Tesla's long-awaited Cybertruck will start at $60,990 before rebates

After years of production delays, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to a dimly lit stage on Thursday to hand-deliver the first batch of Cybertruck EVs to their new owners during a delivery event held at the Tesla Gigafactory in Austin, Texas. The company has also finally announced pricing for the luxury electric truck. Prospective buyers can expect to pay anywhere from $60,990 to $100,000 MSRP (and potentially $11,000 less after rebates and tax credits). The company has launched an online configurator tool for those interested in placing an order of their own.

Tesla also officially revealed the vehicle's performance specs and model options at the event. The Cybertruck's entry-level version is the $60,990 single-motor rear-wheel drive ($49,890 after "incentives" and an "estimated 3-year gas savings," per the configurator). It will offer an estimated 250 miles of range and a pokey 6.5 second zero-to-60. Who knew steel sheeting would be so heavy? It won't be released until the 2025 model year.

The mid-level model is the $79,990 all-wheel drive version and sports e-motors on each axle. It weighs just over 6,600 pounds — 1,900 less than the Rivian R1S and nearly 2,500 less than the Hummer EV. "If you are ever in an argument with another car, you will win," Musk said Thursday.

The AWD will offer 340 miles of range, a more respectable 4.1-second zero-to-60 and 600 HP with 7435 lb-ft of torque. Its 11,000-pound towing capacity is a touch more than the Ford Lighting XLT's 10,000-pound maximum, but less than the 14,000-pound figure Musk quoted in 2019.

For $99,990, you can buy the top of the line Cyberbeast — yes, you will have to refer to it as that in public. The Cyberbeast comes equipped with a trio of e-motors that will provide AWD handling, a 320-mile range, 2.6-second sero-to-60, a 130 MPH top speed, 845 horses and 10,296 lb-ft of torque. Despite those impressive specs, the Cyberbeast is stuck with the same 11,000 pound tow limit as the base model.

Both the Cyberbeast and the AWD iteration will be able to carry 121 cubic feet of cargo and accommodate five adult passengers. The Cybertruck line is compatible with Tesla's supercharger network and can accept up to 250kW maximum, enough to add 128 miles of range for every 15 minutes of charge time. The AWD and Cyberbeast are both currently available to order on Tesla's website, though prospective buyers will need to put down a fully-refundable $250 deposit upon ordering.

The prices stated Thursday are significantly higher than the $50,000 price range Musk had long said the vehicle would retail for. For comparison, the Ford F-150 Lightning currently starts at $52,000. Rivian's R1S is more in line with the Cybertruck, retailing for $79,500 after its automaker raised prices from $67,500 last year.

Thursday's event comes after four years of development work that has been the subject of both intense scrutiny and promotion, often simultaneously. For example, when Musk first revealed the Cybertruck design in November 2019, he famously had an assistant throw baseballs at the vehicle's "Tesla Armor Glass" windows, which promptly broke from the impact. That snafu clearly got under Musk's skin as he made time during Thursday's Cybertruck delivery event to recreate the stunt, this time, with what appeared to be less-damaging softballs. No windows came to harm during the event.

The window smash test wasn't the only comparative stunt of the day. Musk dusted off two classics from the 2019 reveal event: a drag race with a Porsche 911 (this time with the Cybertruck hauling a second Porsche), and a towing contest between the Cybertruck and various other light and medium-duty EV and ICE pickups. Wholly unsurprisingly, Tesla's vehicle managed to easily outmatch all of its competitors in each of the tests put on by Tesla.

The Cybertruck has also been the focus of intense marketing efforts by the company with myriad consumer product tie-ins. Tesla promised an electric ATV that would be ready at the truck's launch and was reportedly also considering an electric dirt bike as well. Those did not materialize. Tesla's RC Cybertruck, produced in partnership with Hot Wheels, did make it to market for a cool $400. Hot Wheels followed that up with a far more affordable $100 RV Cyberquad. The company even released a kid-sized Cyberquad, though the rideable toys were swiftly recalled for lacking basic safety features.