Tesla Cybercab price, $299 fee and who can buy one

Tesla has started selling the Cybercab to ordinary people. Late on Friday, November 13, 2026, Tesla's official Robotaxi account on X said "select customers are now being invited to purchase Cybercab for personal use." The order page lists the two-seat, self-driving car at $29,990 before taxes, which matches the "under $30,000" figure Elon Musk promised when he unveiled it in 2024.

But the headline price is only part of the cost. Every Cybercab needs a $299-a-month "Autonomy Subscription" to move at all, it only works inside Tesla's Robotaxi service areas in Texas and Florida, and the owner agreement bars you from earning money with it. Here is what the Cybercab costs, who can buy one, and the fine print worth reading before paying the $1,000 deposit. (Prices and terms checked 21:15 UTC, November 14, 2026.)

How much does the Tesla Cybercab cost?

According to Tesla's order page, as shown in screenshots posted by Tesla and reported by Electrek, The Verge, Engadget and Teslarati, the Cybercab costs:

Car price: $29,990 before taxes and fees.

Order deposit: $1,000, non-refundable.

Autonomy Subscription: $299 a month, pre-selected on the order page and not optional. The first month is included with the purchase.

Estimated delivery: December 2026, with Austin, Texas listed as the delivery location. Tesla's invitation email warns that "initial availability is limited."

Insurance, registration, charging, parking and cleaning are not included. Those stay with the owner, the same as any car.

What does the Cybercab really cost over five years?

Because the subscription never ends, it adds up quickly. At today's $299 a month, one year of the subscription is $3,588. Over five years, with the first month free, you would pay for 59 months: $17,641 on top of the $29,990 car, or about $47,631 in total before insurance, taxes and charging. Electrek reached the same figure.

That could change in either direction. Tesla's agreement lets it change the subscription price with one month's notice. And on Saturday Musk himself replied to YouTuber Marques Brownlee that "the monthly fee is too high" and "should match the cost of Tesla FSD and connectivity for other models, which is more like ~$115/month." Tesla has not changed the order page price yet. If it did drop to $115, five years would cost about $36,775 instead. For comparison, Tesla's supervised Full Self-Driving for its regular cars costs $99 a month.

Who can buy a Cybercab right now?

For now, only people Tesla invites. There is no public order page, and Tesla has not said how it chooses buyers or how many cars are set aside for private owners. Brownlee, who posted the invite-only order page, said buyers must accept delivery in one of a handful of Texas cities and that it is one vehicle per customer. Teslarati lists Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Fort Worth as delivery choices.

Musk says the Cybercab "will be available nationwide, as we receive regulatory approval," but gave no date. There is no word on sales outside the US.

Where can a Cybercab drive?

Only inside the areas where Tesla already runs its Robotaxi service. Tesla's AI chief Ashok Elluswamy said the car will work "unsupervised inside all the same geo locations as @robotaxi, just serving the owners' needs." Engadget and Electrek list those areas as parts of Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio in Texas, and Miami, Orlando and Tampa in Florida.

Outside those zones the car is not allowed to operate, and Tesla may block it technically. The agreement also says Tesla "may expand, reduce, relocate, or otherwise modify the operating area at any time." Electrek, citing independent tracker Koby Pierce, reports that the areas where Tesla's Robotaxi app actually accepts pickups cover only 59% to 78% of the advertised maps in the cities he tested, and about 59% in Austin.

Why the $299 subscription is required

The Cybercab has no steering wheel and no pedals. There is a 21-inch touchscreen, and you manage trips in the Tesla app. According to Teslarati's summary of the terms, the touchscreen only lets you move the car short distances at up to about 2 mph, for example to reposition it, and that needs a valid driving licence. It is not for driving on public roads.

So unlike a normal Tesla, where cancelling Full Self-Driving just means you drive yourself, cancelling the Cybercab subscription leaves you with a car that cannot go anywhere. Tesla's agreement says it plainly: "Your Cybercab will not operate without an active Autonomy Subscription."

The subscription does include some running costs. Teslarati reports it covers certain maintenance items such as tyres, windscreens, filters and camera cleaning, plus limited towing. It does not cover insurance.

The fine print: what owners agree to

Tesla posted a "Cybercab Autonomy Subscription Agreement" (version 20261112) alongside the order page. Electrek, Teslarati and TeslaNorth went through it. The main points:

Personal use only. You cannot put your Cybercab on Tesla's own Robotaxi network, Uber, a delivery app or a rental site without Tesla's written permission. That rules out the "earn money while you sleep" idea Musk pitched in 2024. Elluswamy has suggested customer cars might join the network around the second quarter of 2027.

Price changes. Tesla can change the subscription price with one month's notice, and if you keep using the car after new terms take effect, you accept them.

Suspensions. Three or more "strikeouts" for improper or unsafe use can lead to a one-week suspension of self-driving, during which the car may not operate. Payments are not prorated, so you do not get money back for lost days, or for the rest of a month if you cancel.

Remote control. Tesla can remotely locate, restrict or control the car, put it in a "safe state," or end your access.

Cabin camera data. Tesla collects "Autonomy Data," including images from the cabin camera above the rear-view mirror, kept for 30 days by default, Electrek reports.

No modifications. Wraps, window tint and wheel changes are only allowed through Tesla or an authorized provider.

Resale limits. You need Tesla's written permission to sell or transfer the car. Teslarati reports damages of at least $50,000 for unauthorized sales, and Tesla keeps a right to buy the car back at a fair market value it sets.

Is the Cybercab legal to sell?

That question is still open. Shortly after the Cybercab started carrying passengers in Tesla's Robotaxi service, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal car-safety regulator, opened an audit into how Tesla certified it. The agency noted the car lacks "conventional manual controls, such as a brake pedal, gas pedal, steering wheel and mirrors." Electrek reports Tesla answered on October 30 and asked for its whole response to be kept confidential. NHTSA has not ruled.

That means buyers are paying a non-refundable deposit on a car whose regulatory status has not been settled. Tesla has not said what happens to orders if NHTSA objects. The Verge also notes Tesla has not explained how insurers will cover a privately owned car with no human driver, or how blame is shared if it crashes.

Should you put down a deposit?

For most people the choice is made for you: unless you got an invite and live inside a Tesla Robotaxi zone in Texas or Florida, you cannot buy one. If you are invited, the Cybercab makes the most sense if your home, work and regular trips all sit well inside the service area, you already spend more than about $300 a month on ride-hailing, and you are comfortable with Tesla being able to change the price, the map and the rules after you pay.

If you want a Tesla you can drive anywhere, a Model 3 or Model Y with the optional $99-a-month supervised Full Self-Driving is still the more flexible option. And if Musk follows through on cutting the fee towards $115, the numbers will look quite different, so it may be worth waiting to see the final terms before the December deliveries.

We will update this article when Tesla changes the subscription price, opens orders more widely or NHTSA rules on the Cybercab.

Top image: a gold Tesla Cybercab on Interstate 280 near Palo Alto, California, in September 2026. (Photo: Daniel Lu / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons)