Here's why the Tesla Cybertruck can come to Australia, but why an electric Kia Tasman ute or Rivian R1T may steal your heart first: Analysis

In 2019 Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled his Cybertruck to a global online audience of millions, concluding by throwing a metal ball at it in a bit to showcase the electric pick-up’s toughness, only for the window to shatter. 

Still, the Cybertruck could have exploded and it wouldn’t have done anything to dissuade the crowds yelling at Musk to shut up and take their money. Which he did. Well, he didn’t shut up, but he did take more than a million orders for the yet-to-be-built futuristic-looking electric ute - including many in Australia. 

Last year and more than two years behind the original schedule, customers in the United States started taking delivery of their Cybertrucks. So when will the Tesla Cybertruck come to Australia? Is there anything stopping the Cybertruck from coming here because of its design or weight and size? What does the Federal Government have to say?

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And finally could the Cybertruck get left behind by the arrival of other cool electric utes in Australia from Rivian and even Kia?

Let’s take a closer look.  

Order up

Australians were able to place a $150 deposit and sign a Tesla Cybertruck pre-order agreement in 2019. From 2022, however, Australians could only register their interest through the Tesla website and receive updates.

To this day the Cybertruck features on Tesla’s Australian website, although it’s not possible to purchase the vehicle or order one. 

Does this mean the Tesla Cybertruck has been withdrawn from sale in Australia? Well, it’s never actually been for sale in Australia - you could pre-order but not buy yet. 

Last year, customers in the United States started taking delivery of their Cybertrucks.

Currently the Cybertruck is only for sale in the United States and according to Tesla insiders the company has received about two million pre-orders. That’s a lot to get through and you can bet that we won’t see a Cybertruck sold here in Australia until Tesla can get on top of the backlog in their own backyard. 

How long will that take? Currently only one plant makes the Cybertruck - the Gigafactory in Texas - and Musk is on the record in October 2023 saying that the plan is to produce 200,000 units a year and ramp up to 250,000 by 2025. At that rate it’ll take eight years to make two million Cybertrucks. 

But then there’s the idea doing the rounds that nobody should get their hopes up because it will never be sold in Australia anyway as it won't meet our strict Australian Design Rules. Let's talk about that. 

Currently only one plant makes the Cybertruck - the Gigafactory in Texas. (Image: Tesla)

What does the Australian Federal Government have to say about the Tesla Cybertruck?

We thought we’d go to the rule makers first and ask the Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development what could stop the Tesla Cybertruck from coming to Australia,

The answer is as long-winded and low on details as you’d expect from a Federal Government body.

“The Australian Government applies a standards-based approach when determining whether to grant approvals for road vehicles to be provided to the Australian market for the first time,” a spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure and Transport told us.

According to Tesla insiders the company has received about two million pre-orders.

“Under the Road Vehicle Standards legislation, road vehicles must meet certain safety, anti-theft and environmental emissions standards to be approved for use in transport on public roads.

“These standards, called the Australian Design Rules (ADRs), are published on the Federal Register of Legislation, along with extensive explanatory material about how they are applied when assessing different categories of road vehicles."

But then they actually mention Tesla.

In October of 2023, Musk stated plans to produce 200,000 units yearly, aiming for 250,000 by 2025.

“This information enables Tesla and other road vehicle manufacturers to plan and incorporate our requirements when they design and manufacture road vehicles they intend to provide to the Australian market.”

Right. So we went digging through the Australian Design Rules ourselves to see if the Cybertruck might break any regulations.

We could not find any instances where the Cybertruck in its US form broke our ADRs. What about weight you say? What about its size? Yes, let’s talk about that…

According to the Cyberteruck Owners manual on Tesla’s website, the vehicle has a GVM of 4159kg.

Weighty issue

There’s been much talk online about the weight of the Cybertruck and how this may prevent it from being sold in Australia. And yes indeed the Cybertruck is hefty but not too heavy for Australia.

Tesla’s website lists the specs of the Cybertruck and heaviest version called the Cyberbeast weighs in at 3104kg and according to the Cyberteruck Owners manual also on Tesla’s website its GVM is 4159kg. Now, for every state and territory in Australia any holder of a regular car licence can drive a vehicle with a GVM up to 4500kg. 

That’s not the case for the United Kingdom where a GVM of 3500kg is the limit of a regular licence - this might be why there’s some confusion.

The Australian Design Rules define a light-commercial vehicle as a van, truck or utility with a GVM of up to 3500kg. So while the Cybertruck can be driven by anybody with a full licence in Australia, it’s not categorised as a light-commercial vehicle.

The Cybertruck is hefty but not too heavy for Australia.

Wide load

Could the Cybertruck’s size be a reason for it not being allowed on Australian roads?  The dimensions of the Cybertruck are posted on Tesla's website and states that it’s 5682.9mm long, 2413.3mm wide (with the mirrors out) and 1790.8mm tall. The length isn’t a concern and even though the Cybertruck is extremely wide it doesn’t exceed the Australia Design Rules vehicle width limit of 2550mm.

The length and width will make the Cybertruck bigger than most Australian parking spaces, however, while this doesn’t make it illegal to drive here, it could make a trip to the supermarket tricky - best to park it out in the street.

The Cybertruck is 5682.9mm long.

Is it safe? 

The Cybertruck is not only big and heavy but the shape of it, too, has caused concern for pedestrian safety. That it's made of very inflexible stainless steel raises more questions about crumple zones and how well occupants are protected during a crash. While it hasn't ben crashed tested by ANCAP, Euro NCAP or the US equivalent, Telsa has posted a video of their own crash testing.

The Cybertruck may be able to get around Australian safety requirements thanks to its GVM. In Australia a vehicle with a GVM over 3500kg is exempt from many of the crashworthiness needs of lighter cars and light-commercial vehicles such as a Toyota HiLux or Ford Ranger

Currently, the Cybertruck is exclusively produced with left-hand drive configurations.

Left hook?

The Cybertruck is only made in left-hand drive currently, but that’s because it’s only made for the US market right now. Because steering is a drive-by wire digital system, building the Cybertruck in right-hand drive won’t take anywhere near as long or be as complicated as a vehicle with physical steering components.

Rival electric utes

It’s far more likely that those looking for a Tesla Cybertruck could find themselves in something else ute-like and electric before it lands here. 

Rivian’s R1T is a large electric ute and the company was spotted testing the vehicle last month in Australia. If anything it could have more utility and practicality than a Cybertruck given its more traditional pick-up shape.

Hyundai has also confirmed an electric ute is on the way, while other brands from China are also deep in development for a charged up pick-up.

The Rivian’s R1T was recently spotted testing in Australia.

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Hyundai has confirmed an electric ute is on the way. (Image: Thanos Pappas)

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Just one thing stopping it

So, is there any reason why the Tesla Cybertruck can’t come to Australia? Well from this analysis it appears that the Cybertruck is not too heavy for Australia, nor too wide. From a safety point of view it may be exempt from some regulations due to its weight pushing it into a heavier vehicle category than a light-commercial vehicle and therefore it may well be approved.

Really, the only thing preventing the Cybertruck from coming to Australia is the huge number of orders Tesla is attempting to process in the United States. Unless another factory is used to produce the Cybertruck it could be at least eight years before it arrives here - and that’s using Elon Musk's own production forecasts.

Tesla does have a problem. The company produces desirable vehicles but customers face a seemingly endless wait - particularly in the case of the Cybertruck. Tesla might see this as a good problem to have, but it needs to be cognisant of how it's treating its loyal base who could easily switch to another brand that offers what they want sooner.