Tesla, once lauded for revolutionizing the electric vehicle market, faced a shift in perception among Model 3 owners in the 2023 Bloomberg survey. While early adopters praised their cars despite initial quality issues, opinions on Elon Musk soured due to his controversial social media presence and political involvement. Many feel Musks actions have distracted from Teslas mission, yet loyalty to Tesla vehicles remains strong, with most owners committed to staying within the brand despite their reservations about its CEO.

American automaker Tesla became the largest automaker by market capitalization in 2020, surpassing Toyota despite trailing the Japanese auto giant in vehicle production. But in 2023, Tesla bested Toyota and Mercedes-Benz in becoming the worlds most valuable automotive brand. Before Tesla became the worlds most influential EV maker, the folks at Bloomberg conducted a 2019 survey of more than 7,000 Model 3 owners to determine if Teslas "ICE killer" lives up to the hype, and the results were conclusive: Tesla EVs have put internal combustion cars to a premature grave.

However, the latest 2023 Model 3 survey paints a somewhat conflicting picture. Although early adopters of the Model 3 had high praise for their cars despite facing issues like inconsistent panel gaps and substandard build quality , they have a different opinion of the man behind the brand, Elon Musk . In 2019, more than half of Model 3 owners bought the car because of Elon Musks "shared mission for clean energy." But now, Model 3 owners felt betrayed by the Tesla CEOs social media shenanigans.

Loving the car, hating the man behind the brand

In a 2023 Model 3 survey conducted by Bloomberg , buyers favorable opinions of Elon Musk dropped significantly after the infamous Twitter acquisition . Moreover, the survey results show that Musks recent political nitpicking and polarizing statements have seriously harmed Teslas reputation, with most respondents agreeing that Twitter (which Musk has recently rebranded to X ) has become a distraction for the enigmatic CEO and that he should stop tweeting and stay away from politics.

In addition, most respondents believe that Musk has "damaged and impeded Teslas mission," although some think hes still the right man for the job, even if many believe that Twitter or X has become a distraction for Teslas growth. "I feel like my original interest in Tesla was partly built on my trust and interest in him, and now my continued interest in Tesla survives despite him," said one survey taker. As a result, Model 3 owners who sold their cars recently cited their disapproval of Elon Musk as the main reason for doing so.

The excellent news is that early Model 3 adopters were so satisfied with their EVs that most said they would never return to an internal combustion car. Moreover, nearly 75% of Model 3 owners are considering another Tesla for their next vehicle, particularly the much-awaited Cybertruck . Loyalty could be a double-edged sword, and the survey results prove Tesla buyers are loyal to the core despite harboring ill feelings for the brands CEO.