Tesla returns $2,000 to ANZ buyers after seven-year wait

Tesla is refunding $2,000 reservation deposits to customers in Australia and New Zealand after deciding the Cybertruck will not arrive in those markets.

In an email sent to reservation holders, the company stated that its plans to produce the vehicle for the two countries have been discontinued. Tesla said it will process every refund within 30 days of customers receiving a confirmation email with their details. The company also announced that anyone who orders a new Model 3 or Model Y will receive a free year of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) access as a gesture to affected customers.

The decision resolves a long-standing uncertainty about whether the truck would reach Australia. According to Drive Australia, sources indicated that Tesla’s Texas factory was not configured to build the vehicle with right-hand drive when deliveries began in 2023. That limitation prevents the truck from being legally driven on public roads in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Ireland.

The vehicle has also not received regulatory approval in the European Union. European authorities have cited rules covering crumple zones, pedestrian safety, lighting, and weight classifications as barriers to approval. The truck’s sharp edges are viewed as a particular hazard to people it might strike. The US Army Customs Agency noted in a notification that several specifications, particularly the sharp-edged, stiff stainless-steel body, violate EU safety standards primarily for the protection of vulnerable road users.

Tesla has not officially launched the Cybertruck in the UK or the European Union. Cybertrucks that have been spotted in Europe arrived through a workaround, with individual owners securing single-vehicle approvals by making enough modifications to satisfy regulators.