Tesla Cybercab’s Monthly Subscription Is ‘Too High,’ Elon Musk Admits To MKBHD: ‘Should Match The Cost Of…’

• Marques Brownlee highlighted several restrictions on the Cybercab's newly launched order page in a post on X, including its invite-only availability, limited delivery locations and mandatory monthly subscription.
• Musk responded to the post, saying the vehicle's availability would eventually expand beyond its initial locations.
• Tesla announced on Friday that select customers are being invited to purchase Cybercab for personal use at an estimated purchase price of $29,990.

Tesla Inc. (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has acknowledged that the monthly subscription required to operate the company's Cybercab is currently too expensive, responding to criticism from popular tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD.

Musk suggested that Tesla could bring the fee down significantly, even as the company begins inviting select customers to purchase the fully autonomous vehicle.

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Tesla shares declined nearly 2% in Friday’s regular trading, while falling another 1% in the afterhours session.

Musk Responds To MKBHD

Brownlee highlighted several restrictions on the Cybercab's newly launched order page in a post on X, including its invite-only availability, limited delivery locations and mandatory monthly subscription.

"Cybercab order page is live. Invite only. Must accept delivery to one of these cities in Texas. Only operates in those existing geofenced areas. Requires a $300 monthly subscription to operate. One vehicle per customer. ‘Estimated delivery’ December," he wrote.

Musk responded to the post, saying the vehicle's availability would eventually expand beyond its initial locations.

"It will be available nationwide, as we receive regulatory approval," Musk said.

However, he agreed that the subscription fee needed to come down, acknowledging that the current pricing was too high.

"But the monthly fee is too high. Should match the cost of Tesla FSD and connectivity for other models, which is more like ~$115/month," Musk added.

The response suggests Tesla could eventually reduce the Cybercab's monthly operating cost from nearly $300 to around $115, although Musk did not provide a timeline for the potential change.

Tesla Cybercab Costs $29,990, But Comes With A Catch

Tesla announced on Friday that "select customers are now being invited to purchase Cybercab for personal use" at an estimated purchase price of $29,990.

The vehicle also requires a $1,000 nonrefundable deposit and a mandatory $299 monthly subscription to Tesla's autonomous driving software. The company estimates deliveries will begin in December.

The two-door, two-seater vehicle has no steering wheel or pedals and was previously deployed exclusively in Tesla's Robotaxi fleet.

However, personal ownership comes with geographic restrictions. Tesla's fine print specifies that personally owned Cybercabs will only operate "in supported service areas."

Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla's head of AI, said the vehicles will "work unsupervised inside all the same geo locations as" the company's existing Robotaxi service.

The initial offering also comes with another limitation, wherein buyers cannot immediately turn their Cybercabs into commercial robotaxis and earn money through Tesla's ride-hailing network.

Tesla's Robotaxi service began operating Model Y SUVs in Austin, Texas, in June 2025 before expanding to other cities in Texas and Florida.

Meanwhile, Musk has previously promised that Tesla owners would eventually be able to add their vehicles to a larger autonomous ride-hailing network.

What Retail Investors Think Of TSLA Stock

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits around Tesla trended in the ‘bullish’ territory at the time of writing.

TSLA stock is down 12% year-to-date and 13% over the past 12 months. The S&P 500 ETF (SPY) and the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) are up 12% over the past 12 months.

Also See: Jensen Huang Misled Nvidia Leadership, Lawyer On Affair With Alleged Chinese Spy: Report

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