Monster rats are causing millions of pounds of damage to cars across Britain - and Teslas are their favourite. The rodents are attracted to electric vehicles' wiring which tastes to them like peanuts, according to pest control experts.
They're also attracted to Elon Musk's motors as the engines are warm because they're charged overnight, which provides them with ideal nests to sleep in. It comes after Elon Musk claimed the 3I/ATLAS was "aliens" despite NASA saying it was a comet.
The critters' car carnage is costing motorists a fortune, as the pests caused an estimated £1.29 billion worth of damage to UK vehicles in the last year. Figures show that the average claim to repair the damage because of the rodent rage has jumped to nearly £2,500, while one driver was left with an eye-watering £24,000 bill.
Croydon, in south London, is the worst affected area, followed by Birmingham, according to the data.
This is followed by the City of London, Surrey, Manchester, Essex, Kent and Leeds, according to the visitor data to the RatMat firm's website. The rate of rat attacks on cars has surged by more than a quarter, with Aviva reporting a 28% increase in 2023 and 2024.
RatMat founder Toby Mateson, who sells electrified mats to prevent rats from damaging cars, told the Daily Star that Teslas are "definitely" the worst affected with one owner paying £15,000 to fix their Model S.
The rat expert explained why rats love electric vehicles (EVs). He said: "Electric cars are particularly vulnerable to damage by rats and mice. They are also more expensive to repair than many other types of car.
"Electric car wiring often includes soy and peanut oil mixed with PVC in the outer casing, this smells and tastes like food, enticing rodents in. Peanuts and soy are the perfect bait as rats and mice love the taste and the high calorific content."
He added: "Another problem is that when electric cars are charging overnight their batteries warm up. On a cold winter's day rodents can sense this and will be drawn in to warm themselves."
The Covid-19 lockdown saw rat populations explode across the UK due to reduced human activity and easier access to food.
Alarming figures show that rats now outnumber Brits threefold, with an estimated 200 million of them living in the UK. Toby invented the RatMat after rodents damaged his dad's Porsche to the tune of £6,000.
At the time, his dad was living in an area with a big rodent problem and was told there was nothing he could do to prevent it happening again.
His son came up with the idea of surrounding the car with an electrified panel that rats can't walk across. There are currently 663 RatMats fitted in the UK with a third of these being installed in the last year.
Toby has estimated that rats did £1.29bn worth of damage to British vehicles in the last year. The Automobile Association (AA) confirmed to the Daily Star that it is "regularly" called out to vehicles damaged by "hungry rodents".
A spokesperson said: "We have had reports in the past from our members around rats nesting in cars.
"It has been a frequent issue within commercial and agricultural settings particularly, where rodents may nest in machinery or vehicles which are not frequently used."
Tesla has been contacted for comment.