Tesla Cybercab now on sale for personal use in the US – US$29,990, plus US$299 a month to drive itself

Tesla has started selling the Cybercab to private buyers in the US. Its Robotaxi account on X said that “select customers are now being invited to purchase Cybercab for personal use”, and the order page it shared lists the two-seater at US$29,990 (RM122,600) before taxes. That makes it the cheapest car Tesla has ever sold.

When the Cybercab was unveiled in October 2024, Elon Musk said it would cost under US$30,000. Production started at Gigafactory Texas in April this year, and Tesla began offering Cybercab rides in Austin in September. Until now, every Cybercab built has gone into Tesla’s own Robotaxi fleet.

Musk said earlier this month that Cybertruck production at Giga Texas will wind down around mid-2027 to make room for more Cybercabs.

The Autonomy Subscription

The Cybercab has no steering wheel or pedals, so its owner can’t drive it. To operate, it needs Tesla’s Autonomy Subscription, which costs US$299 (RM1,220) a month. The first month is included with the car, and the subscription is then billed each month until it’s cancelled. That adds US$3,588 (RM14,660) a year to the cost of owning one.

The order page lists both the subscription and regular maintenance as required for the car to operate. Placing an order needs a non-refundable deposit of US$1,000 (RM4,090).

At its third-quarter earnings call in October, Tesla said it aimed to deliver the first Cybercabs to customers by the end of the year. The order page shows an estimated delivery date of December 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Only within Robotaxi service areas

The email Tesla sent to invited customers says initial availability is limited, and that the car can only be used in supported service areas. Owners monitor the car and manage their rides in an app.

Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s vice president of AI software, said on X that owners’ Cybercabs will drive unsupervised in all of the same areas as the Robotaxi service.

Tesla’s Robotaxi service uses the Model Y, which runs without a safety monitor in eight US cities. They are Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth in Texas, and Miami, Orlando and Tampa in Florida. Rides in the San Francisco Bay Area still have a Tesla safety monitor on board.

Cybercab rides are only offered in Austin for now, where more than 300 of them run alongside the Model Y robotaxis. Dallas is next, with Cybercab rides due to start there in November.

Tesla hasn’t said whether owners can put their Cybercab on the Robotaxi network to earn money when they’re not using it. On the same earnings call, Musk said the vast majority of Cybercabs will be owned by Tesla and offered as a ride-hailing service.

What you get for US$29,990

Inside, there are two fully adjustable seats, wraparound ambient lighting and a 21-inch centre touchscreen. Tesla quotes 20.1 cubic feet (569 litres) of storage space, enough for luggage, golf clubs and scooters.

The Cybercab’s filing with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows a battery of about 47.6 kWh and a single 163 kW (222 PS) motor driving the front wheels. It weighs 1,412 kg. Its unadjusted combined range in the EPA test is 418.2 miles (673 km), which should work out to an official EPA figure of around 470 km.

The body panels get their gold colour from reaction injection moulding instead of paint, and the butterfly doors open and close automatically. There are no side mirrors or rear window.

Under NHTSA audit

Tesla self-certified the Cybercab as meeting US federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS), even though it has no steering wheel, pedals or mirrors. It doesn’t have an exemption from those standards.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an audit query in early September, just as Cybercab rides started, and followed up a week later with a special order that required Tesla to give sworn answers to 21 questions on how the car complies. Tesla filed its response on October 30 and asked for the entire file to be kept confidential. NHTSA hasn’t announced any findings yet.

In June, NHTSA proposed dropping the brake pedal requirement for vehicles that are built only for autonomous driving.

On display in Malaysia

The Cybercab is currently touring Malaysian malls, and its last stop is Gurney Plaza in Penang until November 22. It’s only here for display, as Malaysia has no regulations for autonomous vehicles yet.

GALLERY: Tesla Cybercab on display in Malaysia

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