Tesla Opens Cybercab Orders at $29,990 — But the Car Won’t Move Without a $299-a-Month Subscription
Tesla has started inviting select customers to buy a Cybercab for personal use, pricing its steering-wheel-free robotaxi at $29,990 — but the car will not drive unless the owner also pays $299 every month for an “Autonomy Subscription.”
Tesla’s official Robotaxi account announced the invitations on X on Friday, November 13, posting screenshots of the order page and the invitation email. It is the first time Tesla has offered the two-seat autonomous vehicle to private buyers, and the terms make clear that ownership works very differently from buying a conventional car.
What Tesla is selling
The order page lists the Cybercab at $29,990 before taxes, with an estimated delivery of December 2026 in Austin, Texas. Buyers must put down a $1,000 non-refundable deposit, and each invited customer may order only one vehicle.
The subscription is not optional. It comes pre-checked on the order page at $299 a month, with one month included, and the fine print states that “subscription and regular vehicle maintenance [are] required to operate.” The invitation email is even more direct: “Only available in supported service areas. Subscription required for operation.”
The vehicle has two seats, a 21-inch center touchscreen, and 20.1 cubic feet of cargo space. It has no steering wheel, no gas pedal, and no brake pedal. Tesla describes it as “fully autonomous” and says owners will “manage your ride in the app.”
The catch: where it can drive, and what it costs
A privately owned Cybercab only works inside Tesla’s Robotaxi service areas — eight cities in Texas and Florida: Austin, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, plus Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. Outside those geofenced zones, the car cannot operate.
Those service areas are also smaller than Tesla advertises. Independent tracker Koby Pierce tested thousands of addresses in the Robotaxi app and found that the areas where Tesla actually accepts pickups and drop-offs cover only 59 to 78 percent of the advertised geofences. In Austin, where Tesla plans to deliver these cars, the figure is about 59 percent.
The monthly fee adds up fast. At $299 a month, the subscription costs $3,588 a year. Over five years, the car plus the subscription comes to about $47,600, before insurance, maintenance, taxes, and charging, according to Electrek’s calculation. The order terms also prohibit commercial use, according to The Verge — no Uber, no DoorDash, and no putting the car on Tesla’s own Robotaxi network.
Regulatory questions remain open
The sale also comes with a regulatory cloud. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ordered Tesla to prove under oath that a car with no brake pedal meets federal safety standards that require one. Tesla answered on October 30 and asked that its entire response be kept confidential. The agency has not yet ruled, and Tesla is selling the car to consumers anyway.
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Background
Tesla unveiled the Cybercab in 2024, when Elon Musk promised a vehicle priced “below $30,000.” At $29,990 before taxes, he technically hit that target — without mentioning the $3,588 a year it takes to use it. The launch comes as Elon Musk has warned Nvidia could lose critical deals without Jensen Huang, the chip chief whose resignation shook the artificial intelligence industry. Tesla has also been winding down other programs: the company ended Cybertruck production and began refunding deposits.
Why this matters
The Cybercab is the first driverless car a major automaker has offered directly to consumers, and it tests a new ownership model: a car you buy but cannot use without an ongoing subscription, and only in a handful of cities. If the invited buyers take delivery in December as estimated, Tesla will have to show that a $30,000 car with a $299 monthly fee and a small operating map is worth it — and that regulators are satisfied a vehicle with no pedals belongs on public roads.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Tesla Cybercab cost in total?
The car costs $29,990 before taxes, plus a $1,000 non-refundable deposit and a $299-a-month Autonomy Subscription that is required for the car to operate. Over five years, the purchase price plus the subscription comes to about $47,600, before insurance, maintenance, taxes, and charging.
Where can a Cybercab drive?
Only inside Tesla’s Robotaxi service areas in eight cities: Austin, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, and San Antonio in Texas, and Miami, Orlando, and Tampa in Florida. Independent testing found the actual pickup and drop-off areas cover only 59 to 78 percent of the advertised geofences.
Can I use my Cybercab as a robotaxi or for Uber?
No. The order terms explicitly prohibit commercial use, so owners cannot use the car for Uber or DoorDash or put it on Tesla’s own Robotaxi network.
When will Cybercab deliveries start?
Tesla estimates deliveries will begin in December 2026 in Austin, Texas. That is a projected date, not a confirmation that handovers have started, and ordering is limited to invited customers for now.
Tesla’s Cybercab offer puts a price on driverless ownership — $29,990 up front, $299 a month to keep it moving, and only where Tesla’s robotaxis already run. Whether buyers accept those terms, and whether regulators accept a car with no pedals, will decide if the Cybercab becomes a real product or an expensive experiment.
Sources: Electrek, The Verge, Engadget, Tesla Robotaxi on X
