Mustafa Gatollari
Mustafa Gatollari connects viral electric-vehicle stories with clear, practical guidance for everyday drivers, focusing on how EV ownership, deals, and modifications play out in real life. He writes trending news for InsideEVs, bringing an internet culture lens and a consumer’s eye to electric and hybrid cars, charging, and in-car tech. His vantage point is shaped by years of internet culture writing and his own experience driving electrified vehicles, which he uses to separate social media hype from what matters when living with these cars day to day.
EV ownership realities and deals
Gatollari’s core beat is the realities of owning an electric vehicle and what prospective buyers should expect once they begin driving one. He regularly turns real-world stories into detailed examinations of costs, reliability, and value, such as a Tesla Model 3 owner who reaches 360,000 miles on a car whose motor is supposed to last a million miles, and what that actually means for long-term EV ownership. In a piece on a woman who buys a Tesla and then shares four things she wishes she had known beforehand, he distills her experience into concrete buying tips around expenses, charging, and practical trade-offs.
He writes about a Las Vegas Uber driver who buys six Teslas with Full Self-Driving, unpacking the economics of using multiple EVs as both ride-hail workhorses and a planned robotaxi income stream. When he profiles a driver showing off a Rivian R1S as “the ultimate mom car,” he uses her social posts to explore how family use, cargo space, and comfort translate into everyday EV utility.
He also covers how features such as one-pedal driving on the Hyundai Ioniq 9 can make long trips physically manageable for disabled drivers, treating accessibility as a concrete dimension of vehicle choice rather than a slogan.
Buying decisions and deal structure are a recurring thread in his coverage. In a story about whether to put money down on a Volkswagen ID.4 lease, he uses a dealership salesman’s advice to walk readers through how deposits, monthly payments, and negotiation tactics affect the true cost of the car. He returns to dealership behavior in a piece where a Texas Toyota store agrees to sell a Highlander Hybrid for $26,900, then increases the price to $35,100, using the episode to show how advertised offers and actual contracts can diverge. When a woman buys a Cadillac EV and is then offered a separate deal on public charging via EVgo, he traces how bundled charging plans factor into total ownership cost, not just sticker price. His coverage of a “top of the line” Fisker Ocean that leaves its owner calling the purchase the “worst financial mistake” examines how a long list of issues combines with rapid depreciation to turn a deep discount on a two-year-old car into a warning rather than a bargain.
Trending social media EV stories
Gatollari has spent more than a decade as an internet culture writer, and he explicitly focuses on connecting what’s trending on social media to solid research, separating clout-chasing claims from facts. At InsideEVs, that translates into a steady stream of pieces built around viral clips and posts that reveal how people actually use and experience EVs. He covers a woman who calls a runaway Tesla episode “one of the scariest moments of my life” after the car drives itself to an Ace Hardware, using her account to probe driver-assistance behavior, control, and perceived safety.
In another story, he reports on a Tesla driver who pulls into a charging station only to find a Ford F-150 Lightning blocking access, turning a short clip into a look at etiquette, frustration, and the frictions created by limited charging bays.
His headlines often start with quotes that capture a speaker’s reaction, then build out the context behind the viral moment.
A Las Vegas Uber driver’s “What’s the deal?” conversation about owning six Teslas becomes a detailed explanation of why and how he finances, rents, and drives them. A Fisker owner’s remark that the car “almost feels like a scam” frames an examination of build quality, reliability, and resale dynamics. When he writes about a Scout EV being “what the Cybertruck was supposed to be,” he sets up a comparison of design and capability that places a new model against both hype and cautionary tales like the Volkswagen ID.
Buzz. Across these pieces, Gatollari uses social media language to hook the reader, then anchors the story in specifics about vehicle performance, features, and ownership outcomes.
Modifications, safety, and warranty questions
Vehicle modifications and their consequences are another distinct strand of Gatollari’s work. In a piece titled “‘Who Lifts a Prius?’: Driver Lifts His Prius.
Then He Realizes It Might Be Bad For the Car,” he starts from a lifted Toyota Prius spotted on social media and examines how suspension changes affect fuel economy, handling, and long-term wear.
He draws on specialist sources like Offroadium and aftermarket providers to show that some lift kits can even improve efficiency in specific setups, while still stressing the need to understand engineering trade-offs. His article on whether it is safe to install an aftermarket steering wheel on a Tesla follows a Model 3 owner with a heavily modified car and then brings in warranty language and expert commentary to explain how non-original parts can interfere with core safety systems, Autopilot, and Full Self-Driving.
Across these modification stories, Gatollari consistently highlights the intersection of personal customization and manufacturer rules.
He reports warnings that certain steering wheels can disrupt airbag deployment and safety systems, and that unauthorized changes can jeopardize warranty coverage. He balances enthusiasts’ desire to personalize their vehicles with explicit guidance to consult professionals and confirm compatibility, framing modifications as a risk-reward decision rather than pure lifestyle content. The result is coverage that speaks both to owners tempted by visual or performance upgrades and to those worried about unseen technical and financial repercussions.
Charging, dealerships, and everyday infrastructure friction
Gatollari frequently uses specific trips and charging stops to illustrate how infrastructure and policy shape EV life. In a story about a Chevrolet Silverado EV driver who stops at a Kentucky Buc-ee’s only to find Tesla-only chargers, he follows how the driver navigates the situation and ultimately gets lucky, turning a routine stop into a case study in brand-specific networks and practical planning. He connects similar frictions to dealership practices in his coverage of price changes on a Highlander Hybrid and bundled charging deals on a Cadillac EV, showing how the retail side of the industry can either ease or complicate an owner’s charging experience.
His consumer focus extends into in-car technology and everyday use. In a detailed guide built around a woman who programs a Bee Gees-inspired Apple CarPlay startup sound and labels it “Yolo,” he walks through the exact steps in the Shortcuts app, from setting up a CarPlay automation to selecting files and actions, ensuring readers can reproduce the process. He also asks whether Waze can still track police, reflecting a broader interest in how drivers use navigation and information tools alongside their EVs.
Combined with his buying and modification pieces, these charging and tech stories round out a beat that treats electric and hybrid cars as lived environments, where infrastructure, software, and dealer behavior are as important as battery size or acceleration.
Beyond InsideEVs, Gatollari’s work has appeared at outlets such as the Daily Dot and Distractify, and he also hosts and produces the television series “Ghosthunters,” underscoring his long-standing focus on internet culture and storytelling. That background informs his EV coverage: he roots complex topics in specific people, quotes, and moments, then builds out the implications for ownership, safety, and spending. For stories involving electric vehicles, hybrids, and the consumer-facing edge of mobility, he consistently approaches the subject as both a culture writer and a practical guide.
4 more automobile journalists.
Aarian Marshall
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Abby Smith
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Adele Peters
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Adrian Leung
Adrian Leung writes engineering-led coverage of Chinese electric vehicles and performance cars for CarNewsChina. He focuses on new energy vehicles, battery systems, powertrains, electric platforms, high-end domestic brands, and track-ready models, and he explains technical details in plain language for non-specialist readers. His reporting treats new models as hardware and systems stories, with precise figures on range, battery capacity, chassis layout, motor outputs, weight, and acceleration. He also covers the Chinese auto industry’s finances and technology roadmap, including sector profits, vehicle volumes, and solid-state battery timelines. His background in Electrical and Computer Engineering shows in the way he writes about vehicle electronics and battery management.