Tesla has begun inviting select customers to buy a Cybercab for personal use, according to an announcement from the company's Robotaxi account on X that included screenshots of the order page and invite email. The offer is limited to people in cities where Tesla already runs its Robotaxi service, and the invitation email warns that initial availability is limited. Tesla began offering Cybercab rides within its Model Y-based Robotaxi service in Austin in September, and the company now operates 278 Cybercabs, about 40 percent of its fleet, according to the crowd-sourced Robotaxi Tracker.
The Cybercab is listed at $29,990, but buyers must also pay a mandatory $299-per-month Autonomy Subscription. Over a standard five-year ownership period, that fee adds $17,940 even with the first month included, putting the real baseline cost at roughly $47,600 before taxes, charging and insurance, which is more than a new Model 3 or Model Y. Tesla CEO Elon Musk did not mention the subscription when he introduced the Cybercab in 2024, though Tesla currently charges $99 per month for Full Self-Driving.
Canceling the subscription leaves the Cybercab unusable on public roads because the vehicle has no manual fallback, unlike a standard Tesla that reverts to manual driving when FSD is canceled. Buyers must also put down a $1,000 non-refundable deposit to join the line for a December delivery window that is not guaranteed. The order terms prohibit commercial use, ruling out Uber, DoorDash and Tesla's own Robotaxi network, even though Musk's 2024 pitch centered on owners earning passive income by adding the car to that network. Tesla AI chief Ashok Elluswamy has floated Q2 2027 as a possible target for letting customer cars join.
Tesla must give only 30 days' notice before raising the subscription price, continued use counts as acceptance of new terms, and canceling or having access suspended brings no partial refund for the month already paid.
On X, Musk said a wider rollout depends on regulatory approval, a bottleneck he frequently cites. He also called the $299 monthly subscription too high, saying it should be $115 or closer to the $99 FSD price, and spent more attention taunting YouTuber Marques Brownlee, who vowed to shave his head if Tesla delivered a Cybercab under $30,000 before 2027, than answering safety and liability questions.
Tesla has not explained how insurers will underwrite a car with no human driver, how liability is split if the vehicle causes a crash while operating autonomously, how invited buyers are selected, or how many units are earmarked for private sale versus its internal fleet. It is also unclear how Tesla will sell a vehicle that does not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards requiring steering wheels and pedals. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a formal audit into how Tesla self-certified a vehicle without a steering wheel, pedals or side mirrors; Tesla submitted its justification in October, asked that the entire response be kept confidential, and is now taking deposits while the ruling is pending.
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