More affordable Cybertruck suffers $10k price adjustment and end of leasing: what changes

The starting price of the cheapest Cybertruck rises to $69,990 and the end of the leasing option; understand the impacts for the consumer and Tesla's production.

Adjusted entry price and end of leasing

The lowest starting price for the Cybertruck has risen to $69,990, with the end of the leasing option for the version. The change took effect on March 1st, just 10 days after the lowest-priced version debuted on February 20th.

The increase of $10,000 represents 16.7% above the previous entry price of $59,990. Elon Musk announced on X that the promotional price would only be valid for the next 10 days, without confirming the post-promotional price, citing market demand.

This change puts the entry-level Cybertruck back at the same price point as the old Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) version, which has been discontinued.

Details of the cheapest version

The entry-level version is the Dual-Motor All-Wheel Drive (AWD). The model shares the powertrain with the $79,990 Premium AWD trim and has an estimated range of about 325 miles.

• Entry Price: $69,990
• Estimated EPA Range: ~325 miles
• Drivetrain: Dual-Motor AWD
• Interior: gray fabric instead of vegan leather; simplified center console; half the number of speakers; no seat heating/ventilation or rear display

Historical context and future goals

In 2019, Tesla projected a starting price of $39,990 and a tri-motor version with over 500 miles of range. Cybertruck production began at the end of 2023 above $70k for the base model, while the top-of-the-line Cyberbeast delivers about 320 miles — approximately 200 miles less than the original projection.

Production and sales have fallen short of initial targets. In the US, 20,237 Cybertrucks were sold last year, an annual drop of 48% and only 8.1% of the desired production rate of 250,000 units for 2025, according to the company during the last earnings call.

Tesla has announced plans to transition the Cybertruck line to a fully autonomous configuration aimed at delivery fleets.

Note on the origin of the material

Credit to Cláudio Afonso, founder of CARBA, who launched the EV blog in early 2021. After a 1.5-year hiatus, he relaunched EV in April 2024. In 2024, he also launched AV, a blog dedicated to the autonomous vehicle industry.

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Reader Opinion: would you pay $69,990 for the most basic Cybertruck or wait for new price changes and leasing options? Share your point of view in the comments below.