YouTuber MKBHD says Tesla 'stopped talking to me' ahead of his new Model Y Performance review
Marques Brownlee, a well-followed YouTuber and tech reviewer, said he is no longer in contact with Tesla.
Chance Yeh/Getty Images for HubSpot
Marques Brownlee, the YouTuber known as MKBHD, said he is no longer in contact with Tesla.
He said he had to source a car from a local dealership for his latest review.
He reviewed the company's latest Model Y Performance, which hit dealerships in September.
Social media's most influential tech reviewer said Tesla keeps leaving him on read.
Marques Brownlee — better known as MKBHD to his 20.8 million YouTube subscribers — said he had to take a trip to a nearby car dealership to source his own Tesla Model Y Performance for a January review.
"Tesla stopped talking to me," Brownlee said in a recent TikTok, filmed as he picked up the SUV from New Jersey EV dealer George Saliba. "It's not cause I gave them a negative review."
@georgejsaliba
Tesla stopped talking to @Marques Brownlee, so he’s borrowing one of ours to review #cardealership #carreview #tesla
♬ original sound - George Saliba
Automakers typically offer loan cars to influencers and journalists for weeklong test drives, and Tesla has supplied Brownlee with its vehicles in the past.
In 2022, he called the Model S Plaid the "best overall car of the last decade," after a review.
The TikTok clip is the latest sign that the relationship has cooled.
In 2023, Brownlee spoke out after the Cybertruck's delivery event. The pickup, which Musk initially said would have a 500-mile range and a starting price under $40,000, launched with just over 300 miles of range and a $70,000 sticker.
Brownlee said Tesla's reveal was "straight up not delivering" on its promises.
He still took delivery of the new car, but sold the Cybertruck after eight months and replaced it with the Rivian R1T, a rival electric pickup.
And in September 20205, Brownlee publicly canceled his $50,000 deposit for two long-awaited Tesla Roadsters.
"Tesla has been sitting with my 50 grand for eight years and hasn't done anything with it, obviously," he said on his "Waveform Podcast."
Tesla didn't respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
MKBHD's largely positive review
Despite the apparent chill in the relationship, Brownlee's latest Tesla review was largely rosy.
After spending time with the refreshed Model Y Performance — a dual-motor SUV with about 460 horsepower and a starting price of about $59,130 — Brownlee said Tesla still leads in several key areas.
"The thing about testing one and actually driving a Tesla for a while, you start to remember all of the ways that Tesla is still ahead of the competition," he said in the video.
He praised the center display as the automotive "gold standard," highlighted improvements to the ride and rear design, and said Tesla's regenerative braking remains best in class.
His review wasn't completely glowing.
Brownlee said he wants more physical controls and argued that the trim doesn't meaningfully sharpen the steering or overall driving feel in sport mode.
He also said Tesla's lead isn't as commanding as it once was, pointing to rising competition from Lucid, Rivian, and General Motors.
Brownlee's return to the dealership lot
It's not the first time Brownlee has turned to Saliba's lot when a carmaker didn't provide a vehicle.
In 2024, he picked up a Fisker Ocean from the same dealership and called it the "worst car I've ever reviewed," setting up a PR firestorm for Fisker.
The automaker pushed back on the review, saying he had driven the car just before an expansive software update.
Fisker filed for bankruptcy three months later.
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