• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
FinanceTesla

Tesla owners offloading their cars over Elon Musk backlash are in for a nasty surprise

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 11, 2025, 11:52 AM ET
Elon Musk holding a chain saw
Selling your Tesla? Be prepared for dealers to slash their trade-in price. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
  • Thinking of selling your Tesla? You won’t get as much as you might expect. Prices for the company’s vehicles have been plunging and now are far below competitors’. That comes as many Tesla owners are looking to unload their cars as a sign of protest over Elon Musk’s actions at DOGE.

Tesla’s stock price isn’t the only thing that has been plunging lately. Resale value on the manufacturer’s vehicles continues to fall, which could come as a big shock to people looking to make a change.

The average price of a pre-owned Tesla has been in steady decline for coming up on three years now. In 2022, a used Tesla sold for more than $70,000, but dropped as low as $26,000 by last fall. Data from iSeeCars found the Model 3’s price had dropped 24.8%, more than $8,500, in the 12 months from August 2023 to August 2024.

That was the biggest drop of all EV models.

The laws of supply and demand could push that price even lower in months to come. Hertz recently put 30,000 Teslas from its fleet up for sale. And a growing number of Tesla owners are looking to offload their vehicles as part of a backlash against Elon Musk’s recent comments and actions, particularly through his work at DOGE.

Some protests against Musk have even turned violent with some Tesla facilities facing protests, graffiti, and even attacks from people throwing Molotov cocktails.

Recent data from CarGurus shows the price of the average used Tesla was roughly $10,000 lower than other EVs in January of this year.

While all EVs are seeing price declines, Tesla’s drop is far steeper than its competitors’. Year-over-year declines last November, according to iSeeCars, topped 21%. That’s compared to an industry average of 1.4%

Used EV prices for vehicles from Ford, Lexus, Nissan, Hyundai, Acura, and more, however, all saw slight increases in that same time period.

Fortune Brainstorm AI returns to San Francisco Dec. 8–9 to convene the smartest people we know—technologists, entrepreneurs, Fortune Global 500 executives, investors, policymakers, and the brilliant minds in between—to explore and interrogate the most pressing questions about AI at another pivotal moment. Register here.
About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Anthropic cofounder and CEO Dario Amodei
AIEye on AI
How Anthropic’s safety first approach won over big business—and how its own engineers are using its Claude AI
By Jeremy KahnDecember 2, 2025
39 minutes ago
Costco
BankingTariffs and trade
Costco sues Trump, demanding refunds on tariffs already paid
By Paul Wiseman and The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
42 minutes ago
Man on private jet
SuccessWealth
CEO of $5.6 billion Swiss bank says country is still the ‘No. 1 location’ for wealth after voters reject a tax on the ultra-rich
By Jessica CoacciDecember 2, 2025
3 hours ago
Elon Musk, standing with his arms crossed, looks down at Donald Trump sitting at his desk in the Oval Office
EconomyTariffs and trade
Elon Musk says he warned Trump against tariffs, which U.S. manufacturers blame for a turn to more offshoring and diminishing American factory jobs
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 2, 2025
3 hours ago
layoffs
EconomyLayoffs
What CEOs say about AI and what they mean about layoffs and job cuts: Goldman Sachs peels the onion
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 2, 2025
3 hours ago
Carl Erik Rinsch speaks into a microphone on stage
LawNetflix
Netflix gave him $11 million to make his dream show. Instead, prosecutors say he spent it on Rolls-Royces, a Ferrari, and wildly expensive mattresses
By Dave SmithDecember 2, 2025
3 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
4 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Warren Buffett used to give his family $10,000 each at Christmas—but when he saw how fast they were spending it, he started buying them shares instead
By Eleanor PringleDecember 2, 2025
9 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Forget the four-day workweek, Elon Musk predicts you won't have to work at all in ‘less than 20 years'
By Jessica CoacciDecember 1, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Innovation
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says we’re just a decade away from a new normal of extraterrestrial data centers
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 1, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of December 1, 2025
By Danny BakstDecember 1, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Big Tech
Elon Musk, fresh off securing a $1 trillion pay package, says philanthropy is 'very hard'
By Sydney LakeDecember 1, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.