Tesla showrooms across the world are expected to face anti-Elon Musk protests on Saturday, as Musk’s senior role in the Trump administration has contributed to a European consumer backlash by some Tesla owners and prospective buyers.

It follows a 44% drop in Tesla sales in Europe on average last month, according to the research platform Jato Dynamics. Tesla’s European market share fell to 9.6% last month, the lowest it has registered in February for five years.

However, in the UK the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reported an almost 21% rise in the number of new Tesla cars registered in February, with the Model 3 and Model Y proving the second and third most popular after the Mini Cooper.

Hundreds of Tesla owners got in touch with the Guardian to share how their feelings about owning Teslas have changed over time. Here are some their views.

‘Our daughter keeps asking us to sell it’

As a birthday present in 2019, my wife booked me a test drive for the Tesla Model S. I thought, “My God, what an amazing bit of kit”. It was very smooth, very fast, and I was keen to drive something more environmentally friendly. So we bought one.

We’ve now done about 80,000 miles on it – driving to Switzerland one year, Italy another, and last summer to the south of France. It’s been incredibly cheap, reliable, spacious, and with virtually no servicing.

But we are horrified by Trump and Musk’s extreme politics. Our 26-year-old daughter keeps asking us to sell it. When I saw Trump and Musk showcasing the models outside the White House, I felt a bit sick. I’m on Tesla owners’ forums, it’s getting very polarised.

We’re now in a series of constant dilemmas. I don’t want to have to put stickers on my Tesla like others are, with things like, “Love the car, not the CEO”. I feel very torn. The seconhand market has plummeted. Our warranty runs out in 2027, and then we’ll see. I never thought owning a car would be this difficult.
Jonathan, 64, Oxford

‘Do we regret it? Morally, yes. Practically, no’

Last spring, my girlfriend and I were looking for a new car. A Tesla wasn’t even on our radar, but it turned out to be a cheaper option than the electric alternatives, and during a test drive it felt like the best car I’d ever driven … unfortunately. We thought, let’s go for it.

When Musk started campaigning for Trump last summer, I began to get questions about the car. Now it’s even worse. Friends or colleagues joke around, saying: “Ah! So you’re for Mr Musk?” But for me, having something that’s in any way a symbol of the far right is extremely painful. We feel a moral pain at being owners.

Do we regret it? Morally, yes. Practically, no. I hope this will be a passing moment, that the brand will outlive Musk. We hope someone can take over as CEO from Musk.
Patrick*, 40, Belgium

‘I’m a Tesla fanboy who jumped ship’

When I first drove a Tesla, while I was visiting Las Vegas for work in 2019, I was absolutely blown away. Going back to my Ford Mondeo felt like travelling back in time. I got the Model 3, which was a joy to drive, like a go-kart around the country roads, and later we got the Model Y.

I didn’t see the rightwing stuff coming. When Musk aligned with Trump, we thought, well … the car’s great. I was still prepared to stick with Tesla right up until Musk’s so-called “Roman salute”. The day I saw that, I thought, “Oh, man”.

My car was up for renewal a few weeks ago. I was on the phone to Tesla – they were really persistent, trying to convince me to stay – when a Polestar 4 [a competitor] drove by. I booked a test drive the same day and now I’m waiting for my Polestar 4 to arrive. I’m prepared to take a slight step down in software.

I was like, “Actually, I’ve got to stick to my morals, without that I haven’t got anything”. Even so, the Polestar is made in China, and we thought, is that any better? It’s almost impossible to have a fully ethical supply chain today. But Elon really put me off staying with Tesla – I’m a Tesla fanboy who jumped ship.
Henry, 50, Bedfordshire

‘There’s no way I’d sell my Tesla because of the CEO’s political views’

They are incredible cars. I bought a Model 3 Performance in 2019, and get software updates on a regular basis so the car consistently improves and offers new features. For me, once you’ve owned a Tesla, there’s no going back. It’s the iPhone equivalent of cars – everything works really well and is easy to use.

We’ve seen on the news the fools who think it’s OK vandalising Teslas. I get quips from friends, saying, “Has anyone keyed yours yet?” But this hasn’t worried me about my car. I don’t think these activists represent more than a fraction of a per cent of the population.

There’s no way I’d sell my Tesla because of the CEO’s political views. I disagree with some things Musk says and does, but I could say the same for everyone, and I don’t see what the fuss is about with Doge. The attacks he’s endured have been disproportionate and dishonest. What I worry about is how easily people can be programmed to hate a company to such an extent. It’s been pretty astonishing. Tom, 51, Spain

‘It really hurts to think that some of our savings have gone to someone like Musk’

I’m not rich, and my wife and I planned for a long time before we put our savings together to buy an electric vehicle. A car is not a status symbol for me, it’s a practical object and we wanted to reduce our carbon emissions as much as possible.

There’s no Tesla showroom in Slovakia yet, so a couple of years ago we had to get a company in Bratislava to import one from Austria. Tesla drivers here still wave at each other because we’re so rare. While buying it, a friend warned me about Musk. Back then I just thought, probably if you dig deep enough into any corporation you’ll find someone with unpleasant views.

But if I were buying a car today, there’s no way I’d get a Tesla. It really hurts to think that some of our savings have gone to a company led by someone like Musk. When he started supporting the AfD in Germany, or his associations with Trump, or what they’re now doing to USAid and federal employees – I’ve just felt worse and worse about giving the company thousands of euros.

It’s now worth a lot less than we paid. And it was a lot of money to us, we can’t just ditch it. It’s a symptom of a rather sad time that we live in, really.
Steven, 50, Slovakia

*Some names changed.