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Tesla’s UK subsidiary has been convicted at least 18 times and fined over £20,000 for failing to cooperate with British police in traffic offense investigations. Over the past two years, the electric car manufacturer has faced multiple criminal proceedings for neglecting to identify drivers of its leased vehicles caught speeding or committing other road offenses. Under UK law, as the registered keeper of these leased cars, Tesla is required to provide driver details to authorities or face prosecution and fines themselves.
Almost 4,000 defendants have been convicted in courts in England and Wales in the last two weeks for failing to identify the driver of a vehicle under police investigation, leading to fines ranging from £1 to £1,000.
At least 18 convictions recorded against Tesla Financial Services have been identified by the Press Association since the start of 2024, including prosecutions brought by the Metropolitan Police, Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police.
Seventeen cases have already been sentenced, while Tesla Financial Services pleaded guilty last week to failing to identify a driver. That case is set to be sentenced at a later date at Bath Magistrates' Court.
In one of the concluded cases, a Tesla driver was caught on a speed camera doing almost 100mph (160km/h) on the A3 in Petersfield in Hampshire. But due to police letters going unanswered, the speeding driver was not identified and the company received a conviction with a fine instead.
Another Tesla driver was caught speeding three times, potentially putting them on the cusp of a disqualification - if they had been identified.
Letters from police which went unanswered have been addressed to Tesla Financial Services at offices and a service centre in London, as well as an office in Manchester.
In the cases identified, fines, costs and court fees totalling £20,686 have been imposed by magistrates sitting in the single justice procedure, which deals with minor offences.
