Tesla Ends Cybertruck Reservations in Australia and New Zealand

Tesla has officially cancelled plans to build the Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand, ending a reservation process that began for some customers in late 2019. Reservation holders are receiving notifications that their orders have been voided, bringing a close to a wait that lasted nearly seven years for those who put money down at the outset. The company stated it will not be able to fulfil these reservations and is processing cancellations.

The timeline for this decision extends back to November 2019, when individuals in Australia could pay A$150 to reserve an electric pickup. Interest in the vehicle was substantial at that time, with a crowdsourced survey from 2020 placing Australia third in the world for reservations, behind only the United States and Canada, accounting for about 3% of all Cybertruck deposits. By 2023, total reservations tracked for the vehicle had reached approximately 2 million units.

Tesla stopped accepting new reservations for the region in May 2022, replacing the order page with a button to get updates, but did not cancel existing reservations at that time. Those who had already committed funds continued to wait. In 2024, a Cybertruck was sent to the region for a display tour, and Elon Musk told shareholders that year, "We might be able to certify it for other markets sometime next year." That certification for right-hand-drive markets did not materialize.

The notification to customers came the day after Tesla reported its third-quarter 2026 earnings. In the message sent to reservation holders, the company wrote, "After careful consideration, plans to produce Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand have been discontinued. As a result, we're unable to fulfil your reservation and it will be cancelled." The company is offering a full refund for any payments made, with processing expected within 30 days.

As an alternative, Tesla is offering a complimentary one-year subscription to FSD (Supervised) to reservation holders who choose to purchase a Model 3 or Model Y instead. This move directs customers toward vehicles that the automaker already manufactures in a right-hand-drive configuration, a format required in markets like Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The Cybertruck is currently built only in a left-hand-drive format.

The production volume for the vehicle does not support the development of a right-hand-drive version. Tesla's third-quarter 2026 earnings report showed 8,295 deliveries in its "Other Models" category, which now consists almost entirely of Cybertruck units since production of the Model S and Model X has ended. Sales of the electric pickup are estimated at 7,000 to 8,000 units for the quarter, representing an annual pace of roughly 30,000 vehicles from a production line designed for 250,000 units per year.

Tesla's international rollout has focused on left-hand-drive markets, with deliveries beginning in South Korea in late 2025 and in the UAE in January 2026. Configurators were later made available in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Israel. The vehicle remains unavailable in the European Union, primarily due to pedestrian safety regulations. For Australia and New Zealand, bringing the truck to market would also require certification under Australia's specific design rules.

The vehicle's market performance in North America has also changed since its initial launch. US sales of the Cybertruck have declined significantly from about 39,000 units in 2024 to a fraction of that figure currently. The original 2019 reservation price of $39,900 has also been surpassed by the final production model, which has a higher price and less range than initially promised.

The decision to cancel these orders confirms that the Cybertruck is a niche product primarily sold in the United States. While international expansion efforts continue, they are focused on finding buyers for existing left-hand-drive trucks rather than creating new versions for other markets. Tesla's focus remains on producing and selling vehicles for which it has established production lines and a clear demand.