Tesla’s Cybercab was designed as a robotaxi, but now you can order one for yourself. Tesla has started taking orders for personal use at $29,990, according to screenshots it posted. There’s a big catch, though: the two-seater has no steering wheel or pedals, it only works with a $299-a-month subscription, and it only drives inside the same limited areas as Tesla’s robotaxi service. Here’s what you’d actually be buying.
Price and the required subscription
According to Engadget, the Cybercab costs $29,990, plus a mandatory $299 per month “Autonomy Subscription.” Because the car has no steering wheel, gas pedal or brake pedal and was designed to be fully autonomous, it won’t work without that subscription. Over four years, the subscription alone would add about $14,350 to the price.
Tesla’s estimated delivery date for orders is December 2026, but Engadget notes it’s not yet clear whether personal-use orders will actually reach buyers on that schedule.
It only works where Tesla’s robotaxis work
A personal Cybercab won’t take you anywhere you want to go. Tesla AI lead Ashok Elluswamy said “it’ll work unsupervised inside all the same geo locations as Robotaxi, just serving the owners’ needs.” Right now, Tesla’s robotaxi service covers limited areas of:
- Florida: Miami, Orlando and Tampa.
- Texas: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.
If you live or travel outside those geofenced zones, the car simply can’t drive there, because there’s no way to take over manually.
Regulators are still asking questions
Shortly after the Cybercab entered commercial service as a robotaxi, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an audit query into how Tesla self-certified the vehicles. “The vehicles lack permanently attached, conventional manual controls, such as a brake pedal, gas pedal, steering wheel and mirrors,” the agency said, adding that it wants to examine “the process and technical data on which Tesla relied when certifying the Cybercab.” The outcome could affect when, or whether, personal Cybercabs are delivered.
Should you order one?
For most people, not yet. A Cybercab makes the most sense for someone who lives and works entirely inside one of Tesla’s robotaxi zones and is comfortable paying a monthly fee indefinitely. Everyone else would be buying a car that can’t leave the map. It’s worth waiting to see how the NHTSA review plays out and whether Tesla expands its service areas.
Tesla has had a busy fall: last month it also showed off its new Roadster with thrusters and a $250,000 reservation.
Source: Engadget
