Tesla Model 3 Owners Dislike Elon Musk But Love Their Cars: Here's Why
American automaker Tesla became the largest automaker by market capitalization in 2020, surpassing Toyota despite trailing the Japanese auto giant in vehicle production. But in 2023, Tesla bested Toyota and Mercedes-Benz in becoming the world's most valuable automotive brand. Before Tesla became the world's most influential EV maker, the folks at Bloomberg conducted a 2019 survey of more than 7,000 Model 3 owners to determine if Tesla's "ICE killer" lives up to the hype, and the results were conclusive: Tesla EVs have put internal combustion cars to a premature grave.
However, the latest 2023 Model 3 survey paints a somewhat conflicting picture. Although early adopters of the Model 3 had high praise for their cars despite facing issues like inconsistent panel gaps and substandard build quality, they have a different opinion of the man behind the brand, Elon Musk. In 2019, more than half of Model 3 owners bought the car because of Elon Musk's "shared mission for clean energy." But now, Model 3 owners felt betrayed by the Tesla CEO's social media shenanigans.
Loving the car, hating the man behind the brand
In a 2023 Model 3 survey conducted by Bloomberg, buyers' favorable opinions of Elon Musk dropped significantly after the infamous Twitter acquisition. Moreover, the survey results show that Musk's recent political nitpicking and polarizing statements have seriously harmed Tesla's reputation, with most respondents agreeing that Twitter (which Musk has recently rebranded to X) has become a distraction for the enigmatic CEO and that he should stop tweeting and stay away from politics.
In addition, most respondents believe that Musk has "damaged and impeded Tesla's mission," although some think he's still the right man for the job, even if many believe that Twitter or X has become a distraction for Tesla's growth. "I feel like my original interest in Tesla was partly built on my trust and interest in him, and now my continued interest in Tesla survives despite him," said one survey taker. As a result, Model 3 owners who sold their cars recently cited their disapproval of Elon Musk as the main reason for doing so.
Bloomberg/Getty
The excellent news is that early Model 3 adopters were so satisfied with their EVs that most said they would never return to an internal combustion car. Moreover, nearly 75% of Model 3 owners are considering another Tesla for their next vehicle, particularly the much-awaited Cybertruck. Loyalty could be a double-edged sword, and the survey results prove Tesla buyers are loyal to the core despite harboring ill feelings for the brand's CEO.