Tesla Cybertruck review

If you live in the UK - or anywhere except America - we have bad news. Pedestrian protection with that unyielding front end is a big no for export as it stands, although Tesla continues to push in certain markets. Lars Moravy boils it down to two other things: “One, the truck market in the US is huge and two, European regulations call for a 3.2mm external radius on external projections. Unfortunately, it's impossible to make a 3.2mm radius on a 1.4mm sheet of stainless steel.”

Unlikely we’ll ever see a Cybertruck wedged into a London width restrictor, then, but would we want to? Honestly, it’s a size or two too big for over here, and a few will filter through as grey imports. 

But the achievement here isn’t flooding the world with them - that’s what the white-good Model 3, Model Y and more affordable future models are for - it’s the design and engineering teams pushing this through to production with sheer stubbornness and bottomless development budgets. There’s work to do on the way it drives, we need to set it an off-road examination, but it’s a proper truck alright. And one that adheres to Tesla’s unconventional methods.

What if I *do* live in America?

The RWD entry-price of $60,990 is $21,000 more than Elon first promised, but then it has taken several more years to make production than he first predicted.

The deposit has gone up to $250 now too, and you’ll be waiting a while – Elon doesn’t think the Cybertruck will hit full production of 250,000 units a year until 2025.

And until the base car arrives, you’re left with two options: an AWD, 600bhp dual motor version pitched at $79,990, or the 845bhp, tri-motor ‘Cyberbeast’ costing $10 shy of $100k. It ain’t cheap, but the latter is the one you need for the full, madcap experience. Tesla’s gone all in, so should you.