Tesla is inviting select customers to buy the Cybercab for personal use at $29,990, with a required $299/month Autonomy Subscription, a $1,000 non-refundable deposit and December 2026 deliveries in Austin. Here's the real cost and the fine print.
Image: Tesla
Two years after Elon Musk rolled a gold two-seater onto a Hollywood stage and promised it would cost "below $30,000," the Cybercab is for sale. On Friday, Tesla's official Robotaxi account announced that "select customers are now being invited to purchase Cybercab for personal use." The price is $29,990. To actually use it, you'll pay another $299 a month, every month.
It is the first time an automaker has offered a car with no steering wheel and no pedals to private buyers. Here's what the invitation includes, what it will really cost you, and the fine print that matters.
@robotaxi on X — November 13, 2026
"Select customers are now being invited to purchase Cybercab for personal use"
Tesla's order page and invitation email lay out the deal plainly:
Not everyone, yet. Orders are by invitation only, and Tesla hasn't said how it chooses buyers. Because Austin is the only city where Cybercabs currently operate, and the order page lists Austin for delivery, the first buyers are most likely Austin-area customers. Tesla hasn't confirmed that, so if you live elsewhere, watch your inbox and the Tesla app.
The real cost
Add up the subscription and the Cybercab is not a $30,000 car. With the first month free, year one costs about $33,279 ($29,990 plus 11 months at $299). Over five years, the subscription alone adds about $17,641, bringing the total to roughly $47,631 before taxes, insurance, maintenance and charging. For comparison, the cheapest Model Y now starts at $39,990 and can be driven by its owner without a subscription.
The subscription isn't just software. According to the Autonomy Subscription details shared by Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt on X, the $299 monthly fee also covers most of the maintenance a driverless car needs:
It drives itself to the shop
The Cybercab can drive itself, unoccupied, to a Tesla Service Center for maintenance and return home afterward. Tesla notifies owners through the app when service is needed. Tires alone can run several hundred dollars a set, so the bundle offsets part of the $3,588 yearly subscription cost.
Tesla's email describes the cabin as having wraparound ambient lighting, fully adjustable seating for two "with tons of legroom," and an extra-large 21-inch center touchscreen. The trunk holds 20.1 cubic feet, which Tesla says is enough for luggage, golf clubs and scooters. The doors open upward, as on the robotaxi version already carrying riders in Austin. Owners will "monitor your vehicle and manage your ride in the app."
Tesla hasn't published range, battery size or charging speed for the customer version. Musk recently hinted at a 40 kWh battery pack, but there's no official spec sheet yet.
Read this before you put down $1,000
Tesla unveiled the Cybercab in October 2024 and has built it at Gigafactory Texas since 2026. Until now, every Cybercab has gone into Tesla's own Robotaxi fleet in Austin, where riders can already choose a Cybercab or a Model Y in the app. On its Q3 2026 earnings call, Tesla said most Cybercabs would stay in its own fleet, with some sold to customers by year-end. Friday's invitations are that promise arriving on schedule.
The timing is notable. The same week, Tesla cut its cheapest all-wheel-drive Model Y, and it is winding down the Cybertruck to make room for more Cybercab production. Tesla is betting its future on cars nobody drives.
The bottom line: The Cybercab is real, it's for sale, and it costs $29,990, but only with a $299 monthly subscription you can't skip, only in areas Tesla supports, and only by invitation for now. For an Austin resident who wants a private driverless car, it's a first. For everyone else, it's a preview. The questions that decide whether it's a good deal, like what happens without the subscription and whether you can earn money with it, are still unanswered. We'll update this story as Tesla publishes the full terms.
Related: Robotaxi app: Cybercab vs Model Y · Cybercab Dallas launch and NHTSA audit · Cheapest AWD Model Y discontinued
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