Tesla told Cybertruck reservation holders in Australia and New Zealand on Friday, October 23, local time, that it had abandoned its plans to build the Cybertruck for either market. Nearly seven years after deposits for the reservations opened, customers will receive refunds instead of delivery dates.

The cancellation ends Tesla’s plans to bring the Cybertruck to Australia and New Zealand, something Tesla’s regional director still believed was possible in 2025, potentially as early as 2026. The Cybertruck remains on sale in the United States, but Tesla has abandoned plans for both markets.

Tesla’s Email Ends Plans for Both Markets

Tesla wrote that its “plans to produce Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand have been discontinued,” according to the customer email that was reported by EV Central and WhichCar.

The company said it would cancel outstanding reservations and refund payments in full. The email did not identify a reason for the decision. It also did not say when Tesla made the internal call, so October 23 is the date it chose to send out the news, not necessarily the date it made the decision.

Australian Deposits Will Be Refunded After Confirmation

Australian customers could reserve the Cybertruck from late 2019 with a deposit of 150 Australian dollars, EV Central reports. Tesla has previously said tens of thousands of Australians reserved one between 2019 and 2021. That amount should not be assumed to apply to New Zealand reservations as they use a different currency there.

Tesla says customers will receive a separate email to confirm refund details. After that confirmation, Tesla will return the money within 30 days. A Tesla spokesperson separately confirmed the refund plan to The Money Edition.

Customers whose reservations are canceled can also receive one year of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) if they order a new Model 3 or Model Y. The subscription starts after delivery and is not a replacement for the refund. WhichCar values it at A$1,788, based on the A$149 monthly price.

Tesla Stopped Taking Australian Reservations in 2022

Tesla removed the local Cybertruck reservation page in May 2022, switching to a “Get Updates” option. Existing deposits were not automatically refunded at that time, although customers could request their money back under the reservation terms.

Tesla later displayed imported evaluation Cybertrucks around Australia from 2024, though the appearances did not confirm that there was a right-hand-drive model that was approved for sale.

In March 2025, Tesla’s Australia and New Zealand director Thom Drew told EV Central he was “personally confident” the truck would arrive, potentially in 2026. A month later, he said he was no longer confident, though discussions continued. By May, he had outlined required changes to bumper dimensions, exterior lighting and steering-wheel placement. These were engineering changes to meet Australian Design Rules, not a sign that regulators had refused the truck.

Australian Sales Would Have Needed More Than Pickup Buyers

Australia’s large pickup segment accounts for roughly 10,000 sales annually, according to EV Central. To justify a Cybertruck launch, Tesla would also have needed to attract buyers considering large SUVs, Drew told EV Central.

For U.S. context, EVXL’s sales review of Cox Automotive’s data put estimated 2025 Cybertruck sales at 20,237, down 48.1% from 2024. We also covered Tesla’s later pricing changes, which took the base truck from $59,990 to $69,990 on March 1. Neither figure tells us for certain why Tesla abandoned Australia and New Zealand.

Tesla’s spokesperson told The Money Edition that the company remains focused on those markets through Full Self-Driving (Supervised) and the recently launched Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive.

EVXL’s Take

Tesla’s decision finally gives reservation holders an answer after years of shifting expectations. The full refund is straightforward, but the free software subscription is only useful to someone willing to buy another Tesla.

Right-hand-drive engineering and limited demand may have complicated the case regarding money, but Tesla has not attributed the cancellation to either. The confirmed outcome is less than reservation holders hoped for: the Cybertruck continues to be sold in the U.S., and its long-awaited Australian and New Zealand launches are off.

Sources: EV Central, WhichCar, The Money Edition

EVXL uses automated tools to support research and source retrieval. All reporting is by Damien Kesteloo, edited by Haye Kesteloo.