At last, we have pricing for the Tesla Cybertruck production model, and while the electric pickup costs significantly more than what the EV maker announced four years ago, it is definitely an interesting proposition in the pickup segment.
There’s a single-motor variant priced at $60,990, which is $21,000 more than the price announced four years ago. Still, this RWD variant isn’t coming until 2025. The dual-motor Tesla Cybertruck starts at $79,990, which is a whopping $30,000 more than the original price.
As for the tri-motor Cybertruck, or the Cyberbeast as Tesla calls it, it starts at $99,990, which is also $30,000 more than the original price. Both the dual-motor and the tri-motor variants arrive in 2024.
While the price increases are massive, we shouldn’t forget about inflation, not to mention all the turmoil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that disrupted supply chains and pretty much everything else since 2019. On top of that, Elon Musk said the Cybertruck is enormously challenging to build, so that’s probably reflected in the pricing as well.
Obviously, looking at any price in isolation is one thing, but comparing it to what other vehicles cost is a completely different thing, so let’s see what else you can buy—electric or gas-powered—for the prices announced by Tesla for the Cybertruck.
One truck that costs about the same as the base Cybertruck is the Ford F-150 Lightning XLT, which is priced from $56,990 with the 230-mile Standard Range battery. The range is inferior to the Cybertruck RWD’s 250 miles, and the Lightning also has lower towing and payload ratings—5,000 pounds and 2,235 pounds for the Standard Range model, respectively.
If you want more range, the Extended Range battery EPA-rated at 320 miles is the one to get, but that one adds $10,000 to the price.
This well-equipped F-150 Lightning fitted with the 320-mile Extended Range battery costs about the same as the Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive, and they feature similar specs, starting with the estimated range of 340 miles.
The Ford boasts 580 hp and 775 lb-ft of torque from two motors, while the dual-motor Cybertruck delivers 600 horsepower. The Cybertruck is capable of doing 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds, while the Lightning is slightly quicker, needing under 4 seconds to cover the same sprint.
The dual motor Rivian R1T is a more affordable alternative to the dual-motor Cybertruck if you don’t mind the smaller size. It does 0-60 in 4.5 seconds (standard) or 3.5 seconds in Performance Dual-Motor AWD guise, thanks to 533 horsepower and 610 lb-ft of torque in the base model and 665 horsepower and 829 lb-ft of torque in the Performance variant.
It can’t rival any of the Cybertruck variants on payload, though, as the R1T is rated at 1,764 lbs compared to the Tesla’s 2,500 lbs. Still, it has the same towing capacity as the Tesla: 11,000 lbs.
Rivian also offers the R1T with a quad-motor powertrain that makes 835 hp and 908 lb-ft of torque, and this variant offers similar acceleration to the 845-hp Cyberbeast—0-60 mph takes 3.0 seconds compared to the Tesla’s 2.6 seconds with rollout—and unrivaled off-road ability thanks to the fact that each wheel is independently controled by its own motor.
With a starting price of $87,000 with the 328-mile Large battery pack, the R1T Quad Motor looks like a great deal compared to the Cyberbeast, which offers a similar range of 320 miles.
If money is no object and you don’t mind being seen in one of the least efficient and in-your-face EVs on the market, the GMC Hummer EV Pickup should suit you quite well. Mind you, the 2X trim level features a dual-motor powertrain making “only” 570 hp.
Still, you can always upgrade to the 3X trim level which gets a 1,000-horsepower tri-motor powertrain offering a 0-60 mph time of approximately 3 seconds in Watts to Freedom mode.
Towing and payload are significantly inferior to the Cybertruck at 8,500 lbs and 1,300 lbs, respectively. The range is superior, though, at up to 381 miles with the biggest battery, as estimated by GMC.
Starting next year, you’ll be able to get GM’s Ultium battery and drive architecture in a more sensible package, albeit not more affordable: the Chevrolet Silverado EV RST. With a GM-estimated range of 400 miles and a dual-motor powertrain rated at 754 hp and 785 lb-ft of torque, the fully loaded Silverado EV RST offers a slightly lower towing rating than the Cybertruck at 10,000 lbs and roughly half of the Tesla’s payload: 1,300 lbs.
The GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 shares its underpinnings and powertrain with the Silverado EV RST. The range-topping launch model will be available in summer 2024 with a slightly smaller towing rating of 9,500 lbs and a 0-60 mph time of less than 4.5 seconds.
One important thing to mention regarding the Silverado EV and Sierra EV twins is that they barely exist at the moment, and given GM’s difficulty ramping up Ultium battery production, it remains to be seen if the automaker will manage to bring them to market next year.
If none of these electric alternatives to the Cybertruck are convincing enough, the pickup truck market provides plenty of offerings—though you’ll need to go for the performance variants of popular full-size pickups to get comparable acceleration (that’s not a truck customer’s top priority, we know, but electric pickups with their instant torque have made that a topic of discussion).
The Ford F-150 PowerBoost and Toyota Tundra Hybrid are the only full-size trucks available with a full hybrid powertrain that may be the ideal solution for customers who are not ready to take the leap into all-electric trucks. The F-150 PowerBoost starts at $65,810 in Lariat 4×4 trim, with its 3.5-liter V6 hybrid engine making 430 hp and 570 lb-ft of torque. The Tundra Hybrid 4WD is priced from $70,555 and its iForce Max V6 Hybrid engine puts out a similar 437 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque.
With 702 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque from a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 that enables 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds, this brawny pickup is the perfect antithesis of a zero-emission battery-electric truck. The Ram 1500 TRX is a loud gas-guzzler, but it’s pretty hard to fault if you need a truck that allows you to go high-speed off-roading without worrying about your charging options when the battery runs out of juice.
The Ford F-150 Raptor is a similar offering to the Ram 1500 TRX, albeit a more sensible one considering that it comes with a 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine rated at 450 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque. For $30,575 more, you can upgrade to the Ford Raptor R that features a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 making 700 hp and 640 lb-ft of torque.
If you want a traditional truck without any electrical powertrain assistance but with all the bells and whistles and a generous power reserve—420 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque—the Silverado 1500 High Country with the optional 6.2-liter V8 will probably meet your demands. You can configure similar Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 upper trims as well.
In conclusion, U.S. truck buyers are spoiled for choice, and the Tesla Cybertruck will only make things harder for them when it comes to choosing the right pickup. The Cybertruck is the most capable electric truck on offer, it offers Tesla’s proven EV tech, and it looks like nothing else on the road. Where would your money go?
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