Elon Musk’s political activities may be pushing potential electric vehicle buyers toward Chinese alternatives instead of Tesla, according to new research from JudgeService that offers key insights for fleet managers considering EV transitions.

The comprehensive survey of 1,000 car buyers revealed that two-thirds said Musk’s political involvement has made them less likely to consider a Tesla purchase, while only 13% reported it made no difference to their buying intentions. The same research found 37% of respondents would consider a Chinese brand for their next vehicle, with 33% ruling out such options and 27% remaining undecided.

Neil Addley, managing director of JudgeService, said: “Elon Musk’s activism, as part of the Trump administration and his views on the politics of other countries, appears to be having a negative effect on Tesla’s brand equity. It seems not all publicity is good publicity after all. While Tesla’s falling sales in the UK and Europe can be attributed to an ageing model line-up, our research shows his outspoken views are also turning off prospective buyers. Conversely, BYD has a fresh line-up and has invested heavily in high profile sponsorships, including the Euros and TV advertising, to gain remarkable unprompted awareness in such a short space of time.”

The research highlighted BYD as the Chinese brand with the highest unprompted awareness, with 28% of respondents able to name it spontaneously.

When prompted, Geely-owned Polestar achieved the highest recognition at 45%, followed closely by BYD at 42% and MG at 39%. Less familiar brands included OMODA and JAECOO (both at 7%) and GWM Ora at 6%.

Addley added: “This raises the question of which carmakers will prospective Tesla buyers turn to? Our research found nearly four in 10 buyers will consider a new Chinese entrant for their next car with Polestar and BYD emerging as high-profile contenders.”