Here Is How Often Cybertruck Owners Report Being Flipped Off, Threatened, and Otherwise Receiving Heat For Driving Tesla’s Pickup

When the Cybertruck first debuted, Tesla’s front man was playing politics on the big stage. Musk drew a lot of heat for exercising his right to free speech, and the loons really had a pity party trying to “take down” Tesla. With the Cybertruck being a dumpster fire of a design in the eyes of many, it was an easy target and sort of became the poster child for the anti-Tesla mobs.

Thankfully, the Tesla Takedown failed miserably. We know this because Tesla’s deliveries in the quarter that just ended were its best Q3 ever, and Tesla has had three consecutive quarters of increasing delivery volumes. Now that the fanatics have shifted their vitriol to the No Kings party, Musk is getting a lot less heat. We decided to see how much negativity Cybertruck owners are facing these days.

We polled one of the many great Tesla Cybertruck groups on Facebook to get some data on the flak that Cybertruck owners endure. Frankly, we were a bit surprised by how little owners report. Here’s the poll that we ran.

The comments from Cybertruck owners were constructive, and a post by a fellow member before my poll sparked a great discussion about how much Cybertruck owners have to endure or not endure. Here are some comments from posts we consolidated on the subject of receiving negativity
GJW: “Peak was March of this year. Multiple occasions a day when the media was blasting Musk for DOGE. Everybody kinda over it now.”
EL:  “There was this middle school girl on a bike who saw me and shook her head. I thought it was hilarious.”
JT:  “Got two fingers the first month I owned it. (In the peak of the politicization). Strangely, 10 months later, not one single instance, even driving halfway across the country and back twice. Best I can tell, it's just the super dense cities like Seattle, San Fran, LA, NYC, etc. that people seem to get it regularly.”
JJ:  “Went through drive-thru today and the big girl with no teeth said, "I'm sorry, but I don't see how you drive this thing. ' I said yeah, I get that a lot from people working fast food.”
TS:  “Man, you are really lucky. I get one at least a couple of times a week from the Subaru drivers. I think it’s super funny though.”
SH: “I’ve driven across the country twice, LA to FL. I only get the finger when I get back home to Colorado.”
MR: “More than I realize until I look at footage.. the new thing is people brake checking me.”
DM: “Maybe once a week, I laugh it off.”
TT: “I’ve owned mine 7 months and I’ve been flipped off 5 times:
JC: “Had it since December. About three flip-offs and four thumbs down. One in Austin, Texas, and the rest in Florida.”
JCD: “Multiple times every day. The closer to home we get, the more flip-offs we get.”
CH: “Multiple times every week in Alabama, of all places. People out there trying to virtue signal left and right.”
AP: “I don’t mind middle fingers, I find them funny. However, the motor oil that was thrown on my windshield tonight kind of (profanity removed)
JM: “Get it once a week.”
MP: “In CA, about once a week, sometimes twice a week, depending on where I go.”

As you can see, regular insults in traffic are an occurrence many Cybertruck owners have to deal with. The truck’s polarizing, aggressive design elicits strong reactions from other drivers, some of whom see it as a rolling symbol of conspicuous consumption, tech elitism, or environmental hypocrisy. In comments under posts related to this topic, scores of Cybertruck owners report being flipped off, tailgated, or even “coal rolled” by diesel truck drivers who take offense to the electric pickup’s bold presence. The Tesla Cybertruck’s sharp creases, stainless-steel body, and outsized personality make it stand out in traffic. Crazy wraps often make the Cybertruck even more of a standout. For some, that’s enough to trigger hostility.

This situation isn’t really new. Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 have long been lightning rods for road rage, perhaps from people who resent Elon Musk’s outspoken persona and political activities. Or it could just be those who view pricey EVs in general as smug or elitist. The Cybertruck tends to amplify such emotions because it looks less like a vehicle and more like a statement. To some, it represents a rejection of traditional truck culture; for others, it’s a symbol of Silicon Valley arrogance invading their personal space. Combine that with the truck’s large size and intimidating stance, and you’ve got a recipe for confrontation in parking lots and on highways alike.

Cybertruck owners themselves often describe a mix of pride and fatigue. Many relish the attention. After all, part of the appeal is owning something that looks like nothing else on the road. But other Cybertruck owners admit that daily commutes have turned into a regular “emotional beat down” of middle fingers and aggressive passes becoming routine.

Tesla’s Cybertruck was built to appear indestructible, but it often exposes the fragility of people’s egos. In a country where cars are as much personal statements as modes of transportation, the Cybertruck seems to have perfected the art of pushing buttons just by existing.

If you own a Cybertruck, tell us if you have been the target of bad behavior by other drivers. Our comments section awaits. 

John Goreham is the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and an expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his fourteen years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on LinkedIn and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools. 

Image courtesy of Grok.