The Tesla Cybertruck was controversial long before it ever hit the streets. Some of that was down to the long delays ahead of production beginning, some of it was down to design, and many lay blame at the feet of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Indeed, we’ve discussed previously that it’s virtually pointless to review the Cybertruck since so much public opinion is based on the wacky antics and politics of the company’s enigmatic founder. In any case, now the vehicle is out in the real world, Cybertruck owners have been discovering their trucks are drawing a certain level of attention. Would you believe it’s not all friendly?
If you bought a new Corolla, or even a new Mustang, you might expect a raised eyebrow or a knowing nod from a few of your colleagues. The rest of the world would not blink as you passed by. That doesn’t appear to be the case with the Cybertruck, though. No surprise, given it looks like nothing else on the road, but still—some of the stories from the community are surprising to say the least.
Drive one of these polarizing trucks, and you can apparently expect harsh words and middle fingers just about wherever you go. It might be made out of stainless steel, but the Cybertruck is a magnet for the haters — whether haters of EVs or haters of Elon Musk.
Big Metal Thing
You might cast your mind back to David Tracy’s Cybertruck review from June this year. Most notably, he received a charming unsolicited comment from the sidewalk. “Your truck is ugly!” went the cry.
So when David saw Cybertruck owner Don Turner post on an owner’s page how tough it’s been for him to deal with insults, we figured we’d look into it a bit. It turns out, it’s not just David Tracy getting harsh word on the streets of LA. Many Cybertruck owners deal with it regularly.
David found that at least one person in LA really didn’t like the design. Credit: David TracyI chatted to members of the Tesla Cybertruck Owners group on Facebook, and heard from Floridian owner Marcus Story. “I’m a day-one reservation holder for the Cybertruck with a low VIN,” he says. “As an early adopter of Tesla vehicles, I’ve experienced firsthand what it’s like to own an EV in a southern car-loving town, and it has certainly been interesting!”
“Politics and election seasons play a significant role in people’s perceptions—many instantly assume you vote a certain way just because you drive a Tesla,” Marcus explains. “I’ve encountered plenty of false information, blatant lies, and fear-driven propaganda, like claims that the truck will catch fire in a car wash, that the battery will die after two years, or that it’s worse for the environment.”
He’s had some darker experiences, too. “I’ve received late-night hate messages and threats, been flipped off, ‘coal-rolled,’ and had people deliberately slow down in front of me,” he says. “But I’m not a pushover, and I confront this behavior directly.” Ultimately, he usually knows where it’s coming from. “I know a lot of people in my town, and it’s easy to trace their comments back to some of the points I mentioned earlier,” he explains. “I’m vocal and quick to counter with facts and logic, which helps shut down any nonsense.”
Others tell similar stories. Gary Lopez of California told me that while kids are usually very into the spaceship-looking vehicle, adults have been profoundly negative. “Kids that see the truck absolutely lose it with excitement… then there are grown adults who throw tantrums at you for whatever reason,” he says. “Although negative reactions are ten percent of reactions, I had a range of thumbs down all the way to ‘go k** yourself.'” One suspects Gary missed an asterisk there, but I’ll present the quote as he wrote it. He notes that this is all happens out on the road while driving. “No one says anything to my face,” says Gary.
Say what you will about the quality of the truck, the company, or the people who made it. It’s hard to think of too many other cars that get such vile attention. One is perhaps reminded of the way Prius owners were once treated by die-hard pollution fans, or the kind of gendered insults so often levelled at the Miata community.
Meanwhile, over in Ohio, Ryan Fry says he’s seen a bit of both. “I would say it’s eighty percent positive and twenty percent negative…but the negative is really negative,” he told me. Tina Cyr agreed. “The haters are with a capital H,” she says. “Someone yelled out on a crowded street, ‘That is so ugly!'” Much the same as happened to our own David Tracy. “I wanted to shout back ‘LIKE YOUR MAMA!’ but I didn’t,” she laughs.
The Bird is usually reserved for people that can’t merge or jerks that steal your parking space. Now, though, it seems to be intimately associated with the Cybertruck based on the endless posts from owners on Facebook. “Got my first middle finger today,” said Josh Olberding on a Cybertruck owners page. “The driver that flipped me off had a Kia Soul with its bumper missing… I smiled and waved, maybe they just need some love?” Others find the attention is particularly upsetting for their family. “It’s really annoying when people give us the middle finger and our kids are in the car, or they keep pointing at our Cybertruck and then keep giving us a thumbs down,” says Sadaf Saleh. For some, these instances of negative are remarkably frequent, too. “We’ve gotten like six flip-offs and some people yelling at us,” said Ashley Sarpolis. “We’ve only had it four days, lol.”
Others have seen hate escalate to violence. Washington D.C. owner Rico Clark noted he’d had a glass bottle thrown at his vehicle. Perhaps one of the uglier responses seems to come from the diesel set, too. Numerous members of the Tesla Cybertruck Owners group reported people “rolling coal” on them, wherein a diesel truck dumps a large plume of black exhaust smoke on other cars. It’s not just offensive, it’s also illegal as per the EPA, and pretty terrible for your lungs.
As for why it happens? You could surmise that it’s people attacking something that’s different, or tearing down what some see as an ostentatious display of wealth. However, for owner Hollie Holcombe, the cause is largely down to one big personality. “Living in a place with so many progressive people around, I get a lot of hate,” she says. “I am also progressive, but some of my friends in this area don’t agree that Tesla is a good company.” A lot of it comes down to the Tesla CEO in her eyes. “They see Elon as evil,” she says. “They’re upset about the cobalt issue, which they either don’t understand or don’t believe it when Elon says they’re reducing it… I’m not sure what else they’re upset about.”
Negative perceptions around the truck’s design have come up, too. “My child’s best friend is not allowed to ride in the Cybertruck because they think it doesn’t have crumple zones,” she explains. The one benefit? She’s noticed that she’s getting less hassle from diesel drivers now than before. “Coal rollers were only an issue for me when I was driving the Model S,” she says. “They now somehow think I’m on their side because I drive a truck.”
Don Turner
Hi, it’s David Tracy. I had a chance to talk with Don Turner — the LA-based Tesla owner who works in the senior care industry and whose Facebook post inspired this article — after Lewin finished writing this piece, and I figured I’d add some notes about our chat. Turner’s post was about the mistreatment he’s received as a Tesla Cybertruck owner (that’s his truck below; he’s very proud of it).
He says there are a number of factors that make the Cybertruck a target for hate: It’s the truck’s value, it’s the fact that it’s electric, it’s the fact that it looks the way it does, and it’s Elon.
“No matter what area [I’m driving in] — it can be a very affluent area — they throw their thumbs down,” he told me over the phone while doing his daily morning walk. “Very few people say they like the truck because of Elon Musk; nobody really claims to like the guy,” Turner told me before making his thoughts on Musk clear.
“Elon Musk… that jackass — I like his technology, I like his truck — ….he doesn’t shut his freakin’ mouth. He’s a bigmouth turkey. He’s probably going to do something stupid before the election. I just don’t like Elon Musk. If he sticks to the technology and building companies, there’s no one smarter.”
“Once he gets into the political stuff, it really ruins his brand, it ruins the Tesla brand,” he told me, saying loads of folks dislike his truck specifically because of the controversial CEO.
“Thumbs up, thumbs down, middle finger — that’s normal,” he says of his experience driving his stainless steel pickup.
He says there’s definitely a class element to the hate. “I’ve had people pull up to me in beaters and they’re thumbs down,” he says. “One guy came up to me and said ‘That truck is ugly!'”
Not All Bad
As was the case with Don Turner, the owners that are getting hate out on the road are getting some nicer reactions, too. Just as the truck pulls in the haters, it catches plenty of interest thanks to its unique design. Marcus told me he’s seen a lot of positive reactions to the vehicle since he’s owned it. “The reality is that there are so many positives,” says Marcus. “I get a lot of thumbs up, and even after months of daily driving, people still comment on how cool it looks.” He says a lot of people ask questions about the truck, and that many people come around to liking it after having seen one up close in person. It’s perhaps the case that familiarity helps to temper that weird human impulse to hate on the different and unique.
Down in Texas, owner Steven Walker told me he had a lovely experience with his example. “We had someone post in our neighborhood page… she had asked if she could pay us to bring it to her son’s 10th birthday party because he loved the Cybertruck,” he says. “We absolutely did and refused money for it, lol.” It’s a charming example of spreading the car culture to the kids. At the same time, though, he admits there are some that don’t like it, and feel the need to make that known. “We definitely get more thumbs up than middle fingers,” he says. “But it is quite disappointing that people feel the need to act negatively towards a vehicle owner because of the vehicle they own.”
I dropped into the Cybertruck Owners Club forums to get their perspective, too. Ultimately, the mood was that while there are some haters, more people like the truck than despise it. “I get about one negative for every hundred or so positives,” said sgmorton. “Half the time even the negatives are curious to take a look inside or are just ignorant of the vehicle.” Similarly, Tecyber1 reports lots of thumbs up and friendly signals from other Tesla owners, and people asking lots of questions and one family asking if their son could sit in the vehicle—”Of course I let him!” Meanwhile, some stories are just funny. “I have had one negative reaction… a passenger in a Dodge Charger signaled me to roll down my window on the highway, [and] he asked ‘How much did you pay for that refrigerator?!'” said Pops. “I laughed, answered him honestly and then drove away.” Outside of that, he says the truck gets a lot of love. “Endless thumbs ups,” he muses.
As you might expect, though, it appears the public is beginning to grow familiar with the sight of the big metal triangle on the roads. Many in the Tesla Cybertruck Owners group report that while they faced a flurry of interest in the early phase of ownership, the hype has started to die down. By and large, given Tesla are making these in significant quantities, it makes sense. As more of these trucks are getting around, they’re increasingly less novel for a broader share of the public.
Here’s the thing, though. While it’s nice that Cybertruck owners are getting some thumbs up and nice comments, that doesn’t excuse the hate. Nobody should be getting middle fingers, coal rolled, or bottles thrown at them because they drive a weird truck. That’s just totally unacceptable.
In any case, there’s hope for the future. Marcus reckons it won’t always be this way. “For sure my guess is it will slow down after the election,” he says, laying the problem at the feet of political division in America. “But mechanic shops, parts stores, and die hard engine people will forever hate on the EV.” Ultimately, though, he puts it down to ingrained adult biases. Given what he’s seen from the younger generation , he reckons this attitude won’t carry forward much longer. “It is a learned behavior for sure, as I have yet to meet a kid that doesn’t like them,” he says. If Marcus is right, we’ll see the middle fingers subside in due time.
Image credits: Tesla, David Tracy, Facebook via screenshot, Wham Baam Teslacam via YouTube screenshot
I feel like current CT owners are like the Harley riders in South Park.
They couldn’t get their deposits in fast enough to be the coolest guys on the block. Then after all the delays their toys finally arrive, and they head out to customize them and soak up the kudos, only to find they are being laughed at (r/cyberstuck) or the object of disgust (flicked off or having things thrown at them apparently).
Their truck is cool, why don’t these people think they are cool? Bullet proof glass bro, stainless steel body!
My theory is that most CT sales are business tax write-offs, which explains at least some of the post-sale wraps.
I’ll give Mr Turner this: the wrap on his CT is one of the best I’ve seen.
Not condoning the behavior of the motorcyclist who broke off the mirror, but you’re kinda asking for it when you move over in your lane to block them. If you watch the video, the CT driver was on the driver side of their lane until the motorcycle comes up behind them and then moves over to the passenger side of the lane, blocking the path.
That response wasn’t because of it being a cybertruck, that response was solely because of the actions of the driver, not because of the vehicle itself. Seen it many times on videos over the years, motorcycle riders in CA feel very entitled to the space between cars.
I’m not going to waste the energy flipping off a CT just because it’s a CT, but what do people expect driving around in essentially Elon’s middle finger to everyone else. It isn’t like other, non-CT Tesla drivers are getting the same abuse.
“ non-CT Tesla drivers are getting the same abuse.”
They might get some of the anti-EV abuse.
Perhaps, though in my neck of the woods non-CT Teslas are ubiquitous, while the one or two CTs here are either test articles for a local business or that one guy with a summer lake house that needed to one-up the custom-ordered 911s.
“similar to prius and miata owners being insulted”
Except those are actually good cars that work as intended, and also not six figures of Musk worship
To me, the Cybertruck hate really seems to be empowered because it’s Musk’s current halo vehicle. Cybertruck=Elon to a lot of people; therefore hating on the Cybertruck=hating on Elon. Which is a shame, because it’s an interesting oddball vehicle, and interesting oddball vehicles are cool and deserver some benefit of the doubt.
Of course, it’s also fashionable to hate on large pickups and SUVs. And some of that is deserved when they’re never used as more than mall-crawlers and, umm… compensating for something. I get it. But again, they aren’t all bad, and some are still kind of cool if you’re a car nut.
Heck, my old Land Rover Discovery I got its fair share of hate and bad-mouthing from drivers in cars with eco-friendly reputations when I lived out East. The Disco was far from new, clearly being used for work plus family hauling duty, not as a status symbol. But it garnered more than its share of snide remarks about how much it must be polluting because it was big and old and rugged-looking. My wife and I just shrugged, thinking of all the tons of toxic waste that came out of building lots of those shiny new cars so the haters could virtue-signal from them. Remember, when you point, three more fingers are pointing back at you.
Aside from the outlandish claims of its superiority in every regard to more plebian vehicles and its insatiable thirst for human flesh, I just find that I can’t feel sorry for wealthy guys who bought an attention-getting vehicle that isn’t very useful for any use case (Model Ys are significantly better at towing, Model 3Ps are better track vehicles, etc) getting negative attention.
More importantly for me: it’s a high-momentum missile made of stiff, ‘bulletproof’ materials with poor visibility being driven by people who don’t like driving. It’s a danger to everyone who isn’t in the damned thing.
It will pass. People will forget at some point. People still buy Ford and still buy VW. No one remembers about the old owners.
Most people don’t even know that Henry Ford hated jews, blamed them for everything bad, purchased a newspaper that he then had publish articles claiming a vast Jewish conspiracy, and then bound those articles into a book and forced all Ford dealers to sell the book in their showroom.
I think VWs connection to Hitler and the Nazis is better known but is certainly still glossed over.
I think you are right, and it’s sad.
Henry Ford died in ’47 and had given up running the company in ’45. Hitler was dead in ’45 and Porsche in ’51 after illness from prison, plus the Beetle became popular due to a Brit. Musk is still here. Maybe if the CT guys just wait a few decades after he dies/goes to Mars, they won’t get their feelings hurt out of the association (that they sought out)?
The cybertruck is kinda like a girl that goes out in public half naked and then gets angry when people catcall stare and point. Sure you shouldn’t victim blame but you also kinda need some common sense. You are driving a polarizing vehicle and people either love it or hate it. You don’t want that kind of attention then drive something else.
I view the CT with the same disdain that I usually have for bro-dozer trucks and Hummer anything. Some people gotta drive a Big Dumb Truck, I guess.
I don’t think we should be making assumptions about people, calling them names or making rude gestures based on their vehicle preference but telling them their car is ugly is fine. It’s a choice, not an unalterable attribute of a person, so if it’s okay to accept compliments about the vehicle you have to be ready to accept the insults as well, as long as they’re about either the vehicle or your taste.
I should have ignored this CT article, but I popped in to ask do we really need as many as you write?
I just ignore them. It’s not a great choice for a real work truck, so it’s likely a good number of them bought it for attention. Don’t give it to them. I just don’t like looking at them because of the aesthetic.
Not going through this sea of comments to see if this has already been mentioned, but if the negative reactions to these are so extreme, the stainless steel is a great idea as it should be easier to fix up after getting keyed.
I think the bigger and most valid reason to hate the Cybertruck is that it’s literally covered in razor-sharp edges, and this is now common knowledge.
I imagine the reason these get a lot more vocal hate than other unpopular “ugly” cars like Azteks and PT Cruisers is just the fact that some are offended you would knowingly drive a giant sharp vehicle that could decapitate pedestrians in a crash.
None of this excuses the behavior of the haters of course, but this is something I haven’t seen brought up yet which I think is a large part of the public negative opinions on the Cybertruck, and I think it’s valid and important to talk about.
Like, I can totally see how someone would be afraid of a Cybertruck with a potentially negligent driver hitting them and causing serious if not deadly injuries which a normal truck might not cause, and then taking someone else’s decision to buy and drive one as a personal offense.
Personally I like the way the Cybertruck looks, but it’s the steer-by-wire system, lack of a turn signal stalk, and most importantly the sharp edges that would stop me from even accepting a free one. I think I’m a good driver, but even I’ve had enough close calls not to trust myself with a 5,000 lb razor blade on wheels. I’d feel irresponsible just for owning one.
But I assume most Cybertruck owners either haven’t thought of those things or have a different worldview than me which tells them it’s not a big deal, so they buy and drive it, having no ill intentions and just enjoying the styling. And maybe they’re right and it’s not that big of a deal, it’s just my personal convictions telling me to only admire them from afar as I wouldn’t feel okay in the drivers seat.
TL;DR, you can decide something isn’t right for you to use without judging those who do decide to use it. Their opinions and reasoning may be just as valid as yours, despite being different, and you don’t know what you don’t know.
Show off cars people hate:
Lambo’s, anything modern German, Tesla’s, Bentleys, Bro-dozers and new Rollers.
Show off cars people don’t hate:
Ferraris, American classics, old Mercedes, Jags and Rollers, Pacers.
Depends on the lambo. I doubt anyone really hates a Countach other than the driver when he needs to reverse. And people with a Countach are probably less likely to drive like reckless imbeciles.
“Show off cars people don’t hate:
Ferraris, American classics, old Mercedes, Jags and Rollers, Pacers.”
Counterpoint: The pre modern emissions ones STINK and spew out headache spawning toxins like CO and unburned hydrocarbons. Old poorly maintained Mercedes diesels might as well be coal rollers. That’s worth some scorn.
Nothing to do with the powertrain. It’s 40% butt-ugly, 60% jerk-ass owner of the company.
40% weird-looking, 60% sharp edges that decapitate your children and loved ones.
it’s not every day that an entire subreddit / website dedicated to hating your car is made. If you drive a cybertruck you are as cool as someone driving a hummer in 2009.
This – Hummer drivers got this treatment back in 2009. Guessing people got over it.
I personally don’t like the vehicle but don’t understand the idea that giving some owner a thumbs down or flipping them the bird is going to change anything.
From looking at the videos apparently the worst drivers in the world drive Teslas I guess that’s why they want a car that will drive for them by itself because they are not up to the task personally.
I’m firmly in the thumbs down department. I don’t blame this site for trying it’s hardest to thread the political needle, but the fact is Tesla is currently headed by a bad guy (and con man) and giving any dollars to Tesla gives dollars to said bad guy too. I categorically refuse to do that and I will continue to opprobriate accordingly.
I think it is an ugly over priced piece of crap. Yet at the same time I am not going to out of my way to do violence or let them know I think it sucks.
Life is too short for that and I have better things to do with my time.
“Politics and election seasons play a significant role in people’s perceptions—many instantly assume you vote a certain way just because you drive a Tesla,”
I keep them guessing – my Bolt has Army Veteran plates. Make all the assumptions you want.
My pink, blue and white “these colors don’t run” sticker does the same ;^)
I might have to pick up a sticker like that. 🙂
Do it!! <3
One day I'll get one along the lines of "you get the Glock or you get the Gock"
The kids love EV’s. My kid and their friends think my MY is the best thing since skibbedy toilet. What’s not to love with the acceleration, quiet, lack of vibration and entertainment options.
Counter-point: I can get an entire Kindergarten classroom to immediately stop what they’re doing and point, wave, and stare by riding past in a really loud motorcycle.
I’ve seen several kids point in excitement at my Miata, and saw one kid point while jumping up and down and yelling excitedly while driving my ’66 Thunderbird.
Lots of vehicles will make a kid’s day 🙂
If they like those a rusty Pinto or a dilapidated Datsun B210 would make their heads explode.
Hopefully figuratively.
If you’re going to be bothered by people paying attention to you, don’t buy a vehicle that stands out so much it’s basically a big sign saying LOOK AT ME! in all caps. You know how people are, what do you expect?
” defenestron :
enigmatic founder
Elon Musk enigmatic? Howard Hughes was enigmatic.
Elon Musk is one K-trip away from starting to live tweet his own shits “
Yeah, it’s not really an enigma, he’s a spoiled idiot.
I honestly didn’t realize coal rolling was even still a thing, thought that fad had died out ages ago. Now I’m wondering what other outdated trends are still out there, bubbling just under the radar, are people still putting No Fear decals across their windshields?
Maybe not but some people are still driving Tesla vehicles which is just as dangerous if not more so.
I just recently saw a chain-link license plate frame on a current vehicle – my first thought was “whoa retro!”
I drive a Civic Type R in TX and had a full kit bro-dozer roll coal on me on the toll way a while back. Massive low profile rims, 8 inch body lift, big Banks sticker, neon lights, it looked worse than a cyber truck! It took me a min to even realize what he was doing. He got next to me blowing smoke the whole time and tried to race me, its a fast road with 85mpf speed limit. By the time I passed him all I could think was that he had to have wasted like $10.00 of fuel in all that black smoke….Sad
Nope, still very much a thing. I live in a very conservative state for the most part, and generally like it, but there is a part of me that worries every time I’m driving with the top down in my Miata whether a diesel truck is gonna roll coal at me. It’s happened before, just thankfully not with the roof down yet…
Rolling coal, unless strictly enforced and punished, remains popular among the segment that think they can project coolness, toughness, and masculinity by making other people’s day worse. Or who just hate people in general.
It still happens. And it’s the worst when you’re on a bike.