Why do Tesla owners change their badges?

Owners of Elon Musk’s Tesla EVs are taking some extreme measures on the road for one very sad reason.

Tesla owners are disguising their cars as other vehicles in what may be an attempt to avoid vandalism linked to outspoken founder Elon Musk.

Images posted on Reddit show a Tesla Cybertruck with “Toyota” stencilled across its tailgate and a Tesla Model S with a series of Mazda logos on its rear end.

Other examples include Tesla Model 3 vehicles with Honda badges, and another Model 3 with Audi’s four rings on the boot.

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Some Tesla owners have rebadged their cars. Picture: Reddit

Reddit users hypothesised that owners could be distancing themselves from Elon Musk following his closer ties to far-right wing political groups and role in the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency.

“Someone’s afraid of getting vandalised,” one Reddit user said.

“Imagine being so ashamed of driving a Tesla, you just have to do a brand change?” Said another.

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Assuming that the vehicle owners were “embarrassed” to be linked to the brand, others said that “in London I have seen at least two Teslas with their badges removed, I’m not sure if its kids or the owners just don’t want to risk a random brick thrown at the car”.

Some Tesla owners have rebadged their cars. Picture: Reddit

Tesla has been a target for graffiti this year following a gesture by Elon Musk interpreted by some people as a Nazi salute.

European protesters projected images of Adolf Hitler onto Tesla’s Berlin factory in protest of Musk’s political stance, and some owners overseas have returned to their cars to find slogans and logos spray painted onto their cars.

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Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena, in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP

But Tesla owners have changed the badges on their cars for years, possibly as some form of in-joke to other drivers.

The latest batch of Tesla vandalism follows a protracted run of incidents involving Tesla cars being keyed by other motorists.

Many of the culprits were busted on camera by Tesla’s “Sentry” security system.

Originally published as Why do Tesla owners change their badges?