The base All-Wheel Drive Cybertruck is the cheapest way into Tesla’s truck lineup, but it skips more hardware than a lot of buyers expect. Here’s what the trim actually costs right now, what’s different from the Premium version, and what to check when one of these shows up at pickup.
What the base AWD trim costs and skips
Tesla raised Cybertruck AWD and Premium AWD prices by $5,000 on August 25, 2026, putting the base trim at $74,990 and Premium AWD at $84,990 — a gap that was already $20,000 before this increase. For that difference, the base AWD trades away a fair amount. It rides on 18-inch wheels with coil-spring adaptive damping instead of the Premium’s 20-inch wheels and height-adjustable air suspension, uses heated cloth seats instead of heated-and-ventilated vegan leather, and runs a 7-speaker audio system instead of 15 speakers. Towing capacity is 7,500 pounds versus 11,000 on Premium, and payload is 2,006 pounds versus 2,500, according to a trim-by-trim breakdown from Tesla Oracle. Both trims keep the motorized tonneau cover, but the base version leaves out the bed’s L-track tie-down rails. Range and acceleration are unchanged between the two — both are rated at 325 miles and a 4.1-second 0-60 time.
What to expect on delivery day
The delivery process itself is the same across trims: you handle insurance, final payment, and any financing paperwork in the Tesla app ahead of your appointment, then sign remaining agreements and accept the vehicle in the app once you arrive, per Tesla’s delivery-day guide. Tesla’s taking-delivery page notes that financed or leased vehicles can still require documents signed and mailed back within 24 hours, using a prepaid envelope left in the vehicle.
A few things are worth checking specifically on this trim: confirm the wheel and tire package matches your order, since 18-inch wheels are standard and 20-inch wheels are a separate configuration; verify any tow package hardware is installed if you paid for one, since the base trim’s 7,500-pound rating depends on it; and walk the exterior panels for gaps and finish consistency, since the exposed stainless body shows inconsistencies more visibly than a painted truck would. None of that changes the actual check-in process — it’s the same app-based paperwork Tesla uses across the lineup — it’s just what’s worth looking at closely on this specific configuration.
Dirty Tesla covered a base Cybertruck AWD delivery on August 29, 2026, following one buyer through pickup.
That video shows one person’s delivery experience, not a guarantee of what yours will look like. For the trim’s actual price, specs, and what’s included, go by the sourced details above rather than anything shown on camera.
Photo by Stephen Leonardi.
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