Elon Musk’s Tesla car company has racked up at least 16 criminal convictions and had to pay out nearly £20,000 after repeatedly failing to co-operate with UK police.
The British arm of the motoring firm has been taken to court by a host of British police forces over the last year, after letters from officers went unanswered.
Police were looking for the details of speeding Tesla drivers, and when there was no reply the company itself was prosecuted.
The Standard first highlighted the trend last May, when at least 15 criminal convictions had been accumulated by Tesla.
A fresh conviction was recorded against the company last month at Oxford magistrate court, again for failing to co-operate with a police request for information.
Typically, criminal cases have centred on speeding offences involving a Tesla believed to be rented from the company on a long-term lease.
Tesla did not respond to a request from The Standard to explain the repeated failures to cooperate with police forces, including the Metropolitan Police, Hampshire Constabulary, and Thames Valley Police.
Musk himself has spent the last few weeks aiming personal attacks at Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling for Home Office minister Jess Philips to be jailed, and suggesting King Charles should dissolve Parliament to spark a UK General Election.
On Sunday, Musk posted a social media message calling for Nigel Farage to be replaced as Reform UK leader, after days of outspoken support for the right-wing party.
Sir Keir hit back on Monday branding the posts as “lies and misinformation”.
Court papers obtained by the Standard show that motorists are avoiding punishment for criminal offences as a result of Tesla not cooperating with police.
One Tesla driver was caught at almost 100mph on the A3 in Petersfield in Hampshire, but remained unidentified because the firm failed to answer a police request for information. Another driver was caught speeding in west London near to a primary school but was also spared punishment.
Letters from police have been addressed to Tesla Financial Services at luxury offices in Hammersmith, a service centre in West Drayton, west London, and an address in Manchester.
The firm, which has its global headquarters in Austin, Texas, has been headed by chief executive and largest shareholder Musk since 2004, and is a leading name in the field of electric vehicles.
Fines, costs and court fees totalling £19,166 have now been imposed on Tesla as a result of the criminal cases, all brought through the Single Justice Procedure.
One of the drivers not named by Tesla was suspected of three separate driving offences, which would have put them on the cusp of an automatic ban.
Drivers suspected of speeding on the roads in England typically receive an initial letter from the police, asking them to confirm who was behind the wheel at the time of the alleged offence.
Notices of intended prosecution can follow. Motorists who amass 12 penalty points within three years face an automatic road ban.
However, speeding drivers in rented or company cars have to be named before they can face prosecution.
