Cybertruck Down Under: Tesla Pulls The Plug On Reservations

Tesla has officially canceled plans to sell the Cybertruck in Australia and New Zealand, bringing a long wait for reservation holders to a close. The company began notifying customers on October 23, 2026, that their orders are void and any money held on deposit will be returned. This move marks the end of a process that began nearly seven years ago for many in the region.

The history of this cancellation stretches back to November 2019, when Australians began placing A$150 deposits to reserve a spot in line for the truck. At the time, the Cybertruck was a highly anticipated vehicle with a promised starting price of $39,900. The company quietly closed the Australian reservation page in May 2022, replacing it with an option to get updates, but did not issue refunds or cancel existing reservations, leaving customers in limbo.

The message sent to waiting customers was direct. “After careful consideration, plans to produce Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand have been discontinued,” the company stated. “As a result, we’re unable to fulfil your reservation and it will be cancelled.” Tesla confirmed that full refunds for any payments made will be processed within 30 days. To retain some of this customer base, the company is offering a free one-year subscription to FSD (Supervised) for those who instead order a Model 3 or Model Y.

The numbers suggest the request for a right-hand-drive version of the truck was always a difficult proposition. A crowdsourced survey from 2020 indicated Australia was the third-largest market for Cybertruck reservations, behind only the US and Canada, accounting for about 3% of the global total. By 2023, crowdsourced tracking placed total Cybertruck reservations at around 2 million. However, Tesla never officially confirmed regional reservation numbers.

The primary obstacle for Australia and New Zealand has been a manufacturing issue. The Cybertruck is built exclusively in left-hand drive, while both Australia and New Zealand require right-hand-drive vehicles. Additionally, Australia would require certification under its own specific design rules. The cost of re-engineering and certifying a new version of the truck for these markets appears to be the deciding factor, especially given the vehicle's current sales figures.

Sales data from the third quarter of 2026 shows the Cybertruck is not a high-volume product. Tesla delivered 8,295 units in its “Other Models” category, a group that now consists almost entirely of the pickup. This translates to an annual sales rate of roughly 30,000 units, a fraction of the 250,000-unit capacity of the production line. This limited demand in North America makes investing in a right-hand-drive version for a smaller international market difficult to justify.

The company's international strategy has focused on markets that use left-hand-drive vehicles. Deliveries began in South Korea late last year and in the UAE in January, with configurators later appearing in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Israel. The truck remains unavailable in the European Union, largely due to pedestrian safety regulations. This pattern confirms that any future expansion will not include countries that require right-hand-drive configurations.

For customers in Australia and New Zealand, the disappointment is compounded by the time they spent waiting. The Cybertruck that was eventually produced in 2023 differs significantly from the one originally advertised, featuring a higher price and less range than promised. US sales have also declined from about 39,000 units in 2024 to a fraction of that number today, further illustrating the vehicle's challenges in the market.