Tesla Releases Stripped-Out RWD Cybertruck That Is So Much Worse For Not Much Less Money

The Tesla Cybertruck has been really struggling lately, with thousands of trucks sitting in inventory, recalls and stop-sales for issues like body panels flying off, and the cancelation of promised features like the optional bed-mounted range extender. Sales for the truck have also been far lower than Tesla hoped, with around 50,000 delivered since it went on sale at the end of 2023, a far cry from the million-plus reservations Tesla had touted. To hopefully increase sales (and combat sliding used values), Tesla has finally introduced an entry-level rear-wheel-drive version of the Cybertruck, something it had initially announced way back when the Cybertruck was revealed in 2019.

This new version isn’t nearly as cheap as Tesla originally planned, though. While the RWD Cybertruck was said to have a starting price of under $40,000 back then (and then around $61,000 last year when it was available to order but never actually entered production), you’ll now have to pony up $71,985 for it, including $1,995 destination. That means this new Cybertruck variant is just ten grand cheaper than the dual-motor all-wheel-drive model, and it seems like a major downgrade in basically every way.

Tesla doesn’t say how much power the rear-drive Cybertruck makes, but it’ll hit 60 mph in a claimed 6.2 seconds, which is 2.1 seconds slower than the dual-motor truck and 3.6 seconds slower than the top-end tri-motor Cyberbeast that starts at over $100,000. It does still have a mechanical locking rear differential, and range is up to 350 miles, versus a max range of 325 miles in the AWD version or 320 miles in the Cyberbeast. That’s partially because of the even smaller and uglier wheels. Where the dual-motor Cybertruck comes standard with 20-inch wheels, the single-motor model comes with 18s that, while admittedly a cool design for the wheel itself, look goofy as hell on the truck with those huge sidewalls. The same 20-inchers with all-terrains and those problematic wheel covers are a $3,500 option, bringing the range down to 331 miles.

The rear-wheel-drive Cybertruck can only tow 7,500 pounds, down from 11,000 pounds in the dual-motor versions, and its max payload is 2,006 pounds (if you get the bigger wheels), compared to 2,500 pounds for the mid-range truck and 2,271 pounds with the Cyberbeast. The base Cybertruck does charge the quickest, adding up to 147 miles in 15 minutes when plugged into a Tesla Supercharger versus 137 miles for the dual-motor, though its 325-kW max charging power is the same as other Cybertrucks.

It’s not just in specs where the base Cybertruck is a big downgrade. One of the bigger losses is the adaptive air suspension with adjustable ride height that the upper models get, with the rear-drive Cybertruck just making do with an adaptive coil-spring suspension. Gone is the powered tonneau cover, which isn’t even an option on the rear-drive truck, though for $750 a soft tonneau is available that Tesla says increases range by 12 miles — but it ships separately and you have to install it yourself. In the bed itself the base truck doesn’t have the underfloor storage compartment, it has “standard” bed lamps instead of “premium” ones, there are no L-tracks in the bed, and it also doesn’t have the 240v outlet and two 120v outlets that the other Cybertrucks do. 

Tesla says the headlights don’t have the “signature lamps” of the other Cybertrucks, which I believe is the light bar at the top of the nose, but all of Tesla’s images still show it — maybe it has less functionality or something. The light bar at the rear is also removed for the rear-drive truck, and it loses its tinted windows, too. Inside, the base Cybertruck has cloth upholstery instead of the nicer leather-like material in the other models, and a “standard” center console instead of a “premium” one. It loses the ventilation for the front seats and heating for the rear seats, though the fronts are still heated. The 9.4-inch display for rear passengers is taken out, the sound system is brought down to 7 speakers instead of 15 (a Honda Civic Sport has 8), and the active noise cancelation is taken out — all the better to hear to hear people yelling obscenities at you as you drive by. Also removed for the base Cybertruck are the two 120v outlets in the cabin and the HEPA air filter.

The Cybertruck is already an austere vehicle, and this extreme decontenting makes it way worse, even before you see how it’s not that much cheaper than the mid-range model. It certainly seems like Tesla removed more than $10,000 worth of stuff. It’s not even an amazing deal when put up against other electric trucks, either. Entry-level versions of the Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T and Chevrolet Silverado EV all have dual-motor powertrains and start at $65,090, $71,900 and $75,195, respectively.

Maybe if this base-spec Cybertruck was actually $40,000 like Tesla originally said, it would actually be appealing. Wait, no, it wouldn’t be, because it would still be ugly and badly built. I don’t expect this trim to last very long anyway — Tesla has a habit of quietly canceling its cheaper offerings when no one buys them.