Tesla Opens Cybercab Orders to Buyers at $29,990 Plus $299 a Month

Tesla has started inviting select customers to pre-order its Cybercab for personal use. The autonomous car costs $29,990, according to TechCrunch and Engadget, and owners must also pay $299 a month for what Tesla calls an “Autonomy Subscription.”

The subscription is required to use the car at all. The Cybercab has no steering wheel, gas pedal or brake pedal and was built to drive itself, Engadget reported, so it will not run without the service. Tesla lists an estimated delivery date of December 2026.

A robotaxi that only drives where Tesla’s robotaxis already do

Tesla announced the invitations through its Robotaxi account on X on Nov. 13. The company had earlier said it planned to sell the Cybercab to entities that could help build its robotaxi network, which Engadget read as a sign that first sales would go to fleet buyers. The new invitations are aimed at individuals.

Owners will be limited to the same areas Tesla’s robotaxi service covers. Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s AI lead, said the car will operate unsupervised inside those locations, “just serving the owners’ needs.” Engadget said Tesla currently runs robotaxi service in limited parts of Miami, Orlando and Tampa in Florida, and Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio in Texas.

Delivery is also restricted. Tech reviewer Marques Brownlee posted that buyers looking at the order page must accept delivery in one of a small number of Texas cities, TechCrunch reported.

Musk says the monthly fee is too high

Elon Musk responded to Brownlee’s post by saying the Cybercab “will be available nationwide, as we receive regulatory approval.” He also called the $299 fee too high and said it should be closer to what Tesla charges for Full Self-Driving and connectivity on its other models, which he put at about $115 a month. Tesla has not announced a change to the price on the order page.

What it means for buyers

The sticker price is only part of the cost. At $299 a month, the subscription is a recurring bill for as long as the car is in use, and without it the vehicle cannot move. Where the car can go depends on Tesla’s service map, so an owner living outside those Florida and Texas areas would have no place to use it today. Musk has said coverage will widen with regulatory approval, but Tesla has given no dates.

Whether personal orders reach buyers on schedule is uncertain, Engadget noted. Soon after the Cybercab began commercial robotaxi service, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a review of how Tesla self-certified the vehicle. The agency said the cars lack permanently attached manual controls such as a brake pedal, gas pedal, steering wheel and mirrors, and that it would examine the process and technical data Tesla relied on when certifying the Cybercab.

Cybertruck lines shift to Cybercab

The order launch follows a production change at Tesla. TechCrunch reported that after Cybertruck sales fell well below projections, Tesla said it will stop building the Cybertruck next year and use the freed factory capacity to make more Cybercabs.

Sources: TechCrunch, Engadget