Tesla Is Raising Cybertruck Prices Even as Sales Drop 32%

Coming into Tuesday trading, Tesla stock was down 22% this year and up 1% over the past 12 months. (Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images)

Key Points

• Tesla raised the starting prices of two Cybertruck trims by $5,000, with the dual-motor and premium all-wheel-drive versions now at $75,000 and $85,000.
• The price increases are likely driven by rising costs for materials like copper and memory chips rather than high demand.
• Tesla sold about 7,300 Cybertrucks to U.S. buyers in the first half of 2026, representing a 32% decline year over year.

Tesla recently raised prices for two trims of its avant-garde Cybertruck. The move is likely about costs, not demand.

The dual-motor all-wheel drive version now starts at about $75,000, up from $70,000, according to Tesla’s website. The premium all-wheel-drive version starts at about $85,000, up from $80,000. The Cyberbeast version still starts at $100,000.

Tesla, like other auto makers, is facing higher costs for everything from copper to memory chips. Price increases help offset cost inflation. Price increases can also help manage demand. That likely isn’t the issue. Tesla has more capacity for Cybertrucks than it sells. What’s more, Tesla sold about 7,300 Cybertrucks to Americans in the first half of 2026, down 32% year over year.

Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment about the price increase.

Elon Musk’s EV maker hoped to sell hundreds of thousands of Cybertrucks annually when it introduced the vehicle in 2019. That level of demand simply never materialized. There are many reasons. Aside from any visual design concerns, overall U.S. EV sales growth has been slower than expected. What’s more, electric trucks never really took off. Then there is price. The Cybertruck is expensive. Originally, there was going to be a $40,000 rear-wheel-drive version. That model isn’t available.

Tesla stock was up 0.5% in premarket trading at $350.80, while S&P 500 futures were up about 0.4%.

Cybertruck sales aren’t likely to significantly move. Investors are focused on AI efforts, including robo-taxis and robots. Recent industry robot development has produced some surprising results. Musk recently retweeted a video of a humanoid robot beating Usain Bolt’s 100-meter dash world record.

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Tesla’s humanoid robot is called Optimus. Investors hope to see an updated version of it this year.

Coming into Tuesday trading, Tesla stock was down 22% this year and up 1% over the past 12 months.

Write to Al Root at allen.root@barrons.com.

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