- The Tesla CEO is under heavy scrutiny ever since he began openly endorsing far-right forces in Europe that harken back to its fascist past. His Roman-style salute to Trump supporters this week was only the latest controversy. “There’s been a debate in the Netherlands around Tesla shame," said EenVandaag pollster Joyce Boverhuis.
Elon Musk’s brand of divisive right-wing politics is pushing traditional Tesla customers away from the brand, that much is undisputed.
The question on everyone's mind, then, has really been about just how widespread this problem actually is, since most accounts have been anecdotal. A recent survey may finally shed some light on this hotly contested subject, though.
A Dutch language current affairs news program called EenVandaag polled Tesla drivers in the country directly how they felt about Musk. The results showed nearly every third customer contemplated ditching the brand if they hadn't already.
“There’s been a debate in the Netherlands around Tesla shame,” pollster and presenter Joyce Boverhuis told Fortune. “But it’s one thing just to be embarrassed by Musk. It’s another thing entirely when you take the next step and think about actually selling it.”
Of the brand’s 432 customers that responded, 31% said they had either gotten rid of their Tesla or were planning to. Asked whether they were proud to drive a Tesla, every second owner replied ‘no’, with another 10% replying they didn’t know.
While the sample size isn't large enough to be conclusive, it is the first real data point to emerge since Musk began openly endorsing Europe’s far right. The continent represents Tesla's biggest headache worldwide after volumes dropped 11% last year to 327,000 vehicles, mainly due to the loss of state subsidies in key markets like Germany.
EenVandaag's Boverhuis said the results unsurprisingly tended to reflect their political leanings with fewer center-right voters looking to sell their Teslas, but the responses skewed both ways.
Fourth-largest European EV market by sheer volume
Prior to the survey, one could only find anecdotal evidence of disillusionment: fans claiming on social media they were ditching their Tesla, or others showing off stickers declaring their cars were bought “before he went crazy.” Even now, many such emblems can still be purchased on a number of sites including Amazon, eBay and Etsy.
Conducted for EenVandaag’s recurring Opinion Panel segment, the questions on Musk were asked last week as part of a broader survey of 26,000 people in advance of Trump’s inauguration.
That means it took place prior to Musk’s latest controversy over his Roman Ave-style gesture thanking President Donald Trump’s supporters. While Jewish rights group ADL argued it was merely “awkward” and others claimed it was just his Asperger’s inconveniently acting up, many others saw in the salute parallels to Europe’s fascist militarist past.
So it seems that Elon DOES KNOW the difference between "my heart goes out to you" and a Nazi salute. pic.twitter.com/quLkhV5fln
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) January 23, 2025
What makes this study so interesting is that while small in terms of sample size, the Dutch are a good proxy for western car owners.
Due to the heavy incentives for EVs and taxes on gas cars, the technology is much more mainstream than in other parts of the world. That means Tesla owners responding to EenVandaag's survey are not just a gaggle of left-leaning progressives.
The affluent nation also punches well above its weight when it comes to adoption of the technology: with 132,000 new EVs registered last year, it is the fourth-largest market by sheer volume in Europe, after only the UK, Germany, and France. Every third new car sold in the country runs on battery alone.
A large minority of Dutch support Donald Trump
The survey results can't be blamed on Europe’s more progressive views. While it may have become famous for its liberal and tolerant attitudes towards cannabis and prostitution, the Netherlands has proven it is no longer immune to the political reality found in most western countries.
Immigration has been a steadily growing concern ever since the 2004 murder of filmmaker Theo von Gogh, a distant relative of the famous painter, at the hands of a 26-year-old Dutch-Moroccan Muslim man.
Little more than a year ago, Geert Wilders, a Donald Trump-like figure, helped his far-right Freedom Party (PVV) to its best showing ever in an election. Now, it actually forms part of the government—still a rarity in liberal western democracies that have tried to push far-right parties out of power. There are many Dutch that sympathize with a return to controlled immigration and national identity.
In Dutch nativist influencer Eva Vlaardingerbroek, Musk has even found a likeminded ally that champions his alt-right causes.
Boverhuis pointed to the results of one question that bluntly asked Tesla customers whether they suffered from a sense of shame by driving one. Here, 56% of the people—more than half—responded they were not. Many either wrote they could distinguish between the brand and the man, or simply stated they saw Musk as a visionary.
“We’re following the U.S. in terms of politics and cultural behavior,” the EenVandaag pollster said. “To give you an idea of how the Dutch feel about Trump, 23% of 26,000 people we surveyed last week replied by saying they would like to live in a country where he is president.”
