Elon Musk is putting millions of Britons off from buying a Tesla EV amid support for Trump
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has split opinions following his recent actions
REUTERS/PA
One-third of Britons are less likely to buy a Tesla electric vehicle in the coming years, directly as a result of how founder and CEO Elon Musk has behaved in recent memory.
A national survey found that 33 per cent of people are less likely to buy a Tesla because of Elon Musk, who has become far more involved with politics this year.
The tech billionaire has become more supportive of former President Donald Trump this year and frequently shares pro-Trump on his social media site X, while also criticising the policies of current Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
One in five people (19 per cent) did say that Musk's actions had made them more inclined to choose a Tesla for their next vehicle, especially as more people make the switch to an electric car.
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Tesla models remain popular in the UK
TESLAAmong Tesla owners, 45 per cent said they were considering selling their cars as a result of Elon Musk's recent public activities.
A further 41 per cent said they were not looking to sell, more than half of them said they would most likely refrain from purchasing another Tesla in the future.
Aidan Rushby, founder and CEO of Carmoola, commented on the data, saying that it was interesting to see the split in opinion on the maverick billionaire.
He said: "With Elon Musk’s recent actions and political stance being made more and more public, we thought it would be interesting to see if this has swayed Brits opinion on his car brand.
"It’s clear that Musk’s link with Tesla has swayed people both towards and away from the car giant."
Rushby also pointed out how data shows how different generations are impacted by how Musk acts on social media.
In particular, the under-35 age group seem more likely to buy a Tesla electric vehicle because of his influence on the brand.
The research also found that Musk had particularly alienated women, with 36 per cent saying they wouldn't consider a Tesla, compared to 30 per cent of men.
Regional differences were also seen, with 41 per cent of Welsh drivers saying they would avoid a Tesla because of the actions of the controversial CEO.
Musk, who paid $44billion (£33.5billion) for social media site Twitter in October 2022 and later renamed it X, has not posted about Tesla for more than a week, when he reposted information about vehicle software updates.
Some have accused the billionaire of ignoring Tesla in recent years, preferring instead to focus on the running of X, SpaceX and politics.
Recently, he stirred up controversy after announcing that X would be changing the gun emoji from a water pistol to an image of a real gun, blaming the transition to cartoon images on the "woke mind virus".
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Elon Musk has become more politically active in recent months
ReutersRepublican Presidential candidate Donald Trump said earlier this week that he was considering ending the EV tax credit, which currently allows drivers to get $7,500 (£5,714) off the price of a new electric car.
However, when speaking at the same time, he hinted that he would be open to appointing Elon Musk to an advisor position, praising his intelligence, and telling Reuters that he was a "brilliant guy".