EVs Are Sparking a Fight in the Auto Aftermarket

Electric vehicles are transforming more than just daily driving they’re shaking up the automotive aftermarket as well. With fewer parts to modify, limited tuning options, and different maintenance requirements, EVs are forcing aftermarket businesses to rethink products, strategies, and revenue models. Here’s how the rise of EVs is creating tension and opportunities in the car modification world.

Tesla Model 3

this car pretty much started the mess. it’s like the iPhone of cars, makes everyone else panic and copy it, but now you can’t even mod the damn thing without voiding something important. tuning? nope. exhaust swap? bro, there’s no exhaust. people still try putting fake engine sounds in it (I swear I heard one in a parking lot, sounded like a confused printer). around $40k but feels sterile, like it was designed in a hospital.

Ford F-150 Lightning

the truck dudes hate this one. like deeply personal hate. but then they secretly drive it and go “yeah, it’s actually kinda cool.” it’s fast, quiet, but also kinda soulless. try lifting it or adding big tires and half the electronics freak out. aftermarket shops are still figuring out how to mess with it without breaking stuff. $65k maybe? depending on trim. should come with therapy for traditional mechanics.

Chevrolet Silverado EV

oh this one’s already starting fights online, Chevy fans vs EV purists. you’d think GM learned something from the Bolt drama, but nope. it’s big, heavy, expensive (like almost $75k) and so computerized that even a battery cover replacement feels like hacking NASA. and yeah, good luck customizing it unless you’re an electrical engineer on the weekends.

Rivian R1T

Rivian people are like a cult. cool trucks though, not gonna lie. the thing’s like a Swiss Army knife that runs on anxiety. $70k-ish and barely a year old but half the mod shops won’t even touch it yet because of proprietary software. heard someone say they wanted to convert it for overlanding, and Rivian literally told them “uh yeah, don’t.” like, imagine a truck that tells you no.

Hyundai Ioniq 5

I love how it looks like a 1980s toy someone left in the sun too long. it’s sharp and cute but tuning-wise, yeah, you can’t even swap a stereo without messing with the A/C controls somehow. aftermarket folks are dying to figure it out though. people love customizing cheap cars, not ones that lecture you for unplugging a sensor. $45k if you like feeling like you’re driving an arcade console.

Tesla Cybertruck

this thing looks like it bullied its way out of Minecraft. people keep arguing whether it’s genius or midlife-crisis art. but oh my god, the aftermarket hype around it, everyone wants to wrap it, lift it, armor it, tint it black-on-black like a sci-fi fever dream. and then they realize, oh right, it’s made of stainless steel and costs $80-90k. like modding a fridge.

BMW i4

BMW mechanics used to be cocky, “yeah bro, I can fix anything German,” now they look terrified. the i4’s full of computers and hidden screws that only respond to dealership tools. sounds paranoid but it’s real. $60k and if you fix one panel wrong, half your sensors quit. still drives nice though, quiet like expensive snow.

Nissan Leaf

OG of the electric world, the car everyone made fun of but secretly copied later. the early ones smell weird when they charge, like warm plastic and raincoats. $28k or so. anyway, aftermarket life around this thing is surprisingly alive. you can’t make it fast but people are swapping parts, adding bigger packs, hacking software. feels punk somehow.

Porsche Taycan

the mechanics hate this one, too fancy. every bolt has a personality. try wrapping it and the sensors scream about “thermal efficiency” like, dude relax. costs north of $100k and yet still ends up in line at EV charging stations next to $30k Kias, which is honestly hilarious. still, aftermarket dudes look at it like it’s an alien artifact, “we’ll figure you out, one day.”

GMC Hummer EV

the rolling apocalypse statement. 9,000 pounds of “I can afford both gas and guilt.” aftermarket tuners can’t decide if it’s a dream or a curse. you can lift it (kinda), you can wrap it, but dude it’s already so huge it makes other cars look like garden tools. $110k-ish, depending on how much irony you can handle. makes you wonder what we’re even doing anymore.