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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to not want a Tesla?

182 replies

Ticktockk · 11/07/2026 14:52

My dh is insistent we get a Tesla. I am insistent we do not due to difference in opinion with Elon. AIBU?

OP posts:
Smartiepants79 · 13/07/2026 18:36

There must be a decent electric car out there that you can buy that doesn’t involve giving money to that giant egomaniac.
Also, I don’t think they have the street cred they had once upon a time..

Myli1 · 13/07/2026 18:35

YANBU - I feel exactly the same way. I wouldn’t drive a Tossla if you gave me one for free.

CheeseyOnionPie · 13/07/2026 18:33

LadyJ129 · 11/07/2026 14:56

Are you politically aligned with the CEOs of all the other companies you buy stuff from then?

Are all other CEOs funding right wing parties in countries they don’t live in, and performing blatant sieg heil gestures on stage?

YetAnotherAlias62 · 13/07/2026 18:30

YABU - they're ugly with really poor build quality.
Plus EVs are so big and heavy that I'm sure they cause more road damage than normal cars.
There are other EVs that look more normal.
And I'm with you - there's no way I'd want to put money into Elon's pocket!

Bubblesgun · 13/07/2026 18:27

The new electric volvos are amazing. I so want the EX 90 to replace my T8 XC90 but my husband disagrees and we can run ours ti the grave. Still, i want the new one 🤣

i have no care in the world about a car but i will not drive a BMW or mercedes anymore (dont like the feel), and i would never buy a tesla for the same reason as you.

Isitevensummer · 13/07/2026 18:22

I wouldn't drive are if you paid me, the people I know who have them are getting rid of them,

Meadowfinch · 13/07/2026 18:02

If it's a free company car then maybe, but otherwise, no way should you be paying your money for that rubbish.

ByRoseBiscuit · 13/07/2026 18:00

I don’t care either way about Teslas, but I don’t think Tesla drivers really care that a bunch of random strangers judge them
for it 🙈

Myli1 · 13/07/2026 17:52

BlackTogetherAgain67 · 11/07/2026 16:39

Teslas are amazing. They are hands down the best cars you can get.

Musk only owns about 13% of Tesla.

I wouldn’t drive a Tossla if you gave me one for free.

ALunchbox · 12/07/2026 21:48

It's an average car so you'd get it for the status more than anything, which is fine if that is what you are after.

luckycookie · 12/07/2026 21:03

I like them. Polestars are prettier though.

Original poster
Ticktockk · 12/07/2026 20:20

Sorry, didn’t mean to write and run!
So, his justification is that it would be a company car (so he’s not really buying it) and that he does a lot of mileage for his job - Tesla gets a lot of miles and you can use their charger stations.
But honestly, I wouldn’t be seen dead in it 🤣 I drive a clapped out old thing and love it, so perhaps it’s not a fair comparison. He’s never been a splurgey spender and owns nothing designer etc. Maybe it’s his mid life crisis.

OP posts:
Original poster
Ticktockk · 12/07/2026 20:17

Powerbungalow · 12/07/2026 14:34

Me too

I literally think "you sad wanker" when I see a Tesla

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Gawd, so do I!

OP posts:
potterspot · 12/07/2026 20:17

Are you an Uber driver?

Original poster
Ticktockk · 12/07/2026 20:16

LadyJ129 · 11/07/2026 14:56

Are you politically aligned with the CEOs of all the other companies you buy stuff from then?

I do my best

OP posts:
PetiteParakeet · 12/07/2026 18:41

likelysuspect · 11/07/2026 14:58

Yes this, I often spend years and years snooping and stalking business owners to check out their lifestyles, politics, frequency of towel washing. Unless Im satisfied I dont buy their goods.

Show quote history

I will never forget Elon Musk gloating that he had “fed USAID into the wood chipper”.

Shutting down USAID caused, in the first year alone, an estimated 263,000 adult deaths and 518,000 child deaths.

MrzPotatoHead · 12/07/2026 16:08

YABU. Even if you ignore the fact that Musk is trying to start a civil war in the UK, his cars are just too unreliable. The German TUV clearly shows that Tesla is one of the most unreliable brands in existence. Similar data from Scandinavia too.

Blueuggboots · 12/07/2026 16:02

We’ve got one and love it, it was second hand so didn’t benefit Elon musk really? We also bought it before he turned into a total twat.
I don’t buy a car because I’m concerned what other people think of me, I buy a car because I like it and it suits my needs. BUT I wouldn’t buy a car my partner had strong feelings against either.
there are SO MANY other electric cars to consider.

bestchooseanother · 12/07/2026 15:49

If you use Amazon, Facebook etc I'm not sure you have any right to complain about Musk. He's just louder about it, which I actually probably prefer to the behind-closed-doors interfering of the others. A lot of people don't even seem to know much about the behaviour of other tech billionaires, maybe because Musk gets all the headlines and presumably some people only read headlines. He is very definitely not the worst!

Plus, unlike the others at least his companies - with the definite exception of 'X' - do good things. Tesla bringing electric cars to the mainstream should absolutely be celebrated, even if they as a company seem to have lost their way rather. And everyone I know who has a Tesla says they'd never go back, they are evidently extremely good cars. It would also be significantly less morally concerning than buying Chinese.

FudgeFudy · 12/07/2026 15:49

LadyJ129 · 11/07/2026 14:56

Are you politically aligned with the CEOs of all the other companies you buy stuff from then?

No idea, as they tend not to go out of their way to let the world know that they're far right, borderline neo-nazi weirdos. If they did though I'd certainly not buy their stuff either. If they keep their politics to themselves then I'm too lazy to find out, but if they loudly demonstrate in no uncertain terms that they're a complete cunt then I'll spend my money elsewhere.

DitzyDerbyBabe86 · 12/07/2026 15:36

In fact, I think all new EV cars are ugly af. Do the designers seem to think cars should have no style whatsoever these days?

DitzyDerbyBabe86 · 12/07/2026 15:34

Teslas always remind me of a car a 2 year old has drawn and they made into a real life vehicle based from the picture 🤣

Awasr · 12/07/2026 15:33

They are lovely cars, I wouldn’t be able to afford one but I got to drive a one for work for a year and they’re fab.

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 12/07/2026 15:28

It’s a great car, but Elon put me off having another. I kept mine 6 years, longer than I’ve had any other car and moved to another manufacturer last year.

HobgoblinNorFoulFiend · 12/07/2026 15:24

missmollygreen · 12/07/2026 13:49

Do you only buy products from companies that you approve of the owner then?

Its just a car.

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It’s absolutely just a car. And my neighbour is just a twat who thinks he’s bought some of Elon’s - er - cool, or whatever 😑