Cybertruck Orders Voids in Australia, New Zealand

Customers in Australia and New Zealand received emails on 23 October confirming that their Cybertruck reservations are void. Tesla stated it will return all deposits within 30 days. Buyers who instead order a new Model 3 or Model Y receive a one-year subscription to Supervised FSD. This move ends a wait that began in November 2019.

The company cited careful consideration for discontinuing production plans for the region. The email sent to reservation holders noted that Tesla is unable to fulfill the orders. The offer of a free FSD subscription targets buyers switching to right-hand-drive vehicles that Tesla currently builds. These notifications arrived one day after Tesla released its third-quarter 2026 earnings.

A primary obstacle is the vehicle’s left-hand-drive configuration. Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Japan require right-hand drive. Tesla must also certify the truck under Australian design rules, a costly process for a vehicle with soft North American demand. Tesla never produced a right-hand-drive version despite earlier promises from CEO Elon Musk in 2024.

Reservations in the region were substantial on paper. A 2020 crowdsourced survey placed Australia third globally, behind the US and Canada, with about 3% of all reservations. By 2023, total global reservations reached roughly 2 million. Tesla quietly closed the Australian reservation page in May 2022 but did not refund customers at that time.

Sales data supports the decision to retreat. Tesla delivered 8,295 units in the "Other Models" category in the third quarter of 2026. This group consists almost entirely of Cybertrucks since production of the Model S and Model X ended. Estimates place annual Cybertruck sales at roughly 30,000 units, far below the 250,000-unit production capacity.

Tesla’s international rollout remains limited to left-hand-drive markets. Deliveries began in South Korea late last year and in the UAE in January. Configurator options later appeared in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Israel. The truck remains blocked in the European Union, primarily due to pedestrian safety concerns.

Australia and New Zealand together have a population of about 33 million. The Cybertruck shipped to Australia for a display tour in 2024 was more expensive and offered less range than originally promised. US sales have fallen sharply from about 39,000 units in 2024. The vehicle now functions as a niche product with limited international expansion.