Motoring with Joe Rayfus: Why I won’t be reviewing a Tesla anytime soon

For years, Tesla was the poster child for the electric revolution — a bold disruptor that dragged the automotive world, often kicking and screaming, into a battery-powered future. It built fast, capable EVs at a time when legacy carmakers were still fumbling with hybrids. I’ve driven Teslas. I’ve been impressed. But I won’t be reviewing another one anytime soon.

And it’s not because the cars have lost their edge — although rivals are catching up quickly — but because of the man at the top. Elon Musk, once a kind of tech visionary, has become something else entirely: a chaotic, unfiltered voice for increasingly far-right rhetoric and reactionary culture war drivel.

Musk’s behaviour on social media — from reposting white nationalist talking points to platforming conspiracy theorists and attacking journalists — has become impossible to ignore. While some try to separate the man from the machines, the truth is that Tesla is Musk. He remains its CEO, its public face, and the single most influential force behind its brand. When he tweets, Tesla feels it — on the stock market and in the court of public opinion.

And that matters. Car buyers, especially younger ones, care about the values of the companies they support. As Musk increasingly aligns himself with the American far-right, he’s alienating a broad swathe of potential customers. In Ireland and across Europe, that matters even more.

Of course, Tesla still sells. The Model Y remains a top performer. But its early appeal as a forward-thinking, climate-conscious brand is fading fast. The product might still be decent, but it now comes wrapped in a toxic personality cult that’s frankly exhausting.

As a motoring journalist, I believe it’s important to be impartial — to judge a car on its merits. But I also believe in drawing a line. And so, I’ve decided that I won’t be reviewing Tesla cars for the foreseeable future. There are plenty of great EVs out there made by companies that don’t tolerate or amplify dangerous nonsense.

This isn’t about cancel culture or taking a moral high ground. It’s about decency, credibility, and the kind of industry I want to support. If Tesla wants to win back trust, it can start by asking whether the man at the top is still fit to represent it. Until then, count me out and that goes for ‘X’ too!