Tesla Refunds Two Million Cybertruck Orders

Tesla formally cancelled Cybertruck reservations in Australia and New Zealand on 23 October 2026, returning funds to customers who paid deposits as early as November 2019. The move ends a wait of nearly seven years for buyers who paid A$150 to hold a spot for the electric pickup.

Customers received emails stating that Tesla could no longer fulfill the orders. The company wrote, "After careful consideration, plans to produce Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand have been discontinued," and added that it is "unable to fulfil your reservation and it will be cancelled." Full refunds will be processed within 30 days. Those who switch to a new Model 3 or Model Y can receive a free one-year subscription to FSD (Supervised).

The primary obstacle was the vehicle's left-hand-drive configuration. Australia and New Zealand require right-hand drive vehicles, and Tesla never built a compliant version. Musk told shareholders in 2024, "We might be able to certify it for other markets sometime next year." No right-hand-drive model followed that promise.

Crowdsourced tracking estimated total reservations at roughly 2 million by 2023. A 2020 survey placed Australia third globally for Cybertruck interest, behind the United States and Canada, with about 3% of all reservations. Tesla quietly closed the Australian reservation page in May 2022 without issuing refunds at that time.

The company shipped a single Cybertruck to Australia for a display tour in 2024. However, Tesla's international expansion has remained limited to left-hand-drive countries. Deliveries began in South Korea in late 2025 and the UAE in January 2026. The truck is still blocked in the European Union due to pedestrian safety concerns.

Sales data suggests the truck remains a niche product. Tesla delivered 8,295 units in the third quarter of 2026, a category now dominated by the Cybertruck. This figure is far below the production line's capacity of 250,000 annually. The United States, Australia, and New Zealand combined have approximately 33 million people, yet the vehicle lacks the right-hand-drive configuration needed for the latter two markets.