Tesla owners swap badges on their cars to distance | Tech News

While the practice of altering Tesla badges isn’t new—some owners started over five years ago—the trend of disguising these well-known electric vehicles with different branding has seen a recent uptick.

Social media users have observed a Model S sporting Mazda CX-5 badges and a Model 3 masquerading as a Honda Civic.

Even the distinctive Cybertruck hasn’t been spared, with one owner attaching a large Toyota sticker to its rear panel, emulating the look of Toyota pickup trucks like the Hilux.

Since Elon Musk became a prominent figure in President Trump’s administration, there has been a noticeable uptick in vandalism against Tesla vehicles across the United States.

In League City, Dallas, eleven Tesla owners had their tires stolen by a single protester, while another individual in Colorado is facing federal charges for attacking a dealership four times.

Reacting to the surge in attacks on Teslas, Elon Musk took to social media platform X, declaring that such acts do not constitute free speech.

He emphasized: “Damaging the property of others, aka vandalism, is not free speech!”

While Tesla continues to polarize drivers globally, the brand has enjoyed a surge in popularity in the UK market, with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reporting 3,852 units sold over a 28-day span—an increase of 20.68 percent from the previous year.

However, other European markets are seeing a downturn in sales; Norway, typically a robust market for EVs, experienced a 44.4 percent drop in sales compared to February 2024, and France saw a 26 percent decrease in demand for new local models like the Renault 5 and Citroen e-C3.

In an effort to stimulate sales, Tesla plans to release an updated Model Y later in 2025, boasting a sleeker design, an enhanced range of 311 miles for the base model, and a more attractive starting price of £44,990.