Tesla’s Massive Elon Musk Problem Is Not Going Away

Tesla’s reputation crisis is deepening, according to a new report from EV Intelligence that says Tesla now has the lowest net positive perception among all EV brands and the highest distrust score. In fact, 37% of consumers say their perception of Tesla has become more negative in the past 6 months, while only 9% say it has improved.

“Tesla registers the lowest net positive perception among all surveyed EV brands,” the report states. “Furthermore, it exhibits the highest total distrust (48%) and the lowest
trust intensity score (-19) among all brands, indicating significant challenges in public
trust and brand favorability.”

Robotaxi doesn’t look like it’s going to save Tesla any time soon, either.

Just 3% of consumers have heard about Tesla’s self-driving taxi in depth, and those that are told about it are generally less interested in using a Tesla robotaxi and less convinced of their safety. In fact, 53% of the 8,000 U.S. consumers surveyed say that robotaxis should be illegal, and 55% of them say Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology specifically should be illegal.

Competitors like Toyota and Honda–not traditionally known as self-driving leaders or electric vehicle leaders–led consumer trust and appeal metrics for safety, brand perception, and family-friendliness, according to the report. Toyota has the highest net positive perception, closely followed by Honda.

Tesla’s fall from grace can hardly be overstated. Tesla has been the primary innovator in electric vehicles globally, and as recently as March of 2025, “consumer sentiment toward Tesla was overwhelmingly positive,” according to a brand activation company, Inspira.

Now, Tesla is the most rejected EV brand in America for potential EV buyers, with 50% of consumers saying they’d never consider a Cybertruck, for example, and 32-33% saying they won’t even consider other Tesla models such as the Model 3 or Model Y.

The only other all-American startup EV company on the list, Rivian, has good brand positivity scores among people who have heard about the brand. But it lacks brand awareness with 63% of people not having heard of Rivian.

American brands near the top include Chevrolet, Ford, and Cadillac.

Musk has stepped away from the U.S. government and DOGE, of course, and has criticized President Trump on his handling of the Epstein issue, for example. But it’s possible that these steps won’t bring back the more liberal or left-leaning segment of potential EV buyers, and will just annoy the more right-leaning or MAGA potential customer. Starting up a new political party, the America Party, probably won’t help.

Tesla stock has dipped as sales slump and investors have grown tired of his political activity.

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