No surprise as Tesla cancels Cybertruck for New Zealand and Australia

Tesla has told New Zealand and Australian reservation holders that the Cybertruck will not be built for either market.

“After careful consideration, plans to produce Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand have been discontinued,” Tesla says in an email to reservation holders, one of which has been shared on the NZ EV community on Reddit. “As a result, we’re unable to fulfil your reservation and it will be cancelled. You’ll receive a full refund for any payments made.”

The email went out on Friday, the day after Tesla’s quarterly results.

Deposits were first taken in late 2019, shortly after the Cybertruck was revealed. In Australia they were A$150. Tesla removed the reservation page there in May 2022 and replaced it with a “Get Updates” button, but did not refund deposits, leaving holders waiting for more than four years. Refunds will now be paid within 30 days, with a separate email to confirm the details.

Tesla brought evaluation Cybertrucks to Australia and New Zealand from 2024, displaying them at shows and events. One appeared at Electricarna in Taupo and Wheels at Wanaka in April 2025.

In March 2025, Tesla Australia and New Zealand country director Thom Drew said he was “personally confident” the Cybertruck would come, possibly as early as 2026, according to EV Central. Within a month he was more cautious. By May 2025, the local team had been briefed on the Australian Design Rule changes it would need, covering bumper widths, external lighting and right-hand drive.

The business case was always the bigger hurdle. Australia and New Zealand would likely have been the only right-hand-drive markets for the truck, and the dual-motor Cybertruck sells for around US$80,000 in the United States, roughly double the price Tesla first promised. The Cybertruck has also sold below expectations in the US.

Reservation holders are also being offered a free year of FSD (Supervised) if they order a new Model 3 or Model Y, which can be combined with Tesla’s current offers.

The Cybertruck is not the only Tesla that will stay left-hand drive. The new Roadster revealed last week is listed on Tesla’s New Zealand website as left-hand drive only.