What It’s Like to Drive a Tesla in Elon Musk’s Political Era (2025)

Cars mean something. They’re cultural texts open to interpretation. We buy cars based on an amorphous mix of pragmatism and emotion, but out on the road they project values that people can subjectively understand in completely different ways. This might not factor much into your purchasing decision, but anyone can make their own judgment on your car and why you chose it. Once, the Tesla Model Y I'm assigned for long-term review was an anodyne electric transportation pod. Not anymore.

I know why: Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in Donald Trump’s current presidential administration. Musk’s actions as a close Trump adviser and the appointed leader of the newly created and extra-cabinet Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have stirred significant controversy. On the day of Trump’s second inauguration, Musk spoke at a celebratory rally during which he twice made an arm gesture that many observers likened to a Nazi salute. This moment was the last straw for many and an eye-opener for others, changing Musk’s reputation enough that random people on the street now feel compelled to express their distaste for vehicles from the company he leads. Since then, Tesla vehicles have become more closely tied to politics, especially following the White House event on March 11 where Trump promoted Tesla vehicles alongside Musk.

I’m not the only Tesla driver who’s realized their once anonymous car has suddenly become a cultural lightning rod. I spoke to Tesla owners across social and political demographics, asking how they feel about their cars today given current events related to Musk. With some as ardent Tesla fans as ever and others now reviling a brand they once adored, their insights revealed themes about what Tesla means now. Most of my interviewees requested I use an alias for them, which on its own speaks volumes about the sensitivity of this topic. Here’s what Tesla owners told me.

Talking With Real Tesla Owners

"Henry” holds liberal political beliefs and has been driving EVs since 2010. He eagerly put a deposit down on a Model S when reservations opened and was rewarded with one of the first few hundred examples to roll off the line at Tesla’s factory. “I bought the Model S for a combination of environmental and technological factors,” Henry said. Beyond lessening his dependence on fossil fuel, the self-described tech enthusiast believed in the promise of Tesla’s software and self-driving capabilities.

“Lisa,” Henry’s wife, doesn’t care much about cars but shares many of her husband’s values. She felt endeared to their Model S for what it represented, saying, “I was proud to support an innovative team creating EVs that could be practical and enable us as a society to move away from oil and be more energy independent—I had a lot of pride supporting that vision for change.”

That early Model S eventually went kaput, but Henry and Lisa stayed with Tesla and chose a newer Model Y as their next vehicle. Now, the couple holds opposing opinions about their car.“I know some people see a Tesla as a symbol of Musk,” Henry said. “But I'm not ashamed to take my Model Y around town; I don’t think of Musk when I’m driving. It still delivers on the reasons why I bought it.”

Lisa disagrees. “There’s been a complete shift for what it means to be a Tesla owner,” she said. “I felt like I was on the cutting edge of something important, but now I feel embarrassed. It’s hard to believe Musk used to promote values I agree with.”

Adrian De Pamphilis voted for Trump in 2020 and 2024 and thinks Musk is a "genius." With a Model S, Model 3, and several Tesla Powerwalls in his garage, De Pamphilis is a fan of what Musk has accomplished. “Nowadays, if you’re going to go electric, it seems dumb to not buy a Tesla because of the company’s EV leadership status,” De Pamphilis said. Still, he understands why people might feel offput by Musk’s behavior: “When you’re that high up in exposure to society, I believe you have a moral obligation to behave correctly. I know Musk likes to create controversy, but he went too far with that hand gesture—why would he want to piss off and alienate so many Tesla fans?”

On the other hand, “Shane,” who has a Model 3 Performance and a Cybertruck, doesn’t see such a connection between Musk and Tesla. “Linking Elon to the cars like this is unfair—it's not right to cancel the whole brand because you don’t agree with one person's political views,” Shane said. “Thousands of other people work for Tesla and are involved in creating the cars. It’s not like Musk is the only guy building every Tesla. I don’t think there’s a necessary correlation between who’s running a company and what the product means.” Shane then posed a hypothetical: “BMW drivers might love their cars, but do they agree with the CEO of BMW’s politics, if they even know who the CEO is to begin with?”

In a way, Anthony Rodio concurs. “A lot of business leaders aren’t likable human beings.” He’s met some during his career as a CEO, co-founder, and board member. Rodio, a Model 3 owner and registered Republican, believes leadership personality is linked to company success: “Without Jeff Bezos, there is no Amazon. Without Bill Gates, there is no Microsoft. Without Elon Musk, there is no Tesla. Musk’s brilliance, commitment, and passion made Tesla what it is.” The difference, Rodio says, is that “more than other companies, there is a direct link to Musk because he’s made the choice to be the face of his companies and portrays himself as the brains and vision behind those.”

Model 3 owner “James” would agree with Rodio’s assessment. “Musk has always been loud, even before he became friends with Trump, and it’s worked for Tesla’s marketing and sales success,” he said. James is troubled by Musk’s political involvement and feels “frustration as a Tesla owner and enthusiast that Musk’s changing position in the public sphere is changing public opinions of Tesla.” James has borne the brunt of those changes: While driving a friend’s Cybertruck, he was derided as a “libtard” and later accused of being “ultra-MAGA.” Still, he’d buy another Tesla, asking, “Why would I choose to drive a worse car just because I don’t agree with what the CEO is doing personally?”

“Blake,” meanwhile, wants to sell his Model 3 because of Musk’s recent actions and wouldn’t buy another “unless Musk backs away from Tesla or changes his political tune.” But Blake made a big investment in the car, and despite feeling like it no longer means what it did when he purchased it, he has to hang onto it given the rollercoaster nature of new Tesla pricing and how precipitously used Tesla values have dropped. “I hope the perception of Tesla swings back somehow and makes it easier for me to feel good about my car,” he said. “For now, I have to wait it out to decide if I keep it or choose something else—I'll vote with my wallet.”

Addressing the bumper stickers appearing on Teslas that have gone somewhat viral—“I Bought This Before Elon Went Crazy” or “Anti-Elon Tesla Club,” for example—Blake thinks they reflect the internal tumult of financially constrained Tesla owners like him. “People are buying those stickers because they feel like they don’t have an option,” he said. “They feel backed into a corner financially, so right now a sticker is a way to express their feelings.”

“Richard” received one of those stickers from his son to put on his Model S. But Richard isn’t going to do that, because he’s trying to sell the car as soon as possible. “I believe EVs are fundamentally better than combustion cars because of how they can be more cost effective for me and also contribute to a cleaner environment for us all,” he said. But now, “Musk is supporting an administration going in the opposite direction—protecting the fossil fuel industry, reducing EV infrastructure. He’s working with people who go against what he once said he wants to build.”

More than anything, though, Richard simply doesn’t want to have to justify why he bought a Tesla. “If you’re explaining, you’re losing,” he said.

Cybertruck owner “Ari” wonders what there is to explain. “Even before this chapter of politics, people would disparage the Cybertruck for various reasons,” he said. “They’d think I’m insecure or want to make a statement. But I like my truck for the reasons I do,” which include how its hard tonneau cover protects his sports gear and how its autonomous potential eases long-distance driving. Ari thinks “people who judge others by the car they drive are in the wrong. The notion that someone should or shouldn’t drive a Tesla because of Musk discredits the considerations of the person behind the wheel.”

But De Pamphilis, the two-time Model S buyer and Trump voter, knows that such judgments are impossible to avoid. With the other vehicles in his fleet, he experiences it firsthand: “When I drive the beat-up Chevrolet cargo van I use for my business, people don’t give me a second glance. But when I go home and swap into my Ferrari Roma, people chase me down to give me a high five. I’m the same guy, wearing the same clothes, on the same day—it's just my car that’s changed.”

Lisa, the longtime Tesla owner, connects what might be seen outside to what she feels inside the car: “If someone can create a wall between their values and what they drive, good for them. Personally, I have a hard time putting the blinders on. My car represents who I am, and it makes me feel icky to be associated with Musk in this way. I have to look beyond the vehicle itself and consider what the impact of giving my money to a company means.”

Her own husband, Henry, sees it differently. “I don’t agree with Musk’s politics, but I don’t feel that my car is a message that I support his politics. I think it’s a message that I support EVs. Plus, it’s just a good carthat’s practical and easy to live with.” Lisa’s retort: “If Hitler made the best car in the world, would you still want to buy it?”

Rodio, the C-suite veteran, made a similar distinction. “Musk’s behavior hasn’t made me feel differently about my Tesla, but it has made me feel differently about owning my Tesla. ”That’s because, he said, “Now, I have to spend energy on something not worth spending energy on: defending my Tesla and having a position about it. I won’t let public opinion influence me to make a bad financial decision, but it will impact my decision to buy another Tesla.”

Furthermore, he’s seen what happens when a leader loses focus: “When a CEO is distracted, it’s not good for their company. With Musk’s current political involvement, there’s a different energy at Tesla now compared to when it was getting started. ”The quality and competitiveness of future Tesla products will influence Rodio’s decision, especially considering how many compelling EV options there are now; he also has a Rivian R1T.

Richard, also a serial entrepreneur, pins Musk to Tesla’s past success and future potential. “In different management styles, there are servant leaders who enable their people to do their best work without getting too involved directly,” he said. “Then there are leaders who are high-touch scrutineers. Musk lands at that end of the spectrum, getting into detailed issues and applying his opinions. We’ve seen Tesla’s success because of that—now that he’s off doing a different job, what’s going to happen?”

Andy, who preferred not to use his last name, was born in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall, lives in the United States, and has owned six Teslas, including his current Model S Plaid and Cybertruck. Musk’s recent actions have made Andy question his brand commitment. “I grew up with a strong resentment for chapters of German history,” he said. “Like all East German kids, I had to visit a concentration camp as part of my schooling and learn what had happened there.” Musk’s infamous gesture on the day of Trump’s second inauguration left him dismayed. “If you step back and look at the optics—doesn't matter who you are, Democrat or Republican—it's not a good look. If the gesture wasn’t meant to be a Nazi salute, the easiest thing in the world would be to apologize and explain what it meant. I don’t think Musk’s gesture was necessarily for a love of Nazism, maybe only playful provocation.” Still, Andy knows that Germans hold remorse for their country's past actions in ways that Americans seem to not understand, warning, “If you don’t pay respect to history, then it’s a slippery slope for what message that gesture might advance.”

Whatever the gesture meant or didn’t and however Musk may be linked to Tesla or not, Andy recognizes that things have changed for his favorite automaker. “Right now,” he said, “I dislike that I’m being associated with something I don't support.”

What Does This All Mean?

These conversations with Tesla owners revealed a consistent theme: Driving a Tesla today requires having an opinion, a standpoint, a defense for its connection to Elon Musk and his political involvements. Some perceived a close link between him and their cars, others could confidently separate their Tesla from any other factors, but all had a lot to say about the topic. How varied their opinions are indicates how messy that topic truly is.

With most cars, purchasing decisions are based on aspects like price, efficiency, design, or performance. With Tesla, things might never be so innocent again.

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