Cybertruck Cancelled in Australia and NZ After 7-Year Wait

Tesla has officially abandoned plans to bring the Cybertruck to Australia and New Zealand, abruptly ending reservations that date back to late 2019. Emails were dispatched to customers on Thursday, October 23, confirming that orders for the electric pickup are void and that any deposits held will be returned.

The message received by reservation holders was brief and direct. "After careful consideration, plans to produce Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand have been discontinued," the company stated in the notice. "As a result, we're unable to fulfil your reservation and it will be cancelled." The notification arrived just one day after Tesla reported its financial results for the third quarter of 2026.

The financial impact for those who held out for the vehicle is limited to a wait. Customers are being told that refunds for any payments made will be processed within 30 days. To encourage them to remain with the brand, Tesla is offering a free one-year subscription to FSD (Supervised) to anyone who chooses to order a Model 3 or Model Y instead.

The Australian market was a significant source of interest for the vehicle. A crowdsourced survey of reservations conducted in 2020 ranked Australia third globally for Cybertruck reservations, trailing only the United States and Canada, with approximately 3% of the total. By 2023, crowdsourced tracking indicated total Cybertruck reservations had reached roughly 2 million units.

The long wait for Australian consumers began in November 2019, when individuals could put down A$150 to reserve the truck. Tesla quietly closed the Australian reservation page in May 2022, replacing it with a link to sign up for updates rather than issuing refunds. Although a Cybertruck was shipped to the region for a display tour in 2024, no production vehicles were delivered.

The cancellation is driven by the vehicle's manufacturing specifications. The Cybertruck is built exclusively in left-hand drive configuration, while Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Japan require right-hand drive vehicles. Additionally, the truck would require certification to meet Australian design rules, a process that involves significant expense.

Volumes currently do not support the investment required to modify the design for new markets. During the third quarter of 2026, Tesla delivered 8,295 units in the "Other Models" category, a group now comprised almost entirely of the Cybertruck following the end of Model S and Model X production. Production is estimated at 7,000 to 8,000 units last quarter, representing an annual pace of roughly 30,000, against a production line built for 250,000 units annually.

Tesla's international deliveries have been restricted to markets that utilize left-hand drive. The vehicle launched in South Korea late last year and in the United Arab Emirates in January, followed by configurators in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Israel. The truck remains unavailable in the European Union, primarily due to pedestrian safety regulations.

The company's public messaging regarding international availability has shifted over time. In 2024, Elon Musk told shareholders, "We might be able to certify it for other markets sometime next year." That timeline passed without the release of a right-hand drive version, and the decision to cancel the program for the region followed. The vehicle that was delivered in 2023 also differs from the model reserved in 2019, as it is more expensive and offers less range than originally promised.