Tesla Falls 50 Spots in Survey of America's Most Reputable Brands

Ouch.

Big Drop

Tesla just fell 50 spots in Axios' Harris Poll, an annual survey that ranks the nation's top 100 most reputable brands.

In last year's survey, the Elon Musk-led EV manufacturer enjoyed a respectable spot at number 11. This year, however, the poll, which surveyed 16,310 Americans, tells a very different story.

Amid a number of lawsuits and government inquiries — in addition, of course, to Musk's chaotic acquisition of Twitter, his full-on descent into conspiracy-mongering, and public bullying of employees — it seems that Tesla, which now sits at number 62 on the chart, has lost a fair share of public trust.

Surprise! Actions have consequences.

Vote of No Confidence

To add insult to injury, Toyota, Honda, BMW, Volkswagen, and EV rival Ford all earned higher spots than Tesla.

In all fairness, the Harris Poll judges companies by a number of factors, and in some of these categories — trajectory and vision in particular — Tesla still ranked quite highly. In the categories of character, trust, and citizenship, however, Tesla's ranking was considered just "fair" — on par with JC Pennies, but a step below Arby's and Chevron.

Growing Dissent

While the Harris Poll surveys the general public, it's also worth noting that Musk's recent personal and professional antics haven't just impacted the public's perception of him and his companies. They've also worried Tesla investors, who have watched the EV firm's stock price go on a rollercoaster ride.

They've complained that Musk has been too distracted by his chaotic Twitter takeover, causing him to abandon his role as CEO at the company.

The survey results highlight how Musk's controversial actions have tarnished Tesla's reputation in a matter of just a year.

Twitter, meanwhile, ranked 97th.

More on Tesla: Steve Wozniak: If You Want to Learn about AI Killing People, "Get a Tesla"