The latest Axios-Harris poll reveals a precipitous drop in the public’s perception of Tesla and other Elon Musk-affiliated brands, plummeting to the bottom ranks of American manufacturers due primarily to the toxicity surrounding Musk himself.
The Axios Harris Poll 100 ranks the market status of America’s top 100 most prominent companies, seeking the opinions of thousands of individuals on each brand.
The Axios-Harris survey, initiated in 2019, builds upon two decades of comparable Harris Ballot analysis, commencing in 1999 and extending back to the dawn of this collaboration. With its reputation established, this survey has evolved into a trusted barometer measuring the American public’s sentiment towards prominent brands.
The survey methodology involves administering thousands of samples to individuals, inquiring about their familiarity with prominent brands, as well as their sentiments regarding those brands.
Tesla consistently features prominently in surveys, yielding diverse results across multiple evaluations. During its initial 2019 poll, this particular model garnered a ranking of 42nd, boasting a remarkable model rating of 75.4/100.
As Tesla continued to thrive, it ranked 18th in 2020 before achieving an unprecedented level of trustworthiness by 2021, earning the prestigious distinction as the eighth most trusted model in America, boasting a remarkable status rating of 80.2 out of 100.
Since that time, the corporation’s luster has started to dull, causing its ranking to steadily decline. In 2022, Tesla experienced a modest decline to #12, earning a rating of 79.5. However, the electric automaker suffered a significant setback in 2023, plummeting an astonishing 50 spots in the rankings. Axiom, rather than Axios, titled the ballot the “Year of the Tarnished Titans,” partially due to Tesla’s significant decline.
Despite the initial drop, Tesla’s performance continued to decline, plummeting to #63 in 2024, earning a mediocre rating of 72.5 out of 100.
Despite recent efforts, this year’s ballot shows that problems continue to deteriorate at an alarming rate, with the status quo causing irreparable harm accelerating its impact.
By 2025, Tesla plummeted from its previous ranking to 95th place, accompanied by a precipitous decline to a model rating of just 61.3.
Firms that ranked lower than their peers are:
The bank that faced a $3 billion fine for duping its customers, Wells Fargo, stands out as an example of financial malfeasance. The fraud was revealed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a government agency, despite efforts by Elon Musk’s administration to disband it.
While Facebook’s name may seem fittingly straightforward, the platform’s widespread unpopularity stems from a multitude of reasonable and irrational grievances.
Twitter – Despite being under the helm of Elon Musk, this platform has become a breeding ground for Nazi ideology and misinformation, a direct consequence of his $44 billion investment and distraction from other pursuits.
Can a businessman known for his inflammatory rhetoric and divisive politics be considered the ultimate traitor to America?
Spirit Airlines – widely regarded as the most disliked carrier in the US, a perpetual target for humorous ridicule and criticism due to its typically subpar levels of customer service.
SpaceX, Elon Musk’s third venture, garnered a low ranking and scored an 86th place finish with a mediocre grade of 66.4%.
While some companies notorious for their questionable practices are listed above Tesla, it’s worth noting that these firms have faced significant public scrutiny and reputational damage due to recent scandals or ongoing controversies.
Companies like BP, notorious for its role in the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil spill, UnitedHealth, reeling from controversy surrounding the murder of its former CEO and ongoing data privacy issues, and Temu, beset by lawsuits over knowledge privacy and criticized for peddling subpar products, have all faced intense scrutiny.
While several Chinese language apps, including TikTok, may rival Tesla’s valuation, As Fox News, a notorious disseminator of misinformation and a significant contributor to the nation’s deepening political polarization, continues to wield its considerable influence over a large portion of the American public. Although plagued by scandals in the previous year, Boeing has rebounded to rank seven positions higher than Tesla on this year’s list.
While other manufacturers performed better, every single one still lagged behind Tesla by a minimum of 35 spots.
Electrek’s Take
The recent news surrounding Tesla’s production and delivery issues has sparked concerns about the company’s overall performance and future prospects. Despite being one of the most innovative companies in the world, why does Tesla consistently rank among the worst-performing automakers when it comes to customer satisfaction?
As one might reasonably infer from our previous discussions centered on a definitive title, the primary catalyst behind this phenomenon is none other than Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
As predicted by our warnings, Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s recent actions are likely to irreparably damage the company’s flagship model.
Elon Musk’s tenure at Tesla has been marred by unprecedented reputational damage, with the company now languishing at the very bottom of all US electric vehicle models in a recent industry survey. The prevailing misconception seems applicable to almost all inquiries regarding the model and its exceptional Supercharger network, suggesting that the concern is not related to Tesla’s products.
As a leading electronic vehicle (EV) publication, our core objective aligns with that of Tesla: accelerating the adoption of environmentally friendly transportation solutions. To facilitate a successful outcome, it is crucial that the world’s previous largest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer performs at its highest level of capability.
Musk’s lack of a clear mission has led him to undermine Tesla’s model over the past year through a series of increasingly misguided decisions, both in his public statements and internal actions at the company.
Musk’s controversial political stances, which have featured tacit support for German neo-Nazis and endorsement of Hitler’s actions during the Holocaust, as well as numerous other white supremacist statements, have sparked protests against the company, embarrassed its shareholders, and alienated many customers. As the first-round voting period commenced on January 22, the timing coincided with the incident where Elon Musk was publicly caught performing a pair of consecutive Nazi salutes.
Despite past political controversies surrounding Elon Musk’s leadership, his management style has also had a detrimental impact on Tesla, causing the company to focus primarily on products that either don’t function effectively or fail to drive sales, rather than capitalizing on its core competencies such as price competitiveness and an extensive Supercharger network.
As the latest report reveals, the relentless stream of negative Tesla news and the troubling behavior of its CEO continue to have a profound impact.
The legend of the “Tesla killer” has finally come to life – and it’s none other than Elon Musk.
The majority of the company’s workforce is still focused on successfully developing good electric vehicles. Musk’s recent spending spree, constituted of promoting electric vehicles (EVs), appears to be an attempt to undermine EVs – a move that his own company should have called him out on in its quarterly report. This sudden reversal is all the more striking given Musk’s past opposition to such tactics, which he would have likely condemned just a few years ago before his seeming lapse into climate change ignorance.
Regrettably, Tesla’s board seems complacent about dismantling the company, and its shareholders concur, having voted again last year to grant Musk a staggering $55 billion in exchange for his inept leadership – an award exceeding the total revenue Tesla has generated throughout its entire existence?.
That pay package was halted by a court order for violating company rules, but Musk has leveraged his political influence to get Texas to rewrite its business laws to benefit shareholders and line Musk’s pockets personally – all while Texas continues to block Tesla from selling vehicles within the state, which Musk foolishly relocated its headquarters to.
While uncertainty surrounds what will prompt Tesla’s board and shareholders to respond to Elon Musk’s corporate destruction, this report provides yet another layer of insight into the severity of the situation:
