2024
Tesla Cybertruck

What We Like

Ride and handling

Although it is shorter than the Ford F-150 Lightning and lighter than the Rivian R1T, the Cybertruck is still huge compared with a typical sedan. But at highway speeds, we thought it felt more like driving a Model Y SUV than a big pickup—refined, not lumbering. On very twisty roads, the Cybertruck felt agile, likely thanks to its low center of gravity due to battery placement. It did a good job absorbing most bumps, but larger ones (such as roadway expansion joints and deep potholes) boomed unpleasantly into the cabin. We’d recommend setting Ride & Handling to Relaxed mode on the touchscreen.

Power and braking

Even in Chill mode, the Cybertruck had plenty of hustle for passing and merging. We’ll test its 0-to-60-mph time soon, but Tesla says our all-wheel-drive model can do the sprint in 4.1 seconds. Like all EVs, it has instantaneous power delivery—just touch the throttle as you’re merging onto the highway and you’re already up to speed. (We haven’t yet seen how that quick acceleration affects any unsecured items in the bed.) The regenerative braking allows for one-pedal driving that’s smoother than many other EVs out there, although it took a heavy foot on the actual brake pedal when a panic stop was required. Like other Tesla vehicles and unlike other EVs, the one-pedal system cannot be turned off, nor can it be adjusted. However, the regenerative braking did stop working at one point on a short trip before it suddenly started working again..

A very specific aspect of front visibility

Thanks to its snubbed nose, long windshield, high front seating position, and cab-forward design, the Cybertruck has better straight-ahead forward visibility than we’ve seen from other full-sized pickup trucks. Although the unobstructed view ahead is comparable to that of a midsized SUV, the Cybertruck is still harder to maneuver because it’s difficult to sense where the sheet metal ends. There’s also a forward-looking camera that could help with front visibility while parking or off-roading.

The tonneau cover

The Cybertruck comes with a motorized bed cover (in the truck world, it’s called a tonneau), a powered tailgate that drops down at the touch of a button but must be closed manually, and a storage “vault” underneath the bed, much like the Honda Ridgeline’s trunk. At nearly 73 inches, the bed is longer than both the Ford and Rivian beds. There’s also a tiny storage “frunk” (front trunk) at the front of the vehicle.

Tailgate and bed storage

However, the Cybertruck is missing some of the cool truck features we’ve seen on other models, such as Rivian’s Gear Tunnel, which adds protected storage space behind the cabin, or the Silverado EV’s midgate, which allows a pass-through between the bed and the cabin. Although there’s storage beneath the rear seats, the cord that flips the seat bottoms up is hard to find.

Comfort

The front seats have good support and padding, and can be adjusted in a myriad of ways. It’s possible to leave your elbows on the well-padded armrests while keeping your hands on the wheel, thanks to the unique steering setup. The rear seats are a bit upright, but they’re some of the most comfortable we’ve ever experienced in a pickup. Rear passengers also benefit from their own touchscreen, and adjustable ride height makes the truck easier to get into and out of than taller vehicles.

What We Don't Like

Everything else about visibility

With the exception of the straight-ahead view out the windshield, the Cybertruck’s visibility is abysmal. Look to the left or right and your view will be blocked by thick pillars surrounding the windshield. Look to the back and buttresses framing the bed create large blind spots to the sides. If the tonneau is closed, there’s no rear view aside from a small camera feed in the center screen, which disappears when you put the turn signal on. If the tonneau is open, a teeny-tiny rearview mirror offers a fleeting glimpse of what’s behind the vehicle. At least the triangular side mirrors offer a good view.

The steering combined with the views

The Cybertruck is the first vehicle sold in the U.S. to use drive-by-wire steering without any mechanical redundancy. In other words, there’s no physical connection between the steering wheel and the vehicle’s wheels—just motors, sensors, and software. (Tesla says that it has multiple redundancies and a fail-safe mode that will allow you to pull over safely if there’s a hardware or software error.) It also has variable steering that turns the front wheels more sharply at lower speeds, and the rear wheels can also turn for an even tighter turning radius in parking lots. We don’t have enough information to comment on the long-term reliability of this setup, but it certainly makes driving interesting.

At very low speeds, turning the steering wheel just a fraction of an inch has the same effect as a much larger turn of a conventional car’s steering wheel. In theory, this should make it very easy to maneuver in tight spaces. In practice, because it’s so difficult to see out of the vehicle, it’s very easy to clip a curb or end up a foot over a line. All our drivers remarked that they had to practice parking in the lot at our Auto Test Center before taking the Cybertruck out in public. Don’t laugh if you see someone in a Cybertruck struggling to park—it’s truly a nerve-wracking experience.

Because the steering performs differently in a parking lot vs. a highway, it takes some serious getting used to. Accelerate from a stop while turning onto a road and you’ll encounter some unpredictable variability. If you’ve ever picked up a rental car in a country that drives on the other side of the road, you’ll understand those first few moments of relearning how to drive. At highway speeds, however, it’s easy to cruise without any major steering input or correction, which we found quite relaxing on longer drives.

One caveat: Our Cybertruck arrived with an error message about its steering alignment, which Tesla representatives at the Delivery Center assured us would not affect performance. We’ll get it fixed before we perform any official instrumented tests. We check the alignment of every vehicle we purchase before we test it, and adjust it if necessary. We’ll be sure to update this article if the repair significantly improves the driving experience.

Maneuverability and cameras

A $27,000 Nissan Sentra comes with a surround-view camera that shows the car’s edges in relation to obstacles, other cars, and parking lot lines. A $102,000 Cybertruck kludges together a few cameras with distorted views that are difficult to discern. More than once we assumed we’d parked too close to another vehicle only to emerge and find multiple feet of unexpected extra space.

Although anyone should be able to park a Sentra without the help of a camera, the Cybertruck’s awkward proportions, invisible corners, and variable steering make it almost impossible to predict where the truck is headed when you’re maneuvering it in a tight space—like when you’re backing into a Supercharger between other Teslas.

To put it into perspective, one of our test drivers, who is no slouch on the track, said that the most stressful experience he’s had behind the wheel in recent memory was backing the Cybertruck up between two other cars.

The usual Tesla shenanigans

We won’t belabor any points we’ve already made—read our take on the Model 3, Model S, Model X, and Model Y to see what we think about Tesla’s use of overly minimalist and nonstandard user interfaces. Still, be aware that the Cybertruck has:

•  A yoke-like steering wheel. It has a top, and the variable steering ratio means you’ll never have to do a hand-over-hand turn, so it’s not as bad as the true yoke on the Model S. Some of our testers loved it, while others found it uncomfortable to hold while cruising.

• One central touch/display screen for all functions. You’ll have to look away from the road and use the screen to adjust the steering wheel, mirrors, wipers, climate settings, and direction of the air vents. Even the gear selector is on the screen. Additional Cybertruck-specific features make the screen even more cluttered than on other Tesla vehicles. We think a synthwave-inspired, glowing red LCD speedometer would’ve looked great right in front of the driver, but Tesla obviously didn’t.

• No turn signal stalk. There’s a button on the left of the steering wheel instead. It’s hard to use when turning and requires some extra attention. There is no wiper stalk, either.

• No traditional door handles, inside or out. Electronic door handles are becoming increasingly common on new vehicles. If the Cybertruck’s power goes out while you’re inside, the front doors can be opened by pulling up a readily accessible emergency latch. But the rear doors require removing a plastic panel and pulling an emergency release cord.

The windshield wiper

At 50 inches long, the single wiper is a Cybertruck exclusive and more like the kind of wiper you’d see on a commercial truck or city bus. Sometimes it activates unintentionally in clear weather, an experience that is loud and somewhat alarming. Other times, the wiper parks itself at the base of the windshield, which adds a great deal of wind noise.

Motor noise

Our Cybertruck does a good job at keeping wind and road noise at bay. However, the electric powertrain makes a whining, beeping noise between 30 and 40 mph that sounds like Beaker from the Muppets is trapped in the frunk. When the rear steering is active, you’ll get even more whirring noises.

Cleaning

If you know how hard it is to keep stainless appliances clean, imagine what it would be like after driving your fridge at highway speeds, getting pelted with rain and road debris. Toddlers’ sticky fingers are like microfiber cloths by comparison.

The cleaning section of the owner’s manual has 34 separate cautions, warnings, and notes. These include, “Tesla does not recommend taking Cybertruck through an automatic car wash,” and “Do not aim water hoses directly at windows, door, or hood seals or at electronic modules or exposed cabling.” This is despite the Cybertruck having a “Car Wash Mode.” Tesla also warns that “spots may appear as orange or brown rust,” but assures owners “it is important to note that your Cybertruck is not rusting.” The lack of a clear coat means any scratches go directly to the stainless steel surface, and Tesla says the exterior’s appearance will “mature” over time as the metal’s reflective properties and color change.

We’ve already had trouble keeping the inside of the windshield clean. Its base is so far away from the front of the dashboard that we purchased an extension pole to reach it.

Missing features

The Autopilot and Full Self-Driving menus on our Cybertruck’s screen were grayed out. Adaptive cruise control worked, but the vehicle had no lane centering. We paid for these features, so we’re pretty upset that the vehicle arrived without them. We will be addressing this issue at a future service appointment.

The delivery experience

We remember back when picking up a Tesla felt like a special event. (Or going back even further, when Tesla would deliver your car to your door.) That appears to no longer be the case. Upon entering the Delivery Center, we were greeted by a long line of customers waiting to speak to a single person at a makeshift table. Then we were sent to a bench to sign paperwork. When we were finished, we were told to go find the truck in the parking lot ourselves. It felt more like an overcrowded urgent care center than the experience you’d expect picking up a $102,000 vehicle. Once we finally tracked down the truck, it wasn’t fully charged, it wasn’t washed, and it required a software update. Unlike many luxury car dealerships, nobody offered to show us how to set up the vehicle, pair the phone, or use its software.

The price of fame

If you don’t like being the center of attention, you will not like driving a Cybertruck. Every time we take it out, we see our share of thumbs (up and down) and fingers (pointer and middle) gestured towards the vehicle. Strangers have taken videos of us backing out of our own driveways. When one tester emerged from a Costco, he hid with his cart behind a nearby Subaru until the crowd that gathered around the Cybertruck dispersed.

Much of the attention is due to the Cybertruck’s unique shape and stainless steel exterior. We found it truly delightful to see young kids pointing and waving as we drove past, and it reminded us of younger versions of ourselves whenever something unique drove by, whether it was a ’65 Mustang or a Countach. If the Cybertruck gains popularity, some of the novelty will undoubtedly fade away.

But a lot of the attention is due to Tesla’s controversial CEO and the opinions he shares on the social media network he owns. If you intend to drive a Cybertruck, you should be aware that strangers may attempt to share their opinions about Elon Musk with you. Some of these strangers may even attempt to draw you into conversations about him and his beliefs.

The price of the Cybertruck

Our Cybertruck had a base price of $79,990, but a $20,000 Foundation Series option brought the cost up to $101,985. As far as we can tell, the Foundation Series option is mostly a fee for early access. Otherwise, it appears to add a unique interior trim color, some badges on the side of the vehicle, and a few extra accessories. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature is also included, although we think this feature is of dubious value for two reasons: 1) It’s not active on our truck, and 2) if it were, there’s no evidence it will make the vehicle fully self-driving based on our tests of the system on other Tesla models.

In addition, $101,985 is a lot higher than $39,900, which is the base price Tesla said the Cybertruck would cost in 2019. It’s also more than twice the $49,900 that our dual-motor AWD configuration was originally said to cost.

What We'll Keep An Eye On

Reliability and build quality

Our Cybertruck arrived with well-fitted panels and trim. However, the edges of the stainless panels are extremely sharp. One of our testers scraped his leg on the tailgate getting into the bed. It’s worth noting that when the tailgate is down, its sharp corners are at the same height as a child’s head.Although we haven’t had some of the issues reported by other owners on Cybertruck forums or social media, our truck displayed that pesky error message about steering alignment. The folks at the Delivery Center assured us that nothing was wrong with the vehicle, that the shop had checked the alignment, and that the problem would be fixed with a future software update. However, when we called Tesla Service to check in about that software update, another Tesla representative we spoke to seemed surprised that we’d been sent home with an error message on our new vehicle, and told us he’d never heard of the issue. We’re going to have a Tesla technician give it a second look.

About two weeks into our ownership, one of our drivers got a message that the vehicle’s traction control, electronic stability control, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and cruise control were all inoperable. In addition, regenerative braking suddenly stopped working, the vehicle’s adjustable ride height stopped being adjustable, and the audio presets reset themselves. We’re looking into this.

But we don’t base our reliability ratings on our own experiences of the test vehicle. Our exclusive reliability predictions are based on reports from owners, and the Cybertruck is just too new for us to have enough data for now. We know that the Tesla brand has had some hits and misses: The Model X and Model S are predicted to be less reliable than the average new car, while the Model 3 and Model Y have average predicted reliability.

What we do know from our years of experience and reliability data is that all-new designs are more likely to give owners problems. No matter how much automakers test a new vehicle, it often takes some time to work the bugs out in the real world. And the Cybertruck has a lot of all-new features.

Parts availability

The Cybertruck’s uniqueness extends to replaceable parts like its 50-inch windshield wiper blade and the custom-made Pirelli tires our truck came with, which say “CYBRTRK” and have a pattern that matches the vehicle’s wheel covers. We were curious about how much these parts would cost. Since they’re not currently available at local auto stores, we called Tesla to find out. Their response? We could order tires and a wiper blade if we needed them, but they wouldn’t tell us the price until we put in an order. That’s absolutely bizarre. We can’t recall any mainstream vehicles with similar ordering policies. Until proven otherwise, we’ll assume they are hard to find and expensive.

Safety

Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety plan to crash-test the Cybertruck for their consumer-facing programs. This is not unexpected—crash tests are expensive, and both NHTSA and the IIHS have limited budgets. Both groups want to focus their efforts on the most common vehicles. Tesla itself has likely performed extensive tests on the Cybertruck: In the U.S., passenger vehicles must meet a set of specific federal motor vehicle safety standards before they can go on sale. Most manufacturers self-certify that their vehicles meet the standards, and are largely free to do what they want with a vehicle’s design outside of these requirements. Still, we’d love to find out how the Cybertruck performs in a crash test, so we hope that either NHTSA or IIHS reconsiders. Vehicle weight and front-end design have been shown to affect crash outcomes for pedestrians and drivers of smaller vehicles, and we’re curious what—if any—risks the Cybertruck’s tall, boxy hood and curb weight of over 6,600 pounds pose. We’re also interested in how it compares with other electric trucks which are, for the most part, taller and heavier. (The GMC Hummer has a curb weight of 9,065 pounds. By comparison, a Toyota Camry weighs 3,450 pounds.) Although NHTSA has proposed pedestrian crash standards, they are not currently in effect.

Truck Stuff

So far, we’ve mostly focused on the “Cyber” aspects of the vehicle, but eventually we’ll test some of the “truck” features. The lights and the anchors in the bed seem useful, at least, as do the power outlets in the bed. Tesla claims it can tow 11,000 pounds, which is more than the F-150 Lightning or the Chevrolet Silverado EV. It also has a longer bed than any electric truck available today.

Range and Towing

Our experiences with electric trucks have been mixed so far. We know that our Ford F-150 Lightning’s tested 70-mile highway range is lower than the Environmental Protection Agency’s estimate by 50 miles, although our Rivian R1T got 20 miles more than its EPA range. But both electric trucks did a pretty lousy job towing: The F-150 Lightning could tow a 10,000-pound trailer for only 91 miles before the battery ran out, and its handling wasn’t great. The R1T was more pleasant to drive but could go only 85 miles with the trailer.

In addition, there’s no EPA range estimate on the Cybertruck’s window sticker, likely because the EPA classifies the Cybertruck as a heavy-duty vehicle due to a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 8,500 pounds. Only light-duty vehicles are required to list their estimated ranges on their window stickers. We’ll be sure to share our range estimates when they’re available.

Safety and Driver Assistance Systems

We would love to say more about the Cybertruck’s safety and driver assistance systems, but the major ones—Autopilot and Full Self-Driving—aren’t active on our vehicle. We tried out adaptive cruise control and it seemed to work just fine, until it suddenly became inoperable. We also got warning messages that lane departure warning and automatic emergency braking were both disabled.