Tesla is doubling down, even tripling down, on its bold claims of an autonomous future by offering “select customers” the chance to purchase a Cybercab for “personal use.” But the gold, steering-wheel-less two-seater “will only be available in supported service areas” — meaning you’ll only be able to buy one if you live in one of the cities where Tesla currently operates its Robotaxi service.
The price of a Cybercab is listed at $29,990, plus a mandatory “autonomy subscription” of $299 per month. Tesla’s Robotaxi account on X announced the new offer, including screenshots of the order page and invitation email. But don’t expect a fleet of personal Cybercabs to suddenly materialize on public roads: “Initial availability is limited,” the invitation email warns.
Tesla began offering Cybercab rides as part of its Model Y-powered Robotaxi service in Austin in September. The company now has 278 Cybercabs in operation, representing about 40% of its fleet, according to Robotaxi Tracker, a collaborative initiative.
The inclusion of a mandatory $299/month subscription is sure to upset some fans who might have dreamed of riding around in a $30,000 driverless Tesla, as initially promised by Tesla CEO Elon Musk when he first introduced the Cybercab in 2024. Musk made no mention of the autonomous subscription at that event, although that shouldn’t be too surprising given the $99/month fee that Tesla currently charges for its Fully Self-Driving (FSD) feature.
However, this money accumulates over time. Over a standard 5-year ownership period, the mandatory $299/month fee adds $17,940 to the sticker price (even with the first month included), bringing the actual base cost to about $47,600 before taxes, fees and insurance – more than a brand new Model 3 or Model Y that you can actually drive anywhere in the country.
Unlike a standard Tesla where canceling the FSD simply returns the car to manual driving, canceling the $299/month Autonomy subscription renders the Cybercab completely unusable on public roads as there is no manual fallback. In effect, the car becomes a brick. Additionally, Tesla says buyers will have to pay a non-refundable $1,000 deposit just to get in line for a December delivery window that is not guaranteed.
One of the biggest selling points of Musk’s “We, Robot” speech in 2024 was that everyday people could buy a Cybercab and add it to Tesla’s Robotaxi network to earn passive income while they slept or worked. But the terms of the order explicitly prohibit owners from using the vehicle for commercial purposes — which means no Uber, no DoorDash, and no banking on Tesla’s own Robotaxi network to offset the $299/month fee. Ashok Elluswamy, head of Tesla AI, proposed the second quarter of 2027 as a possible target for allowing customer cars to join the network, so that first-time buyers pay the full freight with no way to monetize the car.
Additionally, Tesla only needs to notify you 30 days before increasing the price. If they update the rules and you continue to use the service, you automatically agree to the new terms. Additionally, if you cancel – or Tesla suspends your access – you won’t receive a partial refund for the remainder of the month you’ve already paid for.
Of course, this is just the fine print. On X, Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised a much wider rollout, subject – of course – to “regulatory approval.” Musk often views regulatory approval as the main external bottleneck holding back his robotaxi’s timelines, in order to distract attention from Tesla’s technological shortcomings.
(For what it’s worth, he also called his own company’s $299/month Autonomy subscription “too high,” arguing that it should actually be $115/month or closer to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving subscription at $99/month.)
But Musk seemed more interested in taunting YouTuber Marques Brownlee, who promised to shave his head if Tesla delivered a Cybercab for less than $30,000 before 2027, than addressing the litany of safety and liability questions raised by the offer. (For his part, Brownlee says he thinks his hair is safe.)
For starters, how does Tesla plan to sell a vehicle that doesn’t meet current federal motor vehicle safety standards that require traditional controls like the steering wheel and pedals? Tesla says the Autonomy subscription covers autonomous driving, maintenance and towing, but explicitly excludes car insurance. The company did not explain how personal auto insurers would insure a car without a human driver, or how liability would be shared between the owner and Tesla if the vehicle caused an accident while operating autonomously. Tesla also has not revealed how it selects guest buyers or how many units are for private sale versus its internal fleet.
Then there’s the small matter of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration already opening a formal audit into how Tesla self-certified a vehicle without a steering wheel, pedals or side mirrors. Tesla submitted its legal justification to NHTSA in October, requested that the entire response remain confidential, and is now accepting customer deposits while NHTSA’s decision is still pending.
Which means first-time buyers aren’t just paying $47,600 for a geo-tagged car they’re not allowed to drive, but they’re dropping non-refundable cash on a vehicle the federal government hasn’t even decided is street legal.
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