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Tesla's Cybertruck is here, but does it match up to the Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning?

November 30, 2023

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The Tesla Cybertruck is finally here, with the first deliveries taking place at an event on Thursday night. Tesla continues to charge forward with its divisive industrial design, so the real drama Thursday was pricing and specs, and seeing how the Cybertruck stacks up against the Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning. You can see the full details on the All Vehicles page, but here's the quick rundown:

Tesla Cybertruck vs. Rivian R1T vs. Ford F-150 Lightning

Most expensive to least expensive

Vehicle Base Price Range
(miles)
0->60
(seconds)
Tesla Cybertruck Cyberbeast $99,990 320 2.6
Rivian R1T Max Pack Performance AWD $94,000 410 3.5
Rivian R1T Max Pack AWD $89,000 410 4.5
Rivian R1T Large Pack Quad AWD $87,000 328 3.0
Rivian R1T Large Pack Performance AWD $84,000 352 3.5
Tesla Cybertruck AWD $79,990 (-$7,500 tax credit) 340 4.1
Rivian R1T Large Pack AWD $79,000 352 4.5
Rivian R1T Standard Pack AWD $73,000 270 4.5
Ford F-150 Lightning XLT Extended Range $69,995 (-$7,500 tax credit) 320 <4.0
Tesla Cybertruck RWD $60,990 (-$7,500 tax credit) 250 6.5
Ford F-150 Lightning Pro $49,995 (-$7,500 tax credit) 240 4.1

The Cybertruck pricing and specs are like nothing else from Tesla. All Teslas, even the more premium Model S and Model X, are spec-for-spec dollar-for-dollar simply better than the competition, and sometimes a lot better. There's nothing like the Model 3 Performance for raw fun-per-dollar in the electric space. There's no value like the Model 3 base model when it comes to entry-level EVs. The Cybertruck bucks the trend in the wrong way. It's more expensive for less.

Want speed? The Rivian Quad Motor has you covered for $12,000 less for only 0.4s slower than the "Cyberbeast." And the Cyberbeast's 0-60 number says "with rollout subtracted," in other words likely beating the Rivian off the line by only the smallest hair.

Want range? The Rivian Max Pack offers 410 miles, far superior than the best of the Cybertruck. It should be noted that Tesla's website mentions a range extender that boosts the Cyberbeast from 320 to "440+" and the AWD from 340 to "470+". The range extender is essentially another big battery that sits in the bed of the truck and takes up about 1/3rd of the space. Pricing and availability isn't yet known, but the Cybertruck homepage shows a render of it.

Tesla Cybertruck vs. Rivian R1T vs. Ford F-150 Lightning

Vehicle Length
(inches)
Width
(inches w/ mirrors)
Height
(inches)
Ford F-150 Lightning 232.7 96.0 78.3
Tesla Cybertruck 223.7 95.0 70.5
Rivian R1T 217.1 87.1 73.1

Dimensionally the Cybertruck sits between the Rivian and the F-150, except in height where its unconventional design makes it the shortest of the bunch. We'll see how that impacts usability once more of them hit the road. Unfortunately those looking for the most affordable RWD option will be waiting until at least 2025.

By far the coolest nugget of information from Tesla is the Cybertruck's ability to charge other EVs using the 240V plug in the bed of the Cybertruck. They even have a media photo showing a Model Y Performance charging from the outlet. Even with the pricing, and the design, and the delays, it's hard not to love that.

Images in this story courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

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