The Tesla Cybertruck was announced with much fanfare all the way back in 2019. It took a long time to come to market, and when it did, something was missing. Namely, the cheaper rear-wheel-drive version with the longest possible range. Now, it seems that mystical vehicle has finally arrived.
Tesla took to Twitter to announce the news today, billing the “Long Range” rear-wheel-drive model at a price of $62,490 including the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit for EVs. Sans the credit, it’s $69,990 prior to destination fees—quite a lot more than the entry level price of $39,990 quoted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk back in 2019. Still, a lot has happened in the years since then, and the price nevertheless makes this the cheapest Cybertruck yet. By comparison, you’ll pay $79,990 for the dual-motor AWD version, and $99,990 for the triple-motor Cyberbeast (sans incentives).
By virtue of its more efficient single-motor design, the rear-wheel-drive Cybertruck has longer legs than its more powerful siblings. Tesla estimates it achieves 362 miles of range, compared to 325 and 320 miles for the AWD and Cyberbeast trims, respectively. It’s also capable of picking up range faster while chaging—gaining up to 147 miles on a Supercharger in just 15 minutes, compared to just 135 miles for the triple-motor variant.
Cybertruck Long Range now available
– $62,490 (incl. Federal Tax Credit)
– 362 mi of range (est.) w/ Soft Tonneau
– 6' x 4' bed
– 7,500 lbs towing capacity pic.twitter.com/ZP5S5uxHiY— Tesla (@Tesla) April 11, 2025
However, those numbers come with a caveat—you have to install the optional soft tonneau cover to achieve the aerodynamic efficiency to hit that figure. Without it, you’ll only get 350 miles of range. Notably, the soft tonneau cover is a $750 option that you have to install yourself. It appears the fancy motorized tonneau cover is limited to the higher trims—an obvious cost-saving measure to bring the new model’s price down. Worst case, without the tonnea cover and with the upgraded 20″ wheels, you’ll see range drop to 331 miles—which is admittedly still better than the higher variants.
Other equipment has been shaved off, too. Forget air suspension—your Cybertruck rides on an adaptive coil spring setup. You don’t get the additional signature lamps on the front end, or a second-row display, and the audio system has just 7 speakers, down from 15 in higher trims. Tesla has also dropped the bed and cabin power sockets, too. You still get heated seats up front, but ventilation is gone, and the interior is listed as “textile.” We’re talking cloth here, baby! Full on fabric, rather than anything leather-feeling.
If you’re worried about your respiratory health, the Long Range model is less equipped in that regard, too. You don’t get the fancy HEPA filter as per the upper trims, just a simple particulate filter more akin to what you’d find in any other vehicle.
The single-motor truck is also slower. It takes 6.2 seconds to achieve the zero-to-60 mph sprint, versus 4.1 seconds for the AWD and 2.6 seconds for the Cyberbeast. You also give up some payload—the Long Range only carries 2,006 pounds, versus 2,500 pounds for the All-Wheel-Drive and 2,271 pounds for the Cyberbeast. As for towing, it’ll only haul 7,500 pounds, versus the 11,000-pound limit on higher trims.
Overall, if you’ve been jonesing for a cheaper, more efficient Cybertruck, this could be the one for you. Ultimately, though, it’s not that much cheaper, and you do give up a lot of speed and equipment for the lower price.
It’s wild to think that these things were once billed to land under $40,000, which would have made them competitive on price with something like a basic Ford F-150. In the end, that just didn’t happen.
Still, Tesla will be hoping that the long-awaited arrival of the rear-wheel-drive model will reignite sales after what has been a rather tough time for the jagged silver pickup. Whether or not it can arrest the slide remains to be seen.
Image credits: Tesla
No bed and cabin AC power seems like an awful sacrifice to make to drop the price to only 160% of the initial unveil pricing. Congratulations on your new dumpster shaped F-150 Lightning that’s worse in every way!?
I can’t support this site if you are going to give air time to a product that directly financially benefits people undermining the United States.
Articles like this one, and Jason’s from yesterday, help Elon Musk by rehabilitating his brand’s image. The implicit message in both articles is that these cars are worth reviewing, and that they can be assessed in a vacuum and be found to have some worth.
They can’t.
Other commenters have suggested that the Autopian is “just a business” and covering the Cybertruck is necessary for click traffic and ad revenue.
Another business calculation is subscriber dollars.
I’m just one person, but I’m out.
I don’t think either of these articles really have done anything but shine a lot on how the CT kind of sucks.
Jason’s article was an attempt to review the CT by ignoring the baggage it comes with. And the conclusion was basically “it still sort of sucks, even if you ignore the baggage” which is hardly an endorsement.
This article is simply news reporting, telling you that Tesla is releasing the base Cybertruck, and guess what the reveal is? It’s still way too damn expensive and will do probably jack shit to sell more CTs. If anything, if you’re against Tesla, this news is just more of Tesla circling around the drain. Both of these articles provide reasons (in my mind) to avoid the CT even if you somehow are willing to separate “art from artist” here (I’m using that term realllllll loosely).
Obviously you have the right to do whatever you’d like, but this is a pretty nice community (which btw, leans middle left) and I think the site has been pretty supportive about letting commenters go full send on vitriol towards Musk. That should tell you enough about how the site actually feels about him. And I’m not certain that all the liberals in my life (most of which are genuinely reasonable people) are making the right move by simply boycotting or removing themselves from every community or business that doesn’t directly pander to them. Stick around and let your voice be heard, that Musk is a racist methed-up shithead! For there aren’t too many places where that’s going to be allowed anymore…
Remind me which airport we’re running again where you have to announce your departure.
Comments like these emanate big “I can’t drink this beer because the gays touched it” energy.
Big difference: The gays aren’t gleefully promoting and funding movements that want to strip them of their rights.
Giving Elon money at this point is funding hate, not to mention the wanton destruction of government functions that Elon’s goofy team of goons made no attempt to understand before dismantling, distortion of election integrity through bizarre monetary giveaways, and the general breakdown of our reputation with our international allies. The man’s such an unrepentant bigot that he talks about his own trans daughter as if she died, for goodness’ sake. Do not give him money.
The cars flop on their own merits as uncompetitive and deeply flawed, sure, but I think Elon being the biggest reason not to buy one for broader cultural reasons is well within a car culture website’s purview.
How brave.
When a new vehicle launches automotive sites cover it. I’m not sure why that is a surprise to you. If you want to boycott Tesla fine but it is odd to expect the automotive press to pretend they don’t exist.
Smells like you pooped your pants.
Message for Elon: ( ͡⚆ ͜ʖ ͡⚆)╭∩╮
If Tesla were smart (they are not because of Elon’s micromanagement) they would kill the Cybertruck and take their losses. The market has spoken and put a “no go” on it. It will never sell more than 10 or 20 thousand a year and maybe even less than that. A cheaper truck that is more expensive than a better used model is not going to move the dial.
I imagine Tesla would see 20k a year as a roaring success. That is more ID.4s or GTIs than Volkswagen sold last year in the US. For a very niche vehicle like this, I don’t think a four digit volume is unexpected. It may still be worthwhile to make them at that volume as I assume they are highly profitable and the marginal cost is low. With slowing sales on other models there’s no opportunity cost. I sure wouldn’t count on a second generation though.
The development costs and tie up of engineering resources for the Cybertruck were huge which is why the updates to the Model S and Y were delayed. Elon expected to sell over a million trucks and to date, by most counts, they have sold less than 50K. They will never recover the development costs.
Uncomely at any price.
If you really can only afford this and want a Cybertruck, this thing makes no sense to buy when the used market is flooded with trucks at the same price. Why buy this hobbled version when you can get the real one? Plus the used ones have already taken massive depreciation, this stripper version will have all the resale value of a used pumpkin.
Rolling dumpster, and Elon, and funny mustache guy salutes aside, those wheel covers are the best looking thing about the Cybertruck imo.
That’s a masterfully ironic twist of cheap and cheerful. Well played.
No one cares.
This may be problematic in ways beyond the immediately obvious. Yes, Elon sucks. Yes, it’s hideously polarizing and only appeals to incels and fascists due to the former. Let’s put that aside for a second though.
The REAL reasons this sucks, as I see it, are that other manufacturers are going to look at this “entry level electric truck”, so no buyers, and decide to skip putting together an offering of their own. The other reason is that Tesla took a swing for the rafters on the styling. It is OUT THERE. It’s not for me, but I can see the appeal. If another manufacturer were to say, “what if we made something truly wild and actually brought it to market instead of another absolutely identical cute ute?”, some exec would put the kaibosh on it immediately.
We need more (actually) cheap and cheerful options, and it would be awesome to see more interesting cars out there. This makes very strong arguments against both of those things.
Kia just announced an electric truck for the US market today.
I sincerely doubt any other manufacturers are taking many lessons from the Cybertruck, other than what not to do when designing a truck. It’s been a dumpster fire since the reveal and I think everyone knows it. There are other, cheaper electric trucks out there that are better bellwethers of the EV truck industry (although they’re not doing great either, last I heard).
“other than what not to do when designing a truck. It’s been a dumpster fire since the reveal and I think everyone knows it.”
Exactly what I’m hoping the take away ISN’T.
If I go to Hertz to rent a vehicle and all they have left on the lot is a cybertruck and a mitsubishi mirage… I’m taking the japanese capsule hotel on wheels and not the rolling dumpster.
If you rent a Cybertruck you better make sure you have it in writing that the additional damage coverage includes penises and swaztikas.
I had to get a rental a few weeks ago when my car was in the shop, literally the only thing they had on the lot ready to go was a Model 3. I waited 45 minutes for them to check in, wash and vacuum, and finally deliver a banged-up Ford Edge, a vehicle I owned with Lincoln badges and actively despised for years.
Considering the AWD version gets stranded in snow and very mild wet/muddy conditions already, I don’t have hope of the RWD version having much luck getting in & out of driveways.
I feel like at this point I won’t drive it even if one was literally given to me for free.
I’d probably just harvest the running gear to swap into something more deserving of public roads.
There’s gotta be miles of copper in there. Idk what to do with stainless – I can’t work that at home (or anywhere else, for that matter, but especially not at home). USB ports-parts can be a useful thing to have on hand, too.
Maybe I could use some of the glass to put a window in my shed?
I’d use the stainless as a topper for wood work benches. Or for garage cabinet doors or drawers. It’s an excellent material for those use cases.
This is one of the frustrating things about it. From the reviews I’ve seen, the underlying hardware isn’t terrible, it’s just wrapped in a stupid package. Stick this drivetrain in a normal truck and you might have something.
Cheap (as the median home price in Decatur, IL) and Cheerful (as a Soviet Gulag)
In Soviet Russia, CAR drives YOU!
They should give it a Naugahyde bench seat, column shifter, manual rack and pinion steering, 15×6” steelies, manual crank windows and ditch the stainless, just paint it silver and call it “zinc tone”. Also, get rid of the touch screen and give it a mechanical speedometer, three idiot lights and a voltmeter. Voila! $40,000 IncEl-Camino.
IncEl-Camino. Nice.
COTD.
So, what’s going on here a the Autopian? Jason posts a review on the Cybertruck yesterday, one year after David posted a comprehensive review? And now this, yet another plug for the Cybertruck?
Has the Autopian become a shill for Elon or what?
They have shares in TSLA and they’re trying to pull a pump & dump with their wide ranging powers of persuasion.
I’m rather certain your comment is sarcastic but I’m responding anyway really more or less as a thought exercise.
They’d be genuinely nuts not to cover the Cybertruck. This place needs to make money. To not cover something like the CT, as icky as it may be, would be like the national sports media not covering the Luka trade. As much as I hate the CT, it makes for interesting content, unfortunate as that may be.
Also, that top shot could not be mocking the CT more than it is. CHEAP AND CHEERFUL – with a dystopian nightmare vehicle in Seasonal Depression Gray below.
Yes, they know that this is a very polarizing vehicle and they know that it increases the click count, page visits and the increased amount of comments posted, all of which can generate revenue.
And It’s all rather disappointing to me, to be honest.
But I know it is a business.
I was conflicted about even clicking on this post. My curiosity about what Tesla considers cheap for this fright pig and how they got it there won out. I have no interest at all in the other post that promises a Cybertruck review without the context in which it exists.
Why two full reviews on the Cybertruck in one years time ? It’s not like it had undergone major changes, it’s the same vehicle one year later.
( David’s and Jason’s reviews)
Because they are both highly entertaining writers each in different ways?
David mostly focused on the mechanicals and mentioned the off-road capabilities, and compared the CT to his experience with similar vehicles.
Jason mostly focused on what it’s like to actually live with the car, and in his usual way, drove deep into the way we actually interact with our cars day to day.
These reviews really are vastly different if you read them back to back. And obviously, their styles are vastly different.
It’s still a vehicle created by a company headed up by a douche bag that certainly does not need 3 reviews in ONE YEARS TIME.
I wouldn’t call this a plug for the Cybertruck. It’s reporting—particularly notable that there’s a hilarious $70,000 single-motor electric truck with cloth interior. The latter note alone makes this relevant to an Autopian audience.
You won’t find me driving a Tesla or supporting the company. In response to your later comment, this is by no means a “review” as I didn’t drive the vehicle.
I definitely understand why people would be upset by any pro-Tesla content right now, but I don’t think this is that.
This is the best Cybertruck ever! If I was trapped in an all-Cybertruck alternate universe, this is the one I’d want.
Okay, I’m gonna go jump off a cliff now…
Continuing along your intentionally humorous line:
Good call, before somebody throws you off!
Just kidding, of course. The idea of an all-Cybertruck universe is delightfully perverse.
You might be onto something though – maybe this thing did fall out of an alternate universe…
With resale values dropping through the floor, I would think that if you’re really determined to look like the biggest tool on the road a slightly used dual motor would be a far better choice.
But what if the previous owner didn’t wipe a spot of bird poo quickly enough and ruined a panel? Better buy new.
It’s still a no for me, dog.
Truck looks better with actual truck wheels. Who would have thought? 😉
Lipstick on a pig. And that premium for the AWD would be made up in both utility and resale value. Assuming anyone wants to buy one.
“Resale value” presupposes you can actually resell it. This thing has joined the ranks of the Hyundai Excel in that the dealers won’t even take it as a trade-in.
If you need/want the extra features and performance, go for it – just be prepared to write almost all of the purchase price off as a sunk cost.
That said, Tesla is sitting on $200 million of inventory on these things that they’re going to have to dispose of somehow. My guess is these things are about to become ridiculously cheap new, so I’d say hold out for a higher trim version when they liquidate.
Didn’t think Cybertruck wheels could be made even uglier but wow these are horrific.
They look like steelies with a cheap aftermarket piece of plastic snapped onto the lugs.
Honestly with some vehicles like this, I find it sort of bizarre that a base model is being offered. The price is still out of the grasp of most, I doubt anyone is going to look at 63k versus 70k and go “finally, I can afford one!”. It’s still in the range of people who either have plenty of money to burn, or people who are seriously irresponsible with the little money they have.
For me all of this is irrelevant as I wouldn’t touch a CT with a thirty-nine and a half foot pole. But even if you stripped the CT of the seemingly unlimited baggage it carries, I still can’t understand how Tesla is supposed to sell these in any significant quantity.
Spend less money to still look like an asshole.
Is it any more resistant to spraypaint?
For the slightly more frugal modern fascist.
“Hate that suits your budget.”
*144-month financing available for those of you with shitty credit & even worse math skills