Tesla Hate Is Making Insurance More Expensive for Owners

Teslas are getting more expensive to insure thanks to the manufacturer’s sliding fortunes and reports of vandalism against the cars. There are few markets as pure, heartless, and single-minded as auto insurance. It’s a machine run on actuarial tables and its calculations are telling insurers that they’ll probably have to pay out a damage claim if they cover a Tesla EV.

Tech billionaire and shadow president Elon Musk’s personal brand and fortune are linked to the cars. They are a visible reminder to people everyday that Musk is tearing through the federal government and destroying things with no oversight or regard for the human cost of the damage he inflicts. It’s pissed people off and they’re taking it out on Tesla.

Protestors are standing outside Tesla lots and waving anti-Musk signs. Celebrities and influencers are going viral with videos announcing the sell-off of their Musk-branded EV. People are throwing molotov cocktails at Teslas, spray painting them with swastikas, stealing their tires, and setting them on fire. During a Mardis Gras parade earlier this month, revelers repeatedly pelted a Cybertruck with beads, bottles, and other debris for three hours as it weaved its way through the parade route.

As the news, and insurance claims, pile up, insurers are driving up rates. “Model X or S Plaid drivers pay much higher average rates. Comparatively, average BMW i4 insurance costs are closer to that of a Model 3, at $3,792 per year for full coverage,” Shannon Martin, a Bankrate insurance analyst, told Newsweek. “Tesla Model 3, Model Y, and Model X are the most expensive EV to insure as of February 2025.”

The cost to insure a Tesla Model 3 went up 30 percent last year. “This is 25 percent higher in cost than the comparable Mercedes Benz A-Class,” Martin said. It’s possible those numbers will continue to climb.

This has happened before. In 2023, Kia and Hyundai cheaped out when they manufactured some of their cars. As a result, some of their cars became easy to steal using a USB charging cable. It fueled a social media trend where people would steal the cars, joyride them, and post a video about it on TikTok. Insurance rates for the vehicles skyrocketed and owners filed class action lawsuits against the manufacturer.

Someone has also launched a website called “DOGEQUEST” that allegedly shows the location of Tesla superchargers, dealerships, and Tesla owners. The website shows a map of the United States and users navigate it with a cursor shaped like a Molotov cocktail. Clicking individual cars gives you personal information about alleged Tesla owners. Some of the info included their name, addresses, phone numbers, emails, and employment information.

404 Media first reported on DOGEQUEST and was able to verify that some, but not all, of the information on it is accurate. “The veracity of much of the data is unclear. 404 Media has verified that at least some of the people listed on the site do appear to be Tesla owners or supporters of the company or Musk, but it is not clear if every person listed is,” 404 Media said in its report. “The addresses of several Tesla dealerships checked by 404 Media were correct. 404 Media found some plots on the map don’t correspond correctly to their real-world locations.”

The website bills itself as a place that connects “like-minded Tesla owners with one another, facilitating a vibrant community through shared contact information.” “Is DOGEQUEST a protest platform?” It asks itself. “If you’re on the hunt for a Tesla to unleash your artistic flair with a spray can, just step outside—no map needed! At DOGEQUEST, we believe in empowering creative expressions of protest that you can execute from the comfort of your own home. DOGEQUEST neither endorses nor condemns any actions.”

The site also claims that it will remove people’s personal information from the site if they send in a specific kind of request. “Just provide us with proof that you’ve sold your Tesla…we only accept scanned documents in JPG and PNG formats.”