Tesla Opens Cybercab Orders at $29,990 — With No Steering Wheel

Tesla has invited select customers to buy the Cybercab — a two-seat car with no steering wheel and no foot pedals — at an estimated $29,990 before taxes, with delivery pegged for December 2026. The announcement came from Tesla's Robotaxi account, not a press release. "Select customers are now being invited to purchase Cybercab for personal use," the company said.

Five outlets — 24/7 Wall St., Yahoo Finance, MotorBiscuit, The Cool Down and Torque News — carry the same terms. None has produced a full spec sheet, and Tesla has not published technical details alongside the invitation.

What are the confirmed order terms?

• Seats: two
• Driver controls: none — no steering wheel, no pedals
• Estimated purchase price: $29,990 before taxes
• Order deposit: $1,000, non-refundable
• Autonomy Subscription: $299 per month, required for the vehicle to operate
• Estimated delivery: December 2026
• Launch scope: limited release in supported service areas

The word "estimated" applies to both the price and the delivery date. Tesla has not said the deposit counts toward the purchase price, nor what happens if the delivery window slips.

What does the $299 subscription do to the cost?

At $299 per month, the subscription costs $3,588 per year. Arithmetic built from the two confirmed prices shows how the totals accumulate:

• 1 year: $29,990 + $3,588 = $33,578, averaging $2,798.17 per month
• 3 years: $29,990 + $10,764 = $40,754, averaging $1,132.06 per month
• 5 years: $29,990 + $17,940 = $47,930, averaging $798.83 per month
• 10 years: $29,990 + $35,880 = $65,870, averaging $548.92 per month

The figures exclude insurance, charging, maintenance and registration. At three years, the subscription makes up about 26.4% of combined cost; at five years, about 37.4%. In plain words: the low entry price pairs with a permanent monthly bill.

Why does the invitation-only wording matter?

Tesla wrote that "select customers" are being invited. That is an invitation program, not an open order book. The reports do not say how Tesla picks customers, whether existing owners get priority, or how many invitations have gone out. No deposit count has been disclosed, so demand cannot yet be sized from hard numbers. Social posts describing orders as generally "open" go beyond what Tesla wrote.

What remains unconfirmed?

• Orders open to the general public — unconfirmed
• A personally owned Cybercab delivered to a customer — unconfirmed
• Operation outside supported service areas — unconfirmed
• Range, battery size, charging speed, cargo space and sensor hardware — not detailed by Tesla
• Manual override, tow procedure or remote assistance for a car with no controls — not addressed

The December 2026 estimate sits only weeks from the November 14 announcement, which suggests either cars close to ready or a very small first batch. The reports do not say which. Tesla's own history counsels caution: Cybertruck production was previously extended through summer 2027.

How does the price sit in Tesla's lineup?

Tesla now sells the Cybertruck only as the Cyberbeast at $109,990 — roughly 3.7 times the Cybercab's estimated price, a gap of $80,000. The Cybercab structure also differs from both a conventional car (price only) and ride-hailing (fare only, no capital): it demands a purchase plus a recurring fee for a car that drives itself only inside supported areas.

What signals does this send to the market?

Investor-focused coverage frames Cybercab as central to Tesla's valuation — a comparison with BYD found Tesla at negative $14 billion free cash flow and a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 232. A required $299 monthly fee per vehicle shifts revenue from one-time sales toward recurring payments, the income model investors prize. Tesla has not disclosed expected delivery volumes, so revenue cannot be sized. The harder test — converting $1,000 deposits into delivered cars and paying subscribers — has no data yet.

The confirmed record stops at the terms. Everything from public availability to the first delivery remains open.