7 Years of Deposits for 0 Trucks: Tesla Axing Cybertruck Orders in Australia, NZ
Tesla is refunding customers who have waited years for the electric pickup, citing an inability to fulfill the orders.
By Jennifer Paige ·
The electric pickup was hyped as a game-changer for global markets, but Tesla has just confirmed it won't be arriving in the Southern Hemisphere. On October 23, 2026, emails began hitting inboxes across Australia and New Zealand notifying reservation holders that their orders for the Cybertruck are officially cancelled.
The company is refunding deposits in full, with processing expected to be completed within 30 days. For those willing to pivot, Tesla is offering a complimentary one-year subscription to FSD (Supervised) if the customer places an order for a Model 3 or Model Y instead. This move comes just one day after the automaker released its third-quarter 2026 financial results.
For many, the wait has been exceptionally long. Australians began putting down A$150 to reserve a spot for the vehicle in November 2019, a timeline that spans nearly seven years. Tesla closed the Australian order page back in May 2022, replacing it with a simple 'Get updates' button, but did not issue refunds at the time, leaving customers to hold onto their deposits indefinitely.
The cancellation is rooted in manufacturing limitations. The vehicle is currently built exclusively in left-hand drive, whereas Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Japan require right-hand drive configurations. Additionally, the vehicle would require certification under Australian design rules, an expense that current sales volumes likely cannot justify.
The numbers highlight a stark gap between production goals and reality. In the third quarter of 2026, Tesla delivered 8,295 units in its 'Other Models' category, which now consists almost entirely of the Cybertruck. This quarterly volume equates to an annual pace of roughly 30,000 units, a significant drop from the production line's designed capacity of 250,000 units per year.
Despite the cancellation, Tesla continues to explore international markets for the existing left-hand drive inventory. Deliveries for the pickup began in South Korea late last year and in the UAE in January, with configurators later opening in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Israel. However, the vehicle remains unavailable in the EU due to pedestrian safety regulations.
Source: Electrek
