If you placed a Cybertruck reservation in Australia or New Zealand back in 2019, that wait is now officially over. Tesla has confirmed that its plans to produce the Cybertruck for both markets have been discontinued, and refunds are coming.
Tesla notified affected reservation holders that its production plans for these markets “have been discontinued.” Your deposit, typically a refundable A$150 for Australian customers, will be returned within 30 days once you confirm your details through a follow-up email from Tesla.
What Tesla Is Telling Reservation Holders
The cancellation comes with a refund and a consolation offer, though neither replaces the vehicle reservation holders were waiting for.
Tesla is offering affected customers one year of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) access if they order a new Model 3 or Model Y. The subscription is tied to the new order and activates after delivery. This is an incentive designed to redirect canceled reservation holders toward vehicles Tesla can currently sell in these markets, not a Cybertruck substitute.
For customers who specifically wanted an electric pickup, the consolation offer does not address what they waited seven years to receive. A software subscription on a completely different vehicle class is not a replacement for the product they reserved.
Why the Cybertruck Was Never Built for These Markets
The structural barrier was straightforward: the Cybertruck was never produced in a right-hand-drive configuration, and both Australia and New Zealand require it.
Australia and New Zealand require right-hand-drive configurations for standard new-vehicle sales. The Cybertruck remains available only in left-hand-drive form, and Tesla has not produced a right-hand-drive version for these markets. Tesla displayed the Cybertruck locally at events, but a display does not constitute regulatory approval or a launch commitment.
The reservation program sat unresolved for roughly seven years. Tesla did not develop a right-hand-drive variant, and without one, a legal commercial sale in these markets was not possible under normal vehicle-approval rules.
That distinction reflects an engineering and business decision, not a paperwork delay.
What This Means Beyond Australia and New Zealand
The UK and European Union have no official Cybertruck launch either, and the regulatory barriers there extend well beyond steering configuration.
As of October 2026, Tesla has not officially launched the Cybertruck in the United Kingdom or the European Union. European approval carries additional challenges, including pedestrian protection standards, requirements around sharp exterior geometry, specific lighting rules, and vehicle weight classifications. Those requirements create compliance difficulties for a vehicle with the Cybertruck’s distinctive stainless-steel body design.
Some Cybertrucks have reportedly entered Europe through individual-vehicle approval processes after modifications, according to autonext.co. That route is available to buyers willing to navigate paperwork and engineering changes on a one-off basis. It does not represent broad type approval or a commercial rollout.
This cancellation does not formally end Tesla’s plans for the UK or other right-hand-drive markets. It does make a near-term right-hand-drive launch in any market harder to anticipate with confidence, though that remains an open question rather than a confirmed outcome.
If your reservation is being canceled, check your inbox for Tesla’s confirmation email and follow the refund instructions. For EV shoppers in right-hand-drive markets watching this story, the Cybertruck remains a North American product with no confirmed path to a broader international launch in the near term. Alternative electric pickup options in your market will need to come from other manufacturers.
