Why is Tesla Raising Cybertruck Prices?

Tesla has executed two Cybertruck pricing actions recently that seem, at least at first glance, at odds with the maker’s need to tweak sales of the slow-moving electric pickup truck. But, what may appear to be price increases—and on some level they are—are actually moves designed to simplify ordering and, more importantly, manufacturing complexity and inventory management.

Why is Tesla Raising Cybertruck Prices?

Cybertruck Sales

Tesla retailed just 10,700 Cybertrucks through the first half of 2025, well below the maker’s estimated annual pace of 250,000 units. Due to disappointing demand, Tesla has taken steps to simplify Cybertruck manufacturing and distribution, though the net effect of those steps was to raise prices.

Prices Increases

Let’s take a look at those actions:

Cyberbeast (up $15,000)

On August 22, Tesla raised the price of its most expensive Cybertruck variant, the Cyberbeast, by $15,000 to $114,990, this despite slow sales, and ongoing recalls.

The price move involved adding content to the truck, including a new “Luxe Package” with Supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) and no-cost Supercharger (Tesla’s proprietary charging network) access. Prices for other Cybertruck trim levels remained unchanged.

Thoughts:

While raising the price of a slow-selling model may seem counterintuitive, the move actually makes a great deal of sense. Included in the Luxe Package are a number of features we suspect were ordered optionally by most Cyberbeast buyers. So, combining the features into a single bundle reduces build complexity and simplifies ordering and inventory management.

For the record, the Luxe Package includes:

Supervised Full Self-Driving
Unlimited Supercharger fast-charging access
Upgrade upholstery
Premium audio system
Plus, a number of minor features and upgrades

At $15,000, we’ll call the Cyberbeast price increase a fair value, especially given that FSD runs $8000 as a stand-along option. Plus, we calculate that exclusively using Tesla’s Supercharger network has an annual value of about $700.

All things considered, we doubt that combining most of the features that Tesla did into a single, standard, package will slow Cyberbeast sales down much.

Long-Range RWD (discontinued)

On September 12, Tesla deleted the least-expensive model from it lineup, the Long-Range RWD. Starting at $72,235, the RWD was added to the Cybertruck lineup in April of this year, so few examples were likely produced. While this isn’t exactly a “pricing action,” it does raise the Cybertruck price of entry by about $10,000.

Thoughts:

Despite its relatively low price, the Long-Range RWD didn’t really represent the Cybertruck lineup well. While the dual-motor Long-Range AWD model ($82,235) reportedly reaches 60 mph from a stop in just 3.9 seconds, the single-motor RWD clocks in at a relatively leisurely 6.2 seconds, only slightly quicker than a Honda Accord Hybrid. That performance—or lack thereof—is at odds with the brash image Tesla has cultivated for the electric truck.

With the Long-Range RWD model gone, the Tesla Cybertruck lineup is reduced to just two trim levels: The Long-Range AWD, and the Cyberbeast.

Though pruning the lineup was likely painful from a marketing perspective—the move is a tacit admission that Tesla doesn’t see Cybertruck sales improving any time soon—the cuts make plenty of sense from an administrative perspective.

Oh, and, if you are considering the purchase of a Cybertruck, consider a used example. Pre-owned Cybertrucks are surprisingly cheap, all things considered, though driving one has become something of a political statement, which likely takes some of the fun out of owning one.