Tesla's "cheaper" Cybertruck arrives at $59,990, still far from the $40K promise

[Shawn Knight]

In brief: Tesla has introduced a more affordable version of its controversial Cybertruck, the all-electric pickup that first entered production in 2023. The new dual-motor, all-wheel-drive variant starts at $59,990 – lowering the barrier to entry, but still more expensive than CEO Elon Musk originally promised for the unconventional EV.

Tesla's latest features an estimated 325 miles of range and features coil springs with adaptive damping, steer-by-wire with four wheel steering, a powered frunk, and heated first-row seats. The 6' x 4' bed includes a powered tonneau cover and multiple power outlets (two 120v and one 240v) with Powershare capability. The truck has a rated towing capacity of 7,500 pounds and can sprint from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds.

Musk originally teased a $40,000 starting price for the Cybertruck when it was announced back in 2019, but that never materialized. The pickup also missed its late 2021 launch window; it would not be until the end of 2023 before the first trucks were delivered to early adopters.

Only for the next 10 days https://t.co/82JnvZQGh2

– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 20, 2026

The kicker is that this appears to be a limited time promotion. In a reply to a tweet about the price point on X, Musk said it only applies for the next 10 days. He did not elaborate further, so it's unclear if this is a special introductory price point, a one-off flash sale, a tax refund season special, or something else entirely.

We also don't know how much the model will sell for after the 10-day mark. While such a move could spur short-term sales, it might not do much to help the struggling pickup in the long run.

As of this writing, the dual motor all-wheel drive variant is the cheapest Cybertruck Tesla offers. The next step up, the premium model, starts at $79,990 and can tow up to 11,000 pounds. The top-end Cyberbeast starts at $99,990, and zips to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds. It previously sold for $114,990 but was recently discounted to under $100,000.

Image credit: Mylo Kaye

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Tesla's "cheaper" Cybertruck arrives at $59,990, still far from the $40K promise

 

[seeprime]

Musk is pretty bad at predicting the price on any model vehicle. Being 20k too low seems normal for him.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

Musk is pretty bad at predicting the price on any model vehicle. Being 20k too low seems normal for him.

Yeah I'm sure all other CEOs fully expected massive inflation as a result of COVID in 2020. This CPI graph shows that prices for new vehicles jumped from an index low of 145 in November 2019 (when the Cybertruck was announced) to the current 178. As a result, he was off by ~$9k when deflating the price to 2019 levels (and off by $11k when adding inflation to the 2019 starting price). That's still a big gap, but the Cybertruck always stayed a niche pickup truck and thus it doesn't have the cost advantages of mass-production.

For comparison, the CPI has floated around the same level since it reached the index high of 145 back in 1997.

 

[OortCloud]

A vehicle that is good for absolutely nothing. Awful on roads, awful off road, awful build-quality, awful economy, awful reliability. Might be one of the worst cars ever made.

 

[netman]

"Tesla's "cheaper" Cybertruck arrives at $59,990, still far from the $40K promise"

The cheaper cybertruck is still cheaper version of a piece of junk...!

 

[Kashim]

"Tesla has introduced a more affordable version of its controversial Cybertruck, the all-electric pickup that first entered production in 2023."

My question is, why bother? Nobody seems to want this ugly truck at any price point. Even if they did sell it at the promised $40,000 I still don't think it would sell well. I would love to see hard numbers after the 10 year period to see how many they actually sold during that time. The numbers will be so bad we'll never know how many they actually sold.

 

[RudyBob]

It's ugly. Can it carry more than my 2012 Ford Escape?

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

"Tesla has introduced a more affordable version of its controversial Cybertruck, the all-electric pickup that first entered production in 2023."

My question is, why bother? Nobody seems to want this ugly truck at any price point. Even if they did sell it at the promised $40,000 I still don't think it would sell well. I would love to see hard numbers after the 10 year period to see how many they actually sold during that time. The numbers will be so bad we'll never know how many they actually sold.

They're similar numbers to other EV pickups, like the F-150 Lightning (canceled) and Rivian R1T, which is around 20k-40k per year. That sales number is similar to a lot of high-end luxury cars, although luxury cars can sell globally and typically share parts with other models and have other reasons to be successful.

 

[VitalyT]

Is this some kind of Tesla joke I do not understand? Tesla has wherehouses overfloating with Cybetrucks that nobody wants, because they are absolute trash.

 

[cfenton]

Yeah I'm sure all other CEOs fully expected massive inflation as a result of COVID in 2020. This CPI graph shows that prices for new vehicles jumped from an index low of 145 in November 2019 (when the Cybertruck was announced) to the current 178. As a result, he was off by ~$9k when deflating the price to 2019 levels (and off by $11k when adding inflation to the 2019 starting price). That's still a big gap, but the Cybertruck always stayed a niche pickup truck and thus it doesn't have the cost advantages of mass-production.

For comparison, the CPI has floated around the same level since it reached the index high of 145 back in 1997.

He could have just said nothing about the price four years before launch. Or even a simple "It will be priced competitively with similar ICE trucks."

 

[Megalomaniac]

I drove the Cyberbeast with FSD.
Wasn’t impressed.
I bought a Cadillac EV instead.
Aside from the fact I’d never support that racist, the Cybertruck felt like an unfinished product.

 

[DrSuess]

No one wants a stripped down CyberTruck, hell no one wants a fully loaded one either. Musk's vanity won't let the CyberTruck fade out of existence.

 

[unoficialoficial]

Maybe most people find it expensive, but its design is certainly iconic.

 

[Megalomaniac]

Maybe most people find it expensive, but its design is certainly iconic.

Iconicly bad.

 

[jbright]

On paper, this is finally the Cybertruck spec sheet that makes sense for regular buyers: dual motor, decent range, usable towing, and none of the extreme performance pricing. The problem is that it arrives years after the hype cycle peaked.

 

[bviktor]

Yeah I'm sure all other CEOs fully expected massive inflation as a result of COVID in 2020. This CPI graph shows that prices for new vehicles jumped from an index low of 145 in November 2019 (when the Cybertruck was announced) to the current 178. As a result, he was off by ~$9k when deflating the price to 2019 levels (and off by $11k when adding inflation to the 2019 starting price). That's still a big gap, but the Cybertruck always stayed a niche pickup truck and thus it doesn't have the cost advantages of mass-production.

For comparison, the CPI has floated around the same level since it reached the index high of 145 back in 1997.

That's probably why other (sensible) CEOs don't announce pricing for products that are several years away, yes.

 

[bviktor]

... and still no one cares.

 

[Anton Longshot]

The design takes me back to the first 3-d racing games I played on my PC.
Simplistic filled wireframes that looked a bit like cars.
Sweet memories.
Those cars didn't have the stupid dashboard iPad built-in though ha ha.

 

[sreams]

That's actually only about $9K more than the projected $40K (which is almost $51K in 2026 dollars). That price was also going to be for a short range RWD version. This is still AWD.

 

[loki1944]

No thanks.

 

[Puiu]

Maybe most people find it expensive, but its design is certainly iconic.

the consensus is that it's the worst car design-wise ever created. it doesn't help that it's objectively a bad car.

 

[Underdog]

This new lower priced Uglyvagen doesn't deal with the large number of unsold older models. Or will they be taken back to the factory to be cannibalised for parts. Maybe the army can use them for target practice?

 

[Endymio]

A vehicle that is good for absolutely nothing ... Might be one of the worst cars ever made.

Kelly Blue Book: "5 out of 6 of owners (83%) rank the 2024 Cybertruck five out of five stars...."

 

[Puiu]

Kelly Blue Book: "5 out of 6 of owners (83%) rank the 2024 Cybertruck five out of five stars...."

and what kind of ppl do you think buy Cybertrucks? ppl who want a good car or those that want a Cybertruck regardless of the facts?

 

[Endymio]

and what kind of ppl do you think buy Cybertrucks? ppl who want a good car or those that want a Cybertruck regardless of the facts?

The purpose of consumer goods is to satisfy those consumers purchasing them. By that metric, the Cybertruck scores well above average. Anyone buying a vehicle above the level of a budget subcompact is looking for factors beyond simple A-to-B transportation. Ferraris are some of the least-reliable vehicles known to man, yet they're still quite popular.