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Could Tesla vandalism fuel higher insurance prices?
Experts say that vandalism against Tesla vehicles could make insurance companies increase rates—or drop coverage for the brand altogether.
Tesla owners have recently experienced a substantial uptick in vandalism events in protest of CEO Elon Musk and recent developments with the Trump administration, and some say that it could lead to higher insurance rates if it continues.
In a report on Sunday, Insurify Data Journalist Matt Brannon told Newsweek that increased vandalism against Tesla’s vehicles could make insurance companies proactively raise their rates in the future. He says that factors such as theft and vandalism are both major considerations for insurance companies when setting rates, though perhaps not to the extent that collisions are.
“If vandalism involving Tesla vehicles continues to rise and doesn’t go back down, we could see rates rise for comprehensive coverage in the future,” Brannon said.
Vandalism is typically covered by comprehensive policies, though Brannon and Bankrate Insurance Analyst Shannon Martin say that these won’t likely increase rates as much as collisions. However, after a lack of engine immobilizers in certain Kia and Hyundai vehicles made them susceptible to theft, sparking widespread TikTok and Instagram challenges in 2022 in which individuals would try to steal these cars, Martin explains that companies could even refuse to insure Tesla vehicles in extreme cases.
“As we have learned from the 2023 TikTok theft trend targeting certain model Kias and Hyundais, if these types of losses continue, carriers could refuse to offer coverage for Tesla vehicles altogether,” Martin explained.
A Tesla Model S falls prey to an apparent arson attack in Seattle’s Capitol City neighborhood.🔥
Fortunately, the Model S seemed to have tanked the arson attack, as its high voltage battery seemed fine after the incident.
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 14, 2025
READ MORE ON TESLA INSURANCE: Tesla launches insurance discount for FSD users in these two states
She also says that many other factors could cause insurance rates to rise organically across the industry, including impending tariffs from the Trump administration that have caused uncertainty in recent weeks. Factors such as high repair costs have also caused rate increases in the past few years, particularly for vehicles that are electric.
However, Martin says the recent string of vandalism against Tesla vehicles could cause even steeper rate hikes throughout 2025, even as some of the company’s vehicles are already fairly expensive to insure in some areas.
“Since the recent rise in vandalism is focused on Teslas and not other make vehicles, drivers who carry Tesla Insurance may see a higher premium hike than those who have coverage with other carriers, since the risk of loss isn’t as diversified,” she adds.
Brannon says that insurance rates for electric vehicles (EVs) increased twice as fast as those of gas vehicles in 2024, while full-coverage prices on Teslas have increased over the past few years. Newsweek also says it reached out to insurance companies including Allstate, Geico, Progressive, and State Farm, though no comment was given by the time of publishing.
Vandalism against Tesla vehicles in recent weeks
The news comes as Tesla owners have detailed significant increases to vandalism in recent weeks, as many have tried to protest and speak out against cuts from Musk and Trump’s newly developed government efficiency division.
In February, one Cybertruck owner in Massachusetts said he was getting death threats, yelling passersby, stickers placed on his vehicle, and broad cancellations of client appointments following Musk’s controversial salute at the Trump inauguration ceremony. As a result, the doctor, an immigrant from Syria, said he was considering moving away in hopes to escape the verbal and property attacks.
Tesla owners in Northern California a few weeks ago were left with notes on their cars saying to trade or sell them before February 12, or else it would be “open season.” An activist group called Students Against Nazi Extremism (SANE) claimed responsibility for the notes.
Last week, Musk also responded to a story in which a New York individual drew a Swastika on a person’s Cybertruck, saying that, “Naturally, he drives a Subaru.”
Superchargers have also been targeted in recent attacks, including fresh graffiti last month, with vandals writing the word “Nazi” on some charging posts in Utah along with drawing a Swastika. Tesla said in response that it planned to file charges against the vandals.
Widespread protests have also faced Tesla stores in recent weeks, with one in Oregon even being the victim of multiple rounds of gunfire, while multiple Cybertrucks in Seattle were set on fire—an event now being looked at by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Another string of vandalism and arson at a Tesla store in Colorado resulted in the arrest of two suspects in the past few weeks, after the site was repeatedly tagged with graffiti, some of which said “Nazi cars” on the front windows.
SpaceX has achieved an incredible milestone by launching its 11,000th Starlink satellite into orbit.
This accomplishment occurred during the Starlink Group 17-50 mission, which lifted off on August 19 at 04:01 UTC from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Falcon 9 launches 24 @Starlink satellites from California pic.twitter.com/UscpmAxDls
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 19, 2026
A Falcon 9 rocket carried 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites on this flight, successfully deploying them into low Earth orbit approximately one hour after liftoff. The first stage booster, identified as B1097 on its twelfth flight, landed successfully on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean.
According to tracking data compiled around that date, this deployment brought the total number of Starlink satellites in orbit to just over 11,000.
The Starlink program began with test satellites known as Tintin A and B, launched on February 22, 2018. The first operational batch of 60 Starlink satellites followed on May 24, 2019, when a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral. Those initial satellites marked the start of a rapid expansion that has continued for more than seven years.
SpaceX has conducted hundreds of dedicated Starlink missions since then, routinely launching batches of 20 to 30 satellites at a time using reusable Falcon 9 rockets. By mid-2026, the company had already surpassed 12,000 total satellites launched across all versions, with continuous replacements for units that deorbit as designed to manage space debris.
Looking ahead, SpaceX continues to expand the Starlink constellation to enhance global broadband coverage, capacity, and speed. The network already serves millions of users across more than 160 countries and supports applications ranging from residential internet to maritime, aviation, and emergency services.
Future plans center on next-generation hardware, including larger V3 satellites capable of delivering substantially higher throughput, which require the increased payload capacity of the Starship vehicle currently under development and testing.
In July, SpaceX submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission seeking authority for a Gen3 constellation of up to 100,000 satellites. These spacecraft would operate in very low Earth orbit shells at altitudes near 325 kilometers and 475 kilometers. The filing requests use of existing Ku, Ka, V, and E band spectrum along with new greenfield W and D band frequencies between 92 and 275 GHz.
SpaceX states that the expanded system aims to deliver multi-gigabit symmetrical broadband to consumers, enterprises, governments, and billions of AI-powered devices worldwide while handling a majority of global internet traffic. Approval and subsequent deployment would depend on regulatory review and the operational readiness of Starship for high-volume launches.
This ambitious scale reflects SpaceX’s ongoing commitment to providing ubiquitous high-speed connectivity from space.
Tesla has opened a new sweepstakes to allow the public to be among the first to take an initial ride in a Cybercab. This all-electric, steering-wheel-less, pedal-less vehicle is the centerpiece of the company’s autonomous ride-hailing platform, Robotaxi.
There are two ways Tesla fans can get to Austin to take part in the first public rides of the Cybercab: by riding on the Robotaxi platform by August 23, or by mailing a very specific entry to their Headquarters at Gigafactory Texas.
Tesla announced the latter portion of the sweepstakes last night:
🚨 Want to win a trip to Austin to ride in one of the first Cybercab rides ever?
Here’s how:
Tesla has opened up a new sweepstakes to ride in a Cybercab upon its public launch. Here’s the details.
There are two methods of entry into the sweepstakes, and they are as follows:… pic.twitter.com/iJRd4evuWo
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 19, 2026
Tesla will give one entry into the sweepstakes if you mail a 3″ by 5″ piece of paper with your full name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, and date of birth to their address:
Tesla, Robotaxi Sweeps Event
1 Tesla Road,
Austin, TX 78725
There is a limit of one entry per stamped envelope. You can send as many as you’d like, but they must be in separate envelopes.
The company’s unique strategy to give people the opportunity to ride in a Cybercab before pretty much anyone else outside of the company is a hilarious but spot-on representation of how Tesla operates. In classic fashion, they had the perfect response to the event:
— Tesla (@Tesla) August 19, 2026
Cybercab will launch later this month, it appears, especially as it plans to announce the winners of the sweepstakes on August 25. The car has already been operating internally, as employees have been able to utilize the Cybercab for rides in some capacity, something it announced earlier this month.
Tesla weirdly confirms Cybercab employee rides, a huge milestone
Moving forward, the big goal is to get Cybercab out on the roads and integrated into the public Robotaxi fleet, one that will pick up real-world ride-hailers and give them a ride from Point A to Point B.
No matter which way you cut it, it appears Tesla is close to putting a vehicle with no steering wheel and no pedals on the road to help people travel autonomously.
You can ride along with us in our first Cybercab ride from the We, Robot event in October 2024. The video is embedded below:
🎥: Our FULL first ride in the @Tesla Cybercab pic.twitter.com/6gR7OgKRCz
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 11, 2024
Tesla has revealed plans through permit submissions for a massive Robotaxi charging hub in Austin, Texas.
Tesla plans to build the Supercharger hub in multiple phases, with the second phase potentially introducing wireless induction charging, something the company has been developing for the Robotaxi fleet.
Initially, 48 Tesla Robotaxi-geared Superchargers will be built on a lot just across from the St. Elmo, Texas, Service Center. There are about 80 additional spots that will not be impacted by phase 1 of the construction process.
Filings show that the second phase of the project will turn those 80 additional spots into wireless charging for Robotaxi, but it might be an error. The Key Notes state that item 3 is listed as “V4 Charging Cabinet to Support 80 Wireless Chargers in Phase 2. However, the drawings point to V3 Cabinets that are already tied to Superchargers:
There are roughly 128 total spots in the lot, but it is unclear if they will all be used for charging based on what appears to be some sort of typo in the blueprint.
A new Robotaxi fleet charging hub is coming soon to Austin, Texas!!
Permits have been filed for the installation of 48 (V3) stalls in a vehicle storage lot across the road from Tesla’s St Elmo service center. pic.twitter.com/xwRgSWDqht
— MarcoRP (@MarcoRPi1) August 18, 2026
This is among the first Robotaxi charging hubs Tesla has started to develop, as it currently has four others planned throughout various areas: one in Phoenix, one in San Antonio, another in Irving, which will serve the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and another in Las Vegas.
These projects are necessary as Tesla expands its Robotaxi program. Now that preparations have started for the public launch of Cybercab, Robotaxi will likely be expanding aggressively, especially over the next two to three years.
Last night, The Information reported that Tesla was planning to launch Cybercab as soon as the end of August. Hours later, Tesla then announced it was launching a competition for fans to potentially ride in Cybercab during its first public rides.
Tesla’s plan to expand its charging infrastructure in the regions where Robotaxi will initially operate is great preparation for the expanding service. There is still a lot to do, including launching the Cybercab on time.
SpaceX achieves incredible milestone with Starlink program
Tesla is opening Cybercab rides to a select few
