Tesla's Cybertruck Is Way More Expensive Than Elon Musk First Promised

Several years late, still controversially styled — to put it mildly — and facing an altogether different competitive market than when first unveiled, Tesla finally delivered the first Cybertruck examples to a handful of patient pre-order customers today. The automaker also confirmed another longstanding mystery about the boldly designed EV: just how much reservation-holders will have to pay in order to put the cyberpunk-aesthetic pickup on their driveway.

Spoiler: The Cybertruck is not cheap, and it's considerably more expensive than announced all the way back in November 2019 at the infamous unveil event.

In fact, beyond the design and the disastrous "steel ball to the window" test, the longstanding impact of that event has been just how affordable Elon Musk promised the Cybertruck would be. As well as out-performing pickup world mainstays, the Tesla truck would "cost less than $40,000," eager, would-be owners have repeated for the past four years. Sadly, for anybody hoping to get into a sports-car-besting electric truck for the cost of a well-optioned Toyota Camry, the truth is very different.

Elon Musk didn't mention pricing at today's Cybertruck Delivery Event, preferring instead to rehash the performance numbers, talk up the "bulletproof" stainless-steel bodywork, and then pose for photos with the first owners. That could be to avoid directly comparing the numbers he cited four years ago, where the Cybertruck Single Motor RWD was apparently to start at $39,900.

Tesla/Screenshot SlashGear

According to the product page launched on the heels of today's event, that truck will actually be priced from an estimated $60,990 (before any incentives, rebates, or other savings). That's more than a $21,000 delta, though the estimated 250-mile range and 6.5 second 0-60 mph time have remained the same. You'll need to keep showing your patience, however, as this most affordable Cybertruck version isn't due until sometime in 2025.

As for the all-wheel drive Cybertruck Dual Motor, that'll be $79,990 when it arrives in 2024, Tesla says. That's more than $30,000 more than the price for the AWD model announced in 2019. Range and performance have improved, mind: Tesla now claims an estimated 340 miles of driving on a full charge and a 4.1 second 0-60 mph time. Four years ago, the automaker was saying "300+ miles" and 4.5 seconds, respectively.

Then there's the flagship, which Tesla is calling the Cybertruck Cyberbeast. It's the tri-motor configuration, packing 845 horsepower and cutting the 0-60 mph run to a mere 2.6 seconds. It'll do 320 miles on a charge, Tesla says, which means it's faster than originally promised but far short of the "500+ miles" range that Elon Musk trumpeted four years ago.

It's also significantly more expensive: an estimated $99,990 before incentives, Tesla says today, versus $69,900. Payload and tow ratings have shrunk, too, from 2019's 3,500 pounds and 14,000 pounds, respectively, to a still-impressive 2,500 pounds payload and 11,000 pounds towing.

Does Tesla's price shuffle come as a shock? Quite frankly, no: having seen the pricing of the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Rivian R1T, among other electric pickups, the idea of a $40k model ousting what auto industry rivals could do — in today's automotive landscape — seemed highly unlikely. The big question, then, is just how many of Tesla's potential Cybertruck buyers will ask for their refundable deposits back when faced with these final, official prices.