Tesla Retires Cybertruck Deposits in Australia and New Zealand
Reservation holders in the region are receiving cancellations for orders that have remained pending for nearly seven years.
By Aiko Yamamoto ·
Tesla has terminated the Cybertruck program for Australia and New Zealand, notifying reservation holders that their orders are void. The company began accepting A$150 deposits for the vehicle in November 2019, a period spanning almost seven years. Correspondence sent to these customers confirms the cancellation of their reservations and promises refunds within 30 days.
The company is attempting to redirect these customers toward other inventory. It is offering a complimentary one-year subscription to FSD (Supervised) for those who place a new order for a Model 3 or Model Y instead. Tesla stated, “plans to produce Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand have been discontinued,” and confirmed it is unable to fulfill existing reservations.
The decision follows a prolonged period of waiting without production. Tesla removed the Australian reservation page in May 2022 but did not issue refunds at that time, leaving customers pending for four additional years. Despite a Cybertruck display tour in 2024 and statements regarding potential certification for other markets “sometime next year,” no right-hand-drive version was developed.
Technical and regulatory requirements have contributed to the cancellation. The Cybertruck is manufactured solely as a left-hand-drive vehicle, while Australia and New Zealand require right-hand-drive configurations. Furthermore, Australia necessitates certification under its own design rules, a process that requires significant investment for a vehicle that has faced demand issues in North America.
Production volumes appear insufficient to justify the expense of adapting the vehicle for these markets. Tesla delivered 8,295 units in the “Other Models” category for the third quarter of 2026, a group that now primarily consists of the Cybertruck. This volume translates to an annual rate of approximately 30,000 units, which is well below the production line’s capacity of 250,000 units annually.
Tesla’s international strategy for the vehicle has focused on left-hand-drive markets, including deliveries in South Korea, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Israel. The Cybertruck remains blocked in the European Union due to pedestrian safety regulations. Consequently, the manufacturer is no longer pursuing a right-hand-drive program for Australia and New Zealand, which together have a population of about 33 million.
Source: Electrek
