Can Car Doors Actually Stop Bullets? Elon Musk Weighs In On The Common Movie Trope

It happens more times than we can count. The action hero hides behind a car door to avoid gunfire and comes out unscathed. Well, Elon Musk doesn't believe it is possible. In a recent interview with Joe Rogan, the billionaire argued, "If you shoot a gun...through like a regular truck, it'll go out, it'll go through both doors." He continued, "So um, it's you can't hide behind a car door like they do in the movies."

He stated that car doors are made of very thin, mild steel, so a bullet shouldn't have a problem getting through. He then jokingly referenced old episodes of the A-team when the protagonists would hide behind doors, believing that it wouldn't provide cover.

In this case, Musk is partially right in his statement. Most ammo, with the exception of maybe the 38 special, has no trouble getting through a car door. What happens after it gets through the door is another thing.

When it comes to defeating any kind of armor (in this case, the door of a CyberTruck), speed is key. Faster rounds of ammunition with a higher velocity out of the barrel of a gun have a better chance of going through the door of a car than slower rounds. As long as the bullet has enough weight to not immediately break apart on impact, specific caliber isn't as important. Without knowing the specific firearm, type of ammunition used, or even the distance it was fired at, it's impossible to know whether or not the CyberTruck is truly bullet resistant or not.

Musk's car door conversation arose after he told Rogan that, unlike regular cars, the Cybertruck is immune to bullet penetration. He referenced a previous presentation where the Cybertruck got sprayed by a Tommy gun without any penetrations, at least according to Musk's claims on X. Afterward, he offered Rogan a shot at penetrating his personal Cybertruck with one of his bows, which the podcaster accepted. To Rogan's surprise, it bounced right off the door and flattened the tip of the arrow.

When asked why the Cybertruck is bulletproof, Musk replied, "You know, trucks are supposed to be tough, right?" Rogan responded that his truck was not bulletproof. He's not alone, as you will have a hard time picking up an armored truck straight from a dealer. There are some third-party options, however, for getting an armored truck. But the process isn't exactly straightforward.

Once the Cybertruck hits the market, it will be joining BMW's line of armored vehicles as another bulletproof option. However, the Cybertruck will stand alone as the only consumer vehicle that comes standard with bulletproof armor.