Tesla has opened orders for its futuristic Cybercab, inviting select customers to purchase the fully autonomous electric vehicle at $29,990 (Sh3.9 million), with a mandatory monthly subscription fee of $299 (Sh38,700).
The American electric vehicle manufacturer announced the limited purchasing programme on Friday, November 13, 2026, marking a significant shift in its plans to commercialise driverless transportation.
The Cybercab, which previously formed part of Tesla’s robotaxi ambitions, will now be available to individual customers for personal use.
However, prospective owners must commit to recurring payments for the vehicle’s autonomous driving capabilities, introducing a subscription-based ownership arrangement that extends beyond the initial purchase price.
Tesla’s ordering page lists the vehicle at $29,990 before taxes and requires buyers to pay a $1,000 non-refundable deposit to secure an order.
The company has included the first month of the Autonomy Subscription in the purchase, after which customers must pay $299 monthly to continue operating the vehicle.
Tesla estimates that the first customer deliveries will begin in December 2026, with the initial rollout targeting selected buyers in Austin, Texas.
Tesla’s mandatory monthly subscription has attracted attention because customers must continue paying for autonomous driving even after purchasing the vehicle. The $299 charge translates to $3,588 annually, adding a substantial recurring expense to the initial purchase price.
Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk acknowledged the high cost after the company unveiled the purchasing arrangement.
“The monthly fee is too high,” Musk said in a post on X.
He suggested that Tesla should eventually bring the subscription closer to the combined cost of Full Self-Driving and connectivity services offered on its other vehicle models.
Musk indicated that the monthly charge should be approximately $115, although he did not announce when Tesla would implement the proposed reduction. At the suggested rate, customers would save $184 every month compared with the current advertised subscription.
The proposed reduction would also bring the annual subscription expense down from $3,588 to approximately $1,380.
The Autonomy Subscription is central to the Cybercab’s operation because Tesla designed the vehicle without conventional driving controls. Unlike the Model 3 and Model Y, the Cybercab does not have a steering wheel or accelerator and brake pedals.
Instead, it relies on Tesla’s autonomous driving technology to transport passengers without requiring a human driver to control the vehicle.
The subscription provides access to the unsupervised autonomous driving system, allowing owners to manage their journeys through Tesla’s application. The first month comes with the purchase, but customers must maintain an active subscription for continued autonomous operation.
Tesla’s ordering information also states that regular vehicle maintenance is required to operate the Cybercab.
Although Tesla has opened the purchasing programme, it has not made the Cybercab available to customers across the United States.
The company is initially inviting selected buyers, with availability limited to supported service areas.
Tesla’s head of artificial intelligence, Ashok Elluswamy, clarified that privately owned Cybercabs would operate within the same geographical locations as the company’s robotaxi service.
“It’ll work unsupervised inside all the same geo locations as @robotaxi, just serving the owners’ needs,” Elluswamy said in a post on X.
Tesla’s robotaxi operations cover eight cities across Texas and Florida: Austin, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Miami, Orlando and Tampa.
The restrictions mean customers cannot purchase the vehicle and immediately use it for unrestricted travel across the country.
Musk has indicated that Tesla intends to expand the purchasing programme nationwide as it secures the necessary regulatory approvals.
Despite the Cybercab’s development as a robotaxi, customers purchasing the vehicle under the initial programme cannot automatically use it to generate commercial income.
Tesla is offering the first vehicles for personal use rather than allowing buyers to operate independent ride-hailing or delivery businesses.
The arrangement also prevents owners from immediately adding their vehicles to Tesla’s commercial robotaxi fleet without the company’s authorisation.
The restri
Tesla’s move towards private sales comes as American vehicle safety regulators examine the Cybercab’s compliance with federal requirements.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into Tesla’s self-certification process following the vehicle’s debut.
The investigation focuses on how Tesla determined that the driverless vehicle meets applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards despite lacking conventional controls, including a steering wheel and foot-operated brake.
