Many drivers have seen a Tesla silently whiz past on the road, emblazoned with a bumper sticker declaring that its operator "bought it before" CEO Elon Musk's controversial stint in American politics — albeit with slightly sharper phrasing.
The sheer ubiquity of the decals underscored an escalating issue faced by Tesla drivers, many of whom had indeed made the purchase prior to Musk's recent controversies.
Musk is just one person, but the vehicles are commonplace and, unfortunately, sometimes viewed as a proxy for him. As a result, privately owned Teslas and public charging stations have been vandalized.
CarterPCs (@carterpcs) bought a Tesla in early 2024, as a TikTok video about his frustrated attempts to obtain the vehicle evidenced.
@carterpcs My Tesla Plaid got vandalized… this was the damage. #c#carterpcst#techt#techtoktechfacts #tesla #ev #plaid #models ♬ News / Truth Investigation / Investigation / Suspicion / Consideration(1013150) - A.TARUI
The creator received his Tesla Model S Plaid five days later and shared his first impressions of the high-performance car. Months later, CarterPCs' Tesla Plaid was defaced in a parking garage, prompting him to address Tesla vandalism on TikTok.
CarterPCs showed viewers where several areas of his Tesla Plaid had been intentionally damaged, including its headlights and side mirrors.
"Hey, joke's on you," he quipped. "I don't even use my mirrors."
Overall, the creator took the damage to his vehicle in stride and emphasized that it was easily repaired, but offered a compelling take on the issue. Rather than expressing his anger, he almost validated theirs and appealed to reason instead.
"Vandalizing people's Teslas to get back at Elon is one of the most backwards things you could do," CarterPCs began. "'Cause number one, most people that bought a Tesla would agree with you politically."
Stating that he planned to address Tesla vandalism in depth in a future video, he went on to posit that vandalizing Teslas actually generated profits for the brand.
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Sign me up 👍 "Most people don't have Tesla insurance, so by vandalizing a Tesla, you are just giving Tesla more money when people go to the repair centers," he concluded.
Until fairly recently, drivers who wanted to switch to an EV had few options beyond Tesla, and the brand's stumbles could adversely impact EV adoption.
Critics argue that Tesla owners can simply sell or trade in their vehicle, ignoring that leases are difficult to end early. At the same time, car prices have soared steadily throughout 2025, and on Dec. 3, CNN reported that the average sale price topped $50,000.
Commenters largely agreed, although one floated a conspiracy theory.
"What if Elon is doing this to make more money? I can't help but think of this," they replied, while others expressed sympathy.
"I hate Elon — I would never buy a Tesla, but vandalism is not ok — sorry for you," another wrote.
"Not an Elon supporter but damaging a vehicle made by him doesn't affect him in any way," a third agreed.
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