Tesla ends Cybertruck hopes for Australian and New Zealand customers
After nearly seven years of waiting, Tesla has voided reservations for its electric pickup in the region and promised full refunds to affected buyers.
By Thabo Mokoena ·
Tesla has formally ended the Cybertruck project for Australia and New Zealand. Today, reservation holders received emails confirming that their orders are now void. The company stated that it will process full refunds for all payments made within the next 30 days. To soften the blow, Tesla is offering a free one-year subscription to its Full Self-Driving supervised mode for anyone who switches their order to a Model 3 or Model Y. This move marks the definitive conclusion of a long wait for customers in these two markets.
The history of this reservation dates back to November 2019. At that time, Australians began paying a deposit of A$150 to secure a spot in line. For nearly seven years, buyers held onto these deposits while Tesla hinted at future availability. The situation became increasingly opaque in May 2022. Tesla quietly closed the Australian reservation page and replaced it with a button to receive updates. At that stage, no refunds were issued, and customers were left in a state of limbo. The uncertainty persisted until the company finally made its decision permanent this week.
The core technical hurdle was the vehicle's design. The Cybertruck is manufactured exclusively in left-hand drive. Australia and New Zealand require right-hand drive vehicles to operate on their roads. Additionally, Australia has strict design certification rules that the truck had to meet. Tesla never produced a right-hand drive version. In 2024, CEO Elon Musk told shareholders that certification for other markets might happen the following year. That year passed without a resolution, leaving the truck stuck in a left-hand drive configuration.
Market data suggests the decision was driven by limited demand. While Australia was once considered a significant potential market, it held only about 3% of global reservations. By 2023, total global reservations reached approximately 2 million. However, recent sales figures do not support a major re-engineering effort. In the third quarter of 2026, Tesla delivered just 8,295 vehicles in the 'Other Models' category, which is now almost entirely Cybertrucks. This pace is far below the production line's capacity of 250,000 units annually.
The company has focused its international launches on left-hand drive regions. Deliveries began in South Korea late last year and in the UAE in January. Configurations are now available in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Israel. The truck remains blocked in the European Union due to pedestrian safety concerns. With combined populations of about 33 million in Australia and New Zealand, the financial case for a right-hand drive variant was difficult to justify. Tesla is now shifting its strategy to convert dead reservations into sales of cars it already builds in the required configuration.
This announcement follows Tesla's reporting of its third-quarter 2026 earnings just one day prior. For many customers, the news confirms a long-standing suspicion. The vehicle that arrived in 2023 differed significantly from the original 2019 promises. It was more expensive and offered less range. With US sales having declined from their 2024 peak, the prospect of importing a premium version to the region became less attractive. Tesla is now treating the Cybertruck as a niche product primarily for the American market.
Source: Electrek
