When you talk about electric vehicles, the conversation wouldn’t be complete without Tesla, the pioneering EV company helmed by controversial CEO Elon Musk. But a survey done by Electric car website Electrifying.com shows that Elon’s antics have pushed buyers closer to vehicles made by Chinese companies, at least in the UK.

“Tesla has played a pivotal role in accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles, but our findings show that Elon Musk’s involvement in Tesla’s brand appears to be polarising, pushing many buyers to look elsewhere,” said Ginny Buckley, CEO and founder of Electrifying.com.

B59% of the 1000 respondents that were split between existing EV owners and perspective EV buyers, said that Musk’s influence over Tesla would prevent them from buying a vehicle from the company.

61% of the respondents said that they would choose a car from a Chinese car maker, and of the respondents that were actively looking for a new EV, 59% of them said that they would buy a Chinese-made EV.

BYD, the biggest electric car manufacturer in China, surpassed Tesla to become the biggest EV manufacturer in the world in Q4 of 2024. It sold around 530,000 EVs VS Tesla’s 485,000. In the Philippines, BYD is #1 in the New Energy Vehicle (NEV) market, with an 82% market share, and 69% share in the battery electric vehicle (BEV) market.