The discounts are significant, but there is a catch.
- Tesla is offering discounts of up to $2,630 on Cybertrucks.
- The discounted Cybertrucks do not appear to be eligible for the $7,500 federal purchase incentive, however.
- If you personally qualify for the federal tax credit, we’d still recommend ordering a new Cybertruck.
The non-Foundation Series version of the Tesla Cybertruck only hit the market late last year, but it’s already getting marked down. In-stock units can be found for $1,600 off. If you find a truck that was used as a demo vehicle, you can get it for even cheaper.
That means that you can get an in-stock Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive for around $78,390, or $77,360 if the truck was used as a demonstration unit. That’s a noticeable discount from the $79,990 base price, though note that all of these prices exclude fees.
It’s also important to note that while the Cybertruck is now eligible for a $7,500 federal clean vehicle purchase incentive—assuming you’re not over the income limit—I think most if not all of these trucks were built before it became eligible. You can still take advantage of the $7,500 incentive if you purchase the truck as a commercial vehicle or lease it, but there’s no indication on Tesla’s site that you can claim it yourself.
The discount is good for consumers, but it’s unclear what it means for Tesla. The company already effectively cut the price of the Cybertruck by $20,000 when it introduced the non-Foundation Series model late last year. It incentivized the trucks at the end of the year, too. Tesla offered free Supercharging for life for new Cybertruck buyers at the end of December. Despite that, sales still fell over 10% on a quarter-over-quarter basis. Given that Q4 is usually the biggest month for consumer spending, that’s a worrying sign that the hype may be dying down.
Yet it’s also no surprise that Tesla is trying to clear out inventory now that new trucks qualify for the tax credit. Uncle Sam will give you effectively 10% off a new Cybertruck, though it must be the base model given the credit’s $80,000 MSRP cap. So if Tesla has non-qualifying base trucks sitting around, it’s a good time to get those off the books.
If you do want a Cybertruck, you’re likely better off leasing a truck or buying a new one that qualifies for the tax credit. But if you don’t personally qualify or if you plan to register the truck as a commercial vehicle, this is a way to save an extra two grand. That’s never a bad idea.
