by Chris Chilton
- Over half of EV owners now avoid certain brands for political reasons.
- Tesla leads global “no thanks” list, with China the top country avoided.
- Study reveals growing divide between affordability, politics, and perception.
Electric car buyers have always been an opinionated bunch. Ask 10 EV drivers why they went electric, and you’ll hear everything from saving the planet, to saving money, to “I just like torque.” But a new global study suggests many are now choosing and avoiding brands for a different reason entirely: politics.
Related: Tesla Drivers Say Musk Makes Them Look Like Fascists So They’re Suing
Global EV Alliance surveyed more than 26,000 electric-vehicle owners across 30 countries and discovered that a large proportion of EV drivers avoid certain brands or countries specifically because of political factors.
Tesla is the most-avoided brand, while China, perhaps predictably, is the most-avoided country of production.
What Shapes an EV Buyer’s Loyalty?
Of those who said they avoid specific brands, 41 percent named Tesla, a stunning figure for a company that essentially invented the modern mass-market EV segment. China was called out as a country of origin to avoid by 12 percent, while 5 percent of respondents said they avoid US-built EVs altogether.
The study didn’t spell out which political issues were driving the Tesla aversion, but it isn’t exactly hard to imagine respondents’ grievances.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has spent the last few years ping-ponging between political controversies, online fights, and eyebrow-raising hand gestures that have sparked everything from newspaper op-eds to calls for boycotts.
Some Tesla owners seem willing to separate the car from the CEO, but for others, Musk’s extracurricular activities have made the brand a no-go. A recent report suggested the CEO’s antics had cost the company more than a million sales.
The survey reveals interesting regional quirks. In the US, Germany, the UK, Australia, and even electric-loving Norway, more than 45 percent of EV drivers said they would avoid Tesla, suggesting that the brand’s home market and the world’s biggest EV adopters are among the least forgiving.
But in India and Hungary, just 2 percent and 6 percent of EV owners said they would avoid the brand.
The Cost of Country of Origin
China-built EVs also face wildly different levels of acceptance, ranging from a 2-percent avoid rating (Italy, Poland) to 43 percent (Lithuania). This may come down to availability and affordability. In developing markets, Chinese EVs dominate the lower-cost end of the spectrum, which means political preferences sometimes take a back seat to price and practicality.
But generally, as EV sales continue to rise globally and drivers have more choice, brand identity and origin are becoming more important. It’s no longer just about range and charging speed. Drivers are paying attention to who builds the cars, where they come from, and even who posts what on social media.
If automakers weren’t already watching their public image, this survey gives them another reason to tread carefully. In the EV world, it turns out politics can be just as important as performance. You can check out the full study here.
