The Tesla Roadster price remains unannounced after Tesla unveiled the production car on Thursday 15 October 2026 at a SpaceX test site in Texas. Reservations are open at $50,000 for the Performance version and $250,000 for Thrust. Elon Musk said production begins in 2028.
What Tesla Showed on 15 October
The reveal was a physical demonstration rather than a specification briefing. Tesla staged it at a SpaceX rocket test site in McGregor, Texas; CNBC and CBS News placed the event at Waco, the larger city nearby. It had been scheduled for 1 October and was postponed on 28 September, with Tesla citing severe weather forecasts and the fact that the demonstration could only be staged outdoors.
In the first run, the car accelerated up a curved ramp and used fan-based suction to stay attached to the surface while inverted, then fired cold-gas thrusters developed with SpaceX to launch clear, flip in the air and land on its wheels. In a second run it jumped a line of parked cars and a semi-trailer truck. Tesla says its thruster system “generates 4-5x the force the tires can”.
Tesla claimed a 0 to 60 mph run of 0.81 seconds on stage. The timing came from the company’s own equipment at its own event and has not been independently verified. “Turns out the future does have flying cars,” Musk said, according to Fox Business. He also told the audience that “success is not guaranteed”, as reported by CBS News.
The Three Versions and What a Deposit Costs
Tesla lists three versions, separated by how much thruster hardware they carry. Only the top version performs the manoeuvre shown at the reveal.
| Version | Seats | 0-60 mph (Tesla’s figure) | Availability | Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | Two | Under 1.6 seconds | By reservation | $50,000 |
| Thrust | Two | Under 0.9 seconds | Limited release | $250,000 |
| Rocket | One | Under 0.59 seconds | Invite only, not all regions | Not published |
Teslarati reported in September that the $50,000 breaks into $5,000 by card at signup and $45,000 by wire transfer within 10 days, with only the first $5,000 described as fully refundable and the reservation not final until the wire clears. CBS News describes the arrangement differently, saying Thrust can be pre-ordered online but not reserved. Not a Tesla App is alone in listing a fourth, cheaper Standard version; no other outlet we checked mentions it.
Tesla has not said how many Thrust or Rocket cars it will build.
Why $50,000 Is Not a Price
A reservation books a position in a queue for a car whose cost nobody outside Tesla knows. The reservation agreement states that Tesla “cannot guarantee when your vehicle will actually be delivered”, and Yahoo Finance reports it also says the vehicle remains under development and its final price has not been settled. Separate reporting on the agreement notes that a reservation “does not constitute the purchase or order of a vehicle”.
The only published figure in the Roadster’s history is the $200,000 base price Tesla quoted when it first announced the car in 2017. Reservations opened then, were paused in 2021 when Tesla removed pricing from its website, and reopened in September 2026 shortly before the planned reveal. Our report on the reveal being moved to 15 October set out what was expected to be announced, including a price.
For comparison, when Tesla began Tesla Semi production in September 2026 it published a figure: $290,000 for the 500-mile version. The Roadster has no equivalent.
Which Regulator Oversees a Car That Flies
No agency has claimed responsibility. The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News that the vehicle does not meet its definition of an aircraft, which places it outside the FAA’s certification process.
Road safety normally falls to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which delegates safety certification to manufacturers themselves. CBS News reports that NHTSA did not respond to its request for comment, that a senior United States Transportation Department official was sceptical the car can take off at all, and that it was unclear which agency would oversee it.
Tesla’s own position is narrower than the coverage suggests. Its Roadster page marks the invite-only Rocket version “Not approved for public road use”, and it is the Rocket that carries the full flight system. The Performance version does not have the thrusters used in the aerial demonstration. Musk nonetheless told the audience that “this will be the actual car that’s on the roads”, a statement Tesla has not reconciled with the note on its own page.
A road-legal consumer car that briefly leaves the ground has no precedent to follow. The nearest comparison, Alef’s Model Zero vertical-takeoff car, pursued aviation approval rather than being sold as a car that happens to jump.
Where the Numbers Disagree
Several headline figures differ depending on where you read them, and Tesla has not published a single authoritative specification sheet.
- Top speed: Musk said more than 230 mph on stage. Not a Tesla App reports that Tesla’s own spec details list 214 mph for now, with a faster version planned.
- Range: Coverage settles on more than 300 miles, but Not a Tesla App says no official figure has been released. The 620-mile figure from the 2017 announcement is obsolete.
- Acceleration: Tesla’s listed times are under 1.6, 0.9 and 0.59 seconds by version, while the stage run was announced as 0.81 seconds, which matches none of them.
- Production year: Musk said 2028. Teslarati reports the plan as Giga Texas in 2027 or 2028.
The following figures come from Not a Tesla App alone and are not confirmed elsewhere: about 1 megawatt of power, roughly 1,340 horsepower and about 960 lb-ft of torque; charging from 15 to 85 per cent in around 10 minutes; a 200-litre cold-gas system with four rear nozzles on Thrust, and six further nozzles plus a 400-litre tank on Rocket, giving bursts of about five seconds.
What Remains Unknown
- Price: No figure for any version, and no date for when one will be published.
- Refunds: Whether the $45,000 balance, or the $250,000 Thrust deposit, is refundable is not stated clearly in public materials.
- Volume: No production numbers for any version.
- Regulation: Which United States agency, if any, will certify a car with cold-gas thrusters.
- Delivery: The agreement explicitly declines to guarantee a delivery date.
Tesla’s record on this car argues for caution on the 2028 date. It was first promised for 2020. Nothing in the 15 October reveal changed the company’s practice of showing hardware before committing to a price.
Tesla Roadster FAQ
What Is the Tesla Roadster Price?
Tesla has not announced one. The $50,000 and $250,000 figures are reservation deposits that hold a place in the queue, and the reservation agreement says the final price has not been settled. The only price Tesla ever published was $200,000, quoted in 2017.
Can the Tesla Roadster Really Fly?
The invite-only Rocket version uses SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters for short bursts, demonstrated at the reveal as a jump and a midair flip. It is not sustained flight, and the Performance version does not carry the thrusters.
Is the Tesla Roadster Street Legal?
Tesla marks the Rocket version “Not approved for public road use” on its own Roadster page. The Performance version is presented as road-ready, though Tesla has not published evidence of completed federal certification for any version.
When Does Tesla Roadster Production Start?
Musk said 2028 at the reveal. Teslarati reports the plan as Giga Texas in 2027 or 2028. The car was originally promised for 2020, and the reservation agreement does not guarantee a delivery date.
Has the FAA Approved the Tesla Roadster?
No. The FAA told CBS News the vehicle does not meet its definition of an aircraft, so it falls outside the FAA’s certification process. CBS also reported that NHTSA did not comment and that it was unclear which agency would oversee the car.
How Much Is the Reservation Deposit?
$50,000 for Performance and $250,000 for Thrust. Teslarati reported in September that the Performance figure splits into $5,000 at signup and $45,000 by wire within 10 days, with only the first $5,000 described as fully refundable.
