Tesla drivers are the worst, or at least they have the most incidents, study shows

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Tesla drivers are the worst, or at least they had the most incidents per 1,000 drivers in the United States in 2024. This news comes from online loan marketplace LendingTree, whose research shows Ram and then Subaru drivers round out the top three.

Researchers analyzed tens of millions of “QuoteWizard by LendingTree” insurance inquiries from Jan. 1, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2024. They calculated the number of driving incidents per 1,000 drivers in every state, a category which included accidents, DUIs (driving under the influence), speeding and citations. Their study categorized the 30 car brands with the highest number of inquiries.

Here’s how Tesla, Ram and Subaru got premium pole position in the parking lot at the Mall of Shame:

• Per 1,000 drivers, Tesla drivers had 36.94 incidents – up from 31.13 in LendingTree’s 2023 analysis. Musk Mobiles also had 26.67 accidents per 1,000 drivers, the most of any brand.
• Ram drivers had 33.92 incidents. This was an improvement from being worst in 2023. Ram drivers also had 23.15 accidents per 1,000 drivers, the second highest.
• Subaru drivers had 32.85 incidents and 22.89 accidents per 1,000 drivers, the third highest.

I get a little queasy when findings like these come out. I’m all for singling out drivers for scorn by car brand. It allows you to generalize about a group of people without feeling any of the associated guilt that normally comes with “generalizing about a group of people” territory.

Are Tesla drivers really the worst because they have the most incidents and accidents per thousand drivers? What if other people are at fault? What if other drivers hate Musk Mobiles so much, they are ramming their cars into them in fits of anger? What if most of those incidents were a failure to use the autopilot system properly?

Are Subaru drivers upset at being third worst? Like, they can’t even succeed in being awful, they are third-worst awful. It’s like being a henchman in a James Bond movie. You’re bad but you’re not that bad and 007 is going to drive something through your skull at the beginning of the third act.

Ram? I’ve always thought it was an odd name for a pickup truck. We call adult male sheep “rams” because they use their antlers to headbutt each other. Why name your car after an act that is both illegal and dangerous in an automobile? The Ram truck logo is a bighorn sheep. Ram appears to want its drivers to make the association. LegendTree found Ram drivers to be the worst in 16 states. No comment on how many of these involved ramming.

Aside from these concerns, it’s the drivers who LegendTree found to be “the best” that leave me a tad dubious about the research. LegendTree found Mercury, Pontiac and Cadillac owners to be the best drivers. So, just to be clear, the best drivers in the United States are retro car enthusiasts; two of those brands were discontinued more than a decade ago. After 84 years in production, the last Pontiac was assembled by General Motors in January, 2010. The Ford Motor Company ceased production of the Mercury in 2010, ending its 72-year history. The Cadillac – which is an excellent vehicle – is still in production. I drove a 2019 Cadillac XTS once. It was incredible car, ideal for touring New Jersey.

If we buy LegendTree’s research, this means the best drivers in the United States are people who a) bought their vehicles more than 15 years ago or b) bought them recently in order to satisfy their intense longing for a car that reminds them of their grandfathers or c) ghosts who haunt the living by cruising around in their old Pontiacs and Mercuries.

But wait a minute, according to the same organization, Pontiac drivers have the highest incidence of DUI, with a rate of 3.11 per 1,000 drivers. Maybe they are drinking because they are depressed that General Motors discontinued their favourite brand.

Rounding out the bottom 10, the other worst drivers by brand are: Audi, Mazda, Volkswagen, BMW, Honda, Infinity and Toyota. It’s hard to draw a conclusion from these brands. It may be that some people are bad drivers and they tend to drive all sorts of brands.

So, the next time you see a Tesla, Ram or Subaru on the road take care, or any other brand for that matter.