With angular, slab-sided styling that evokes comparisons to everything from a Minecraft or Roblox creation to a giant dumpster on wheels, the Tesla Cybertruck is easily the most polarizing electric vehicle to go on sale in recent memory. The polygonal pickup truck stands out with its paintless alloy body, gargantuan single-arm windshield wiper, and massive wheels and tires—and that’s before you even climb inside.
We found the Cybertruck quick and agile, but its unusually twitchy steering can be unnerving. Unlike most pickups, the Cybertruck benefits from a pretty composed ride, and it also has comfortable seats front and rear. But, the controls are beyond distracting to use while driving, and outward visibility is appalling.
After all the electrons had settled in our testing, the Cybertruck’s road-test score slots just a few points below its fellow EV pickup-truck rivals, the Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning. “A wild, surreal, otherworldly creation,” said one of our testers. “I had serious doubts, especially after the train wreck of a delivery experience. But driving it is rather pleasant, with smooth power, excellent agility for something this large and heavy, and decent comfort.”
“Love it or hate it, it’s amazing the Cybertruck exists, and it’s one of the most interesting vehicles available from an engineering standpoint,” commented another tester. “They don’t all translate to something better for the customer, but this is a halo product with tech that will likely show up in other Tesla vehicles.”
As with all things Tesla, the Cybertruck is a blend of hyperbole and capability. It starts with the proprietary “Stiff Staff” font for the vehicle’s logo and Tesla’s claim that it’s built for “any planet.” The available Cyberbeast version gives the truck a claimed 2.6 second 0-to-60-mph acceleration time—an incredible accomplishment for a vehicle with a curb weight of 6,898 pounds, according to CR’s measurements.
The dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version has a manufacturer-estimated driving range of 325 miles and a claimed 11,000-pound towing capacity. We recorded 334 miles during our 70-mph highway range test.
The Cyberbeast has three motors and a 301-mile driving range. Oh, and it has a “laser-etched Cerberus badge.” Both versions are available with the “Full Self-Driving Capability” option–either through a one-time $8,000 payment at the time of purchase, or a recurring subscription. Buyers can place a reservation for the Range Extender, a $16,000 option that increases the driving range to at least an estimated 445 miles (415 miles for the Cyberbeast).
We bought a 2024 Tesla Cybertruck Dual-Motor All-Wheel-Drive Foundation Series for $101,985 direct from Tesla (anonymously, as we do with every vehicle we test) for the purpose of this road test review.
Driving experience
With 600 horsepower from dual electric motors, the Cybertruck has immediate and effortless acceleration, no matter which drive mode you have selected. In our acceleration tests with the truck in Standard mode, we clocked a 4.1-second 0-to-60-mph time. But even in Chill mode, where power buildup is more gradual in an effort to make the sensation gentle and smooth, the truck remains very quick.
We recorded 334 miles during our 70-mph highway range test.
With an 11.5-kilowatt onboard charger, the Cybertruck can add about 25 miles of range to the large, 123-kilowatt-hour battery per hour on a Level 2 home charger or Tesla Destination charger. This means it would take about 12 hours to fully charge it from zero. When using a Tesla Supercharger or non-Tesla DC fast charger, the Cybertruck’s 250-kW maximum acceptance rate enables it to gain about nine miles of range per minute.
Unlike in most EVs, Tesla doesn’t give the driver the ability to adjust the Cybertruck’s regenerative braking levels. Instead, it’s stuck in “one-pedal driving” mode, which enables you to accelerate and brake by using just the accelerator pedal. Although we found the one-pedal driving relatively easy to get used to in both suburban and highway driving situations, the level of deceleration as you release pressure off the accelerator pedal is too intense at very low speeds, such as in stop-and-go traffic or parking lots, which makes it challenging to drive smoothly.
The Cybertruck is remarkably agile for its size and weight, a result of very little body lean through corners, rear-wheel steering, and a super-quick steer-by-wire system. This system works well at higher speeds, but the rapidly-changing steering ratio isn’t linear; a slight turn of the steering wheel at low speeds, for example below about 40 mph, results in an overly-quick reaction from the truck, and it feels unpredictable. In parking situations, the rear wheels steer in the opposite direction of the front wheels, which helps maneuverability.
In our avoidance-maneuver test the truck was secure and planted, and its 52-mph speed is nearly identical to the Rivian R1T. At its limits the truck understeers as the front tires struggle for grip, and the lack of steering feedback means the driver isn’t given any information about tire adhesion. The Cybertruck posted excellent scores in our braking tests, with short stops on both dry and wet surfaces.
The Cybertruck’s unified structure makes it feel very solid on the road because it doesn’t suffer from the twisting or jiggling feeling of traditional body-on-frame trucks. So even though the ride is firm, it is controlled and composed, aided by the standard air suspension.
We found the Cybertruck louder inside the cabin than most EVs. The large tires have an aggressive tread, and they are noisy on most road surfaces. Wind noise becomes noticeable at around 40 mph and gets intrusive at speeds in excess of 70 mph. It’s the powertrain that really stands out, though. The electric motors make a lot of whirring and whining noises, whether you’re speeding up or slowing down. Plus, there are electric groans from the rear steering system and other actuators that are noticeable at low speeds.
Cabin comfort
The unintuitive nature of the door release buttons and lack of an actual external door handle cause big headaches getting into the Cybertruck. After unlocking, you have to find the small buttons on the B- or C-roof pillars and press them to open the door—people new to the truck won’t find them without assistance. After that, cabin access is pretty easy. The door sills are flush with the floor, and only require a small step over. The seats are well-positioned to let occupants slide in or out.
Once inside, our testers' feedback ranged from “typical Tesla” to “bare bones” and “cheap.” Among the positives, the microfiber headliner is one of the nicest and softest we’ve experienced in a long while, and the synthetic leather seats look and feel like the real thing. They have attractive contrasting piping and exposed stitching that livens things up. Plus, a cool strip of ambient LED lighting encircles the cabin. But while we don’t use our test car’s condition to judge reliability, our Cybertruck was delivered with a leatherette dash pad that was damaged on both sides and not properly secured. One tester noted the driver’s seat creaked throughout their drive, something that wouldn’t be acceptable in any compact car or SUV, let alone one at the Tesla’s price.
Our testers were universally positive about the front seats. They are firmly padded, yet comfortable, and stay supportive over long highway trips. There’s a wide range of adjustability, and the fixed headrest was both comfortable and appropriately positioned. The bolsters on the seatback and bottom cushion do a good job keeping the driver and passenger in place when cornering, without being overly confining.
Once the driver is situated behind the small, rectangular steering wheel they’ll find a roomy space with almost no center console intrusion with their right knee. The lack of an instrument screen behind the steering wheel means the driver can position the wheel without having to worry about obstructing the gauges. Headroom is generous, and the left footrest and wide armrests are well-placed, although we wished for more padding on the latter. Due to the oblong steering wheel’s shape, the driver is basically forced to grip the wheel only at the extreme sides (the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions) and leave them there. That’s not the end of the world, though, as the quick steering means there isn’t a reason to have to shuffle-steer or go hand-over-hand when making a sharp turn.
Outward visibility is atrocious. Despite the steep downward angle of the hood, the extremely deep dashboard and dramatically-sloping windshield make it a challenge to see what’s directly in front of the Cybertruck. The super-long and thick windshield pillars create significant blind spots when turning, or when driving on a curvy road. The rearview mirror is tiny and provides a narrow view out the back. Worse yet, the glass is distorted at the sides and further hurts the views rearward. When the bed’s tonneau cover is closed, the driver has to rely on the small digital rearview camera image that is displayed in the center screen.
The rear seat is very roomy and comfortable. The fixed seatback position creates a more natural angle than in most pickup trucks, and there’s plenty of leg- and kneeroom. Headroom is only tight for above-average height passengers.
Controls and usability
Nearly every essential function is handled through the giant center infotainment touchscreen, or the small touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel. Few things can be done by muscle memory without looking. Adjusting the side mirrors, steering wheel, airflow of the dashboard vents, and windshield wipers is done either through the touchscreen or by using the thumbwheels and buttons on the steering wheel.
Tesla’s latest-generation of controls has seen the removal of the turn-signal stalk and gear-selector lever. The turn signals are touch-capacitive “buttons” on the steering wheel, while the gear selector is handled by using the dash-mounted infotainment touchscreen and sliding your finger along the left side of the screen to shift it into Reverse or Drive.
The turn signal buttons' location forces the driver to look down every time they need to activate them—rather than just instinctively flicking a stalk with a hand without having to take eyes off the road. Plus, several drivers had instances where the signals wouldn’t activate when pressed, and the buttons can be hard to find when the steering wheel is turned. The headlights, including high beams, are also controlled via the steering wheel, and can be difficult to activate when steering, and the massive windshield wiper is activated by another small button.
Lastly, the lack of Android Auto or Apple CarPlay capability continues to be a disappointment in Teslas.
Active safety & driver assistance
The Cybertruck comes standard with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, reverse automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance (labeled as “Emergency Steering”), adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Tiny red LEDs at the base of the windshield pillars form a token BSW system (in addition to the existing display of surrounding vehicles on the center screen). A rear seat belt-minder system comes standard, but a rear occupant alert system isn’t available.