Why the Tesla Cybertruck is Not Coming to Australia Anytime Soon
Published:
Readtime: 6 min
Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here.
It might have been released two years late and up to USD$30,000 more expensive than first promised, but the Tesla Cybertruck is real, and it’s here. This all-electric, stainless steel exoskeleton, future-mobile, was released to the American public on Thursday, November 30, 2023, with a starting price of USD$60,990 for the single motor rear-wheel-drive model that wasn’t due until 2025. However, the model has since been removed from the website, and the current cheapest Tesla Cybertruck is the all-wheel drive model, priced from USD$99,990 (approx. AUD$148,000).
We’re detailing everything you need to know about the vehicle below: power, acceleration, towing, pricing, and more. However, we have to preface all this by saying that, according to Elon Musk, the Tesla Cybertruck will not be coming to Australia, as right-hand drive production and markets are still very much off the table.
Musk still considers these right-hand drive markets as “unlikely” during the early stages of this vehicle’s lifecycle. Still, with the constant price increases, slow order books, and the fact we only receive Teslas made in China and don’t have access to the Model S or Model X in Australia, there’s very little chance this vehicle will ever make it onto Australian roads. You can sign up for updates on the Tesla Australia website, but you cannot deposit or order a vehicle.
How Much is a Tesla Cybertruck
The current Tesla Cybertruck range starts from USD$99,990 for the all-wheel drive model. Previously, there was a single-motor rear-wheel-drive model set to debut in 2025, but that has since been removed from the website. If you want to buy a Cybertruck today, you have two options:
- Tesla Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive – from USD$99,990 (approx. AUD$148,000)
- Tesla Cybertruck ‘Cyberbeast’ – from USD$119,990 (AUD$178,000)
When it was released, this all-wheel drive model was priced at USD$79,990, but it has since received a substantial $20,000 price increase and is now priced at USD$99,990. That now matches the original price of the most expensive Cybertruck, aptly titled the ‘Cyberbeast’, which was priced at USD$99,990 at the time of release but now costs USD$119,990 (AUD$178,000).
What is the Range of the Tesla Cybertruck?
Both models in the Tesla Cybertruck range offer more than 480km of estimated range:
- Tesla Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive – est. 318 miles (511km)
- Tesla Cybertruck ‘Cyberbeast’ – est. 301 miles (484km)
The Tesla Cybertruck with the longest range is the entry-level all-wheel drive model, which boasts 318 miles (511km) of range. This was originally pegged at 300 miles (483 km), but the brand overdelivered for this model. The top-of-the-range ‘Cyberbeast’ underdelivered on its original promise of over 500 miles (805km) with a listed range of 320 miles (520km). Still, this is on par with the Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning, which have range estimates of around 500km.
The brand is planning to release a Range Extender that is estimated to deliver more than 450 miles (724km) of range to the Cybertruck in early 2025. The extender is estimated to cost USD$16,000 and can be installed in any current Cybertruck at a Tesla Service Centre. You can reserve a range extender for $500 on the Tesla website.
What Powers the Tesla Cybertruck and How Fast Is It?
Tesla Cybertruck Cyberbeast
- Power: 845 horsepower, dual-motor
- Acceleration (0-60mph): 2.6 seconds (with rollout subtracted)
- Top speed: 130mph
Tesla Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive
- Power: 600 horsepower, tri-motor
- Acceleration (0-60mph): 4.1 seconds (with rollout subtracted)
- Top speed: 112mph
The most powerful Cybertruck, the Cyberbeast, delivers a 0-60mph time of just 2.6 seconds for the most powerful Cyberbeast (with rollout subtracted). Meanwhile, the all-wheel-drive model manages a 0-60mph time of 4.1 seconds. Top speed is limited to 112mph on the all-wheel-drive model and 130mph for the Cyberbeast, which is faster than anyone should be travelling in a 3,104kg stainless-steel truck.
This model offers 845HP through a triple-motor setup, which is less than the new 850HP Rivian Tri-Motor model. Hummer EV is the most powerful in this class, with a 1,000HP triple-motor setup, but it only manages a 0-60mph time of 3.3 seconds because it weighs as much as an aeroplane.
How Much Can the Tesla Cybertruck Tow?
Towing was originally promised around 14,000 lbs, but that’s been lowered to 11,000 lbs (4,990kg) for the production version of the Tesla Cybertruck.
This still beats other vehicles in its class, like the Ford F-150 Lightning, by 1,000 lbs, and equals the maximum towing capacity of the Rivian R1T. Hilariously, the largest vehicle in this class, the Hummer EV, can only tow a maximum of 7,500 lbs.
The payload is 2,500 lbs (1,134kg), which is less than the 3,500 lbs originally planned for the vehicle.
Why the Tesla Cybertruck is Not Coming to Australia
It may not be a surprise, but officially, the sci-fi stainless steel-clad Cybertruck won’t be available for sale in Australia anytime soon. Designed and built for North America, the radical Cybertruck would have to undergo many alterations before it is deemed fit for sale across global markets, including many RDH ones like Australia. CEO Elon Musk highlighted that making a Europe-compliant or China-compliant Cybertruck would only be feasible if the economies of scale match up in terms of a higher production volume.
“We did design the car to North American requirements because if you start going with the superset of international requirements, it forces a lot of constraints on the Cybertruck that would make the product frankly worse,” said the Tesla CEO.
Pedestrian impact tests in Australia or Europe are much tougher than in America and require a radical overhaul of the truck. Hence, while the Cybertruck won’t be manufactured in right-hand drive as of now, exports are not ruled out for the future. Elon Musk did leave the door open for Tesla fans, as the Ute could still be certified for sale here. Don’t hold your breath.
Considering the Cybertruck’s design, it would be a challenge to meet much stricter norms outside North America, and redesigning it also means that Tesla might as well develop another Ute for global markets. Orders for the Cybertruck were stopped two years ago in Australia and anywhere outside North America. This is not the first time that a Tesla will not find its way to Australia, as earlier RHD versions of the new Model S and X were also canned for our market.
The massive Cybertruck has been spotted in Australia, albeit in left-hand drive form, only being showcased to gauge local interest. Considering the design challenges, it would be unlikely that the Cybertruck would be built for RHD export, and right now, Tesla has its hands full to increase production along with reducing costs through greater efficiencies. In its native US market, the Cybertruck has been a success and has been selling steadily, even outselling the Ford F-150 Lightning. Despite an EV slowdown, Tesla shifted more than 2,800 Cybertrucks in the first quarter of 2024.
You’ll also like:
