The Specialty NewsTesla Opens Cybercab Orders at $29,990, a Two-Seater With No Steering Wheel
Invited buyers put down $1,000 for a car that drives itself everywhere it goes, with the first deliveries due in Austin in December.
For $29,990 before taxes, a private buyer can now order a car with no steering wheel, no pedals and two seats facing a 21-inch screen. Tesla began inviting select customers to order the Cybercab for personal use on Friday, November 13, with a $1,000 deposit and first deliveries estimated for December in Austin, Texas. The robotaxi Tesla built for its own fleet is becoming something people can park in their own driveway.
The Promise Under $30,000, Kept by $10
When Elon Musk unveiled the Cybercab in October 2024, he said it would cost below $30,000. The order page that went live on Friday lists it at $29,990. It is a small, golden two-seater with 20.1 cubic feet of cargo space, ambient lighting and a 21-inch center screen, and no controls for a human driver at all.
Tesla calls it fully autonomous: owners manage their rides from the app. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla's self-driving software, described what that means for a private owner.
“unsupervised inside all the same geo locations as @robotaxi, just serving the owners' needs”— Ashok Elluswamy
That phrase about the same geo locations is the key to how ownership works, and it comes with a monthly line on the bill.
What $299 a Month Buys, and Why Musk Wants It Lower
The Cybercab only moves with an active Autonomy Subscription. It costs $299 a month, the first month is included, and the order page says the subscription and regular maintenance are required to operate the car. Over a year that adds up to $3,588.
Within a day, Musk said the fee was too high. Replying on X, he wrote that it "should match the cost of Tesla [Full Self-Driving] and connectivity for other models, which is more like ~$115/month." A chief executive publicly asking his own company to cut a price is rare, and it suggests the number on the order page may not be final.
The agreement Tesla published alongside the orders also sets the rules of the road. The car is for personal use only, so it cannot join Uber or a rental platform without Tesla's written approval. Tesla can change the subscription price with a month's notice, and three strikes for unsafe or improper use bring a one-week pause on autonomous driving.
Eight Cities Today, the Whole Country as Regulators Allow
A Cybercab works inside the same areas as Tesla's Robotaxi service, which according to Electrek now covers eight cities: Austin, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth and San Antonio in Texas, and Miami, Orlando and Tampa in Florida. Inside those zones an owner can send the car to collect a child from practice or pick up groceries with nobody aboard. Musk wrote that it "will be available nationwide, as we receive regulatory approval."
That approval is the open question. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked Tesla to show that a car with no brake pedal meets federal safety standards. Tesla filed its answer on October 30, and the agency has not ruled yet.
Tesla is planning for demand regardless. It will stop building the Cybertruck in 2027 and use that factory capacity for more Cybercabs. The first owners should take delivery in Austin within weeks, in the city where Tesla's robotaxis first carried paying riders in June 2025.
Until now, a ride with no driver was something you hailed. In December, it becomes something you can own.
What people are saying
“Select customers are now being invited to purchase Cybercab for personal use”
“@MKBHD It will be available nationwide, as we receive regulatory approval. But the monthly fee is too high. Should match the cost of Tesla FSD and connectivity for other models, which is more like ~$115/month.”
Cybercab: Stage to Driveway
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