penalty is less than 10%. Vehicle models in the same market segment vary more than that, and some combustion vehicles are already heavier than their electric competitors. This will likely get better with time as battery technology improves.
The statement "EVs are heavier" is approximately as true as "AWD vehicles are heavier". All else equal it's more likely than not, but the difference is rarely enough to matter for any practical purpose.
1. https://www.caranddriver.com/honda/accord/specs/2021/honda_a...
The RAV4, CR-V, and Rogue are the top 3 best selling SUVs in the US so far this year. They're about half the price of a Yukon. The rest of the top 25 are almost all sedans, similarly sized midsize SUVs and pickups.