Brand Perception Drives EV Purchase Decisions
08 May 2025 by Curtis Hutchinson
EV buyers turned off by Elon Musk consider Chinese alternatives to Tesla, finds JudgeService research
Elon Musk’s high-profile involvement in politics could be prompting prospective electric car buyers to consider new entrant Chinese brands rather than Tesla, according to consumer research by JudgeService.
Two-thirds of car buyers said Musk’s political activity has made them less likely to consider buying a Tesla, while only 13% said it did not make any difference.
The same poll of 1,000 car buyers found 37% would consider a new Chinese brand for their next car, with 33% saying they would not and 27% undecided.
BYD emerged as the brand with the highest unprompted awareness with 28% able to name it when asked to list any Chinese brands they were aware of.
Geely-owned Polestar topped the list of brands with the highest prompted awareness at 45% with BYD a close second at 42%.
MG, perhaps not widely recognised as Chinese owned, came third at 39% followed by OMODA and JAECOO both at 7% and GWM Ora at 6%.
“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,” said Neil Addley, managing director of JudgeService.
“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.
“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,” said Addley.
JudgeService’s research polled the views of 1,000 car buyers in March and April to identify current attitudes towards dealers and buying intent.
Further details and comments available from Neil Addley on 07795 665927 or neil@judgeservice.com.
About JudgeService
Launched in 2011 by Neil Addley, JudgeService is the UK’s only customer review platform developed exclusively for the car retailing sector. By ensuring all reviews are verified and genuine, JudgeService builds a solid foundation of trust and respect between customers and sellers enabling car retailers to actively manage their online reputations.
JudgeService shares granular insight reports with dealers to help them identify opportunities to improve customer satisfaction levels, with many achieving 100% recommendation scores.
Based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, JudgeService has published over 1 million customer reviews and is used by over 1,000 franchised, independent and car supermarket sites across the UK.
Issued by Curtis Hutchinson Communications
