Tesla invited select customers on Friday evening to pre-order its autonomous Cybercab for personal use, with an estimated delivery date of December 2026 (TechCrunch). The order page lists the car at $29,990 before taxes, with delivery estimated in Austin, Texas, and a $1,000 non-refundable deposit (Electrek). Tesla’s agreement states that the car will not operate without an active $299 monthly Autonomy Subscription (Electrek).
Promised vs. Status Now
| Item | Promised | Status now | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery | Estimated December 2026 in Austin | Pre-orders open to select customers | Electrek |
| Price | $29,990 before taxes | $1,000 non-refundable deposit to order | Electrek |
| Subscription | $299 per month, one month included | Pre-checked on the order page | Electrek |
| Operating area | Tesla Robotaxi geofences | Buyers must accept delivery in one of a handful of Texas cities | TechCrunch |
Timeline
- 2026-10-30: Tesla answered NHTSA’s order to show under oath that a car with no brake pedal meets federal safety standards, and asked that its response be kept confidential (Electrek).
- 2026-11-14: TechCrunch and Electrek reported that Tesla had opened Cybercab pre-orders to select customers for personal use (TechCrunch).
Details (as Reported)
- Tech reviewer Marques Brownlee posted that buyers must accept delivery in one of a handful of Texas cities and that the Cybercab will operate only in certain geofenced areas (TechCrunch).
- Tesla’s Ashok Elluswamy said the Cybercab will work unsupervised inside all the same geo locations as the Robotaxi service, serving the owners’ needs (TechCrunch).
- Electrek reported that Tesla runs its Robotaxi service in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth and San Antonio in Texas, and in Miami, Orlando and Tampa in Florida (Electrek).
- The car has two seats, a 21-inch center touchscreen, 20.1 cubic feet of cargo space, and no steering wheel or pedals (Electrek).
- According to Electrek, the agreement lets Tesla change the subscription price with one month’s notice and modify the operating area at any time (Electrek).
- Electrek also reported that three or more strikeouts for improper or unsafe use trigger a one-week suspension of autonomous driving, without proration of payment (Electrek).
- The agreement bars use on Tesla’s Robotaxi network, Uber, a delivery app or a rental platform without Tesla’s written authorization, according to Electrek (Electrek).
- Electrek reported that Tesla collects Autonomy Data, including cabin camera image data kept for 30 days by default (Electrek).
- Independent tracker Koby Pierce found that the areas where Tesla accepts pickups and drop-offs are 59% to 78% of the advertised geofences in the six cities he checked, according to Electrek (Electrek).
- After Tesla fell far short of projected sales, it announced it will cease Cybertruck production next year and use the capacity to build more Cybercabs (TechCrunch).
What Is Not Yet Confirmed
- NHTSA has not ruled on Tesla’s October 30 response about the car’s lack of a brake pedal, according to Electrek (Electrek).
- Elon Musk said the Cybercab will be available nationwide as Tesla receives regulatory approval (TechCrunch).
- Musk said the $299 monthly fee is too high and should be more like $115 a month (TechCrunch).
- Electrek reported that Elluswamy said on Tesla’s Q3 2026 earnings call that customer cars might join the network around Q2 2027 (Electrek).