Political unrest and growing anger against Elon Musk are now having direct consequences for both Danish and international Tesla owners.
Several American media outlets, including Jalopnik, KOMO News and Newsweek, are currently reporting on a wave of vandalism against Tesla cars and Tesla stores, stemming from opposition to Elon Musk and his role in American politics.
As Musk has become an active part of Donald Trump's political project and has himself made controversial statements – including at Trump's most recent inauguration – the Tesla name has become closely associated with strong positions.
Car owners can now feel this development in their wallets.
Teslas have been painted over with political slogans, windows have been smashed, and some cars and charging stations have been set on fire.
In some cases, empty Tesla models have been shot at and stores have been attacked. In the US alone, the number of incidents has increased significantly in recent months.
And this is now affecting insurance companies – and therefore also customers.
Tesla models are more expensive to insure
Tesla was already among the most expensive car brands to insure. This is due, among other things, to the fact that the company does not always want to cooperate with independent repair shops, and that original spare parts are expensive and can often only be obtained directly from the manufacturer.
In addition, several studies indicate that Tesla owners are more often involved in traffic accidents – partly due to the cars' rapid acceleration and widespread use of advanced driver assistance systems.
But now the picture has become even more complex. Insurance analyst Shannon Martin of Bankrate warns in Newsweek that Tesla insurance is at risk of disappearing from some companies' portfolios altogether.
FDM reports on more expensive insurance for electric cars
– If the vandalism continues at the same rate, we could find ourselves in a situation where several companies will not cover Tesla cars at all, she says.
An analysis from Insurify shows that the Tesla Model 3 has seen the most increase in insurance prices in the past year – by a whopping 30 percent.
The average annual premium in the United States is now around $4,362, which is equivalent to just over 30,000 kroner. In some cases, it amounts to over ten percent of the new price of the car – every single year.
Previously, we at Boosted.dk described how insurance prices are also rising significantly in Denmark. FDM has confirmed that a number of car owners – especially electric car owners – have experienced warnings of price increases of up to 80 percent.
According to FDM, this is due to a combination of more cars on the roads, the different technology of electric cars and a generally increasing number of injuries.
But what is new is that politically motivated vandalism is now also playing a role – and that it can have a wide impact. Shannon Martin points out that the development is similar to the so-called TikTok wave in 2023, where certain models from Kia and Hyundai became targets of organized theft.
Here, some companies chose to stop coverage altogether. A similar scenario could hit Tesla, she warns.
At the same time, Tesla's image has suffered major scratches in the paint with many customers. Jalopnik writes that many no longer associate the brand with innovation, but with Elon Musk himself – and thus also with political unrest.
Tesla has become a symbol of something different than before, and this makes Tesla models more exposed in public space.
Elon Musk has not yet commented on the development, but has previously stated that new tariffs and political decisions could have consequences for Tesla globally. This now also applies to the owner's private finances.
