Tesla May ‘Sell’ You a Cybercab… But Still Tells You What You Can Do With It.
Tesla’s $29,990 Cybercab drives itself, but two agreements govern where it goes, who can use it and what happens when its owner wants to sell.
An invitation from Tesla arrives, and the offer looks simple. A two seat Cybercab of your own for $29,990, with delivery estimated for December in Austin, and no steering wheel or pedals. A $1,000 deposit holds your place.
The purchase comes with two documents, Tesla’s order agreement and its Autonomy Subscription Agreement. Together they run 11 pages, and they turn a car purchase into something closer to a membership. They decide where the Cybercab can go, who can use it, what it can be used for, how it can look and when it can be sold.
Tesla’s order agreement says these terms apply to its initial Cybercab sales and may differ from terms it offers later. This is what they say as of November 13, 2026.
Without the Subscription, the Cybercab Stays Parked
The Cybercab “will not operate without an active Autonomy Subscription,” according to the order agreement. Tesla’s order page lists the subscription at $299 a month, with the first month included. The subscription agreement itself doesn’t name a price, and it says the price can change with one month’s notice. Tesla can also change the agreement’s terms, and keeping the subscription after a change means accepting them. It renews monthly, can be canceled at any time and isn’t prorated.
The subscription covers the autonomous driving, connectivity, remote support and roadside assistance, including towing of up to about 50 miles to a Tesla service center or home. It also covers a list of maintenance that Tesla calls Covered Services, which currently includes tire inspections, rotations and replacements, flat tires, windshield and wiper replacement, cabin air filters, washer fluid and cleaning for the cameras. Tesla says that list may change and doesn’t cover damage from misuse. Safety inspections and service are part of the deal too. If an owner misses or declines a required safety inspection, or declines a repair Tesla says is needed for safe operation, Tesla may restrict the car until the work is done.
The owner pays for registration, insurance, parking, charging, general cleaning and all other costs. Tesla’s order agreement says it doesn’t guarantee that insurance will be available, and it requires proof of insurance at delivery if the car will use public roads, including trips with nobody inside. According to the order agreement, the Cybercab works only with NACS DC fast charging, including Tesla Superchargers, and the owner pays for that charging too.
It Only Goes Where Tesla Draws the Map
The subscription agreement limits the Cybercab to “Tesla-enabled Robotaxi geofences and other operating limits Tesla supports,” shown in the app, on the car’s screen or in Tesla materials. Tesla can expand, reduce, relocate or otherwise change that area, including its hours and conditions, at any time. The operating area generally follows Tesla’s Robotaxi service, but the agreement says it may not match it.
The agreement is direct about the edges of the map. “Operation outside the operating area is prohibited and may be technologically prevented.” Tesla can also restrict where the car goes by road type, weather or conditions, during investigations and software rollouts, and at a regulator’s direction. The car also needs working connectivity, current software and a Tesla Account to run, and the agreement says coverage gaps can limit or stop it. A road trip to Grandma’s works only if Grandma lives inside the geofence and her neighborhood gets a good signal.
Tesla’s Robotaxi Can’t Be a Robotaxi for Its Owner
Tesla began commercial Cybercab service in Austin in September, according to NHTSA’s records. A privately owned one, under the subscription agreement, is for personal, noncommercial use only. It can’t be listed on Tesla’s Robotaxi Network or on any third party ride hailing, delivery or rental platform unless Tesla authorizes it in writing or enables it in the app.
Owners Can’t Lend It, and They Ride Along
The order agreement says only the registered owner may use the Cybercab, and only while physically present in it for the entire trip. The owner can’t lend it, share access or let anyone else use it without being inside.
Tesla carves out two exceptions, both only as far as Tesla enables them in the product. The first is sharing access with family through the app. The second is trips with nobody inside, for Tesla features or for services in the subscription, such as service appointments, where the car drives itself to a Tesla service center and back.
The cabin seats two, and the subscription agreement allows no more than two people at a time, each in their own seat. Tesla advises against riders under 13, and a child under 13 who does ride must have an adult along for the whole trip and a proper child seat when the law requires one.
No Wraps, No Tint, No New Wheels
To the extent the law allows, owners may not modify the Cybercab, including cosmetic changes such as wraps or tint, or take it apart or change its wheels, except through Tesla or a Tesla authorized provider. Breaking that rule can lead Tesla to suspend the subscription.
Selling It Takes Tesla’s Permission
The order agreement says owners may not sell, transfer, assign or borrow against the Cybercab without Tesla’s prior written consent, and any sale without it is void. Tesla may also buy the car back at any time at a fair market value that Tesla reasonably determines, with the owner paying to deliver it.
If an owner sells or transfers it without permission, Tesla can disable the car remotely, including its unsupervised operation and connectivity, and the owner owes Tesla the greater of $50,000 or the full value of the sale. The agreement calls that a reasonable estimate of Tesla’s harm and not a penalty. Even an attempted sale, or Tesla reasonably believing one is coming, lets Tesla disable the car and refuse to sell the owner future vehicles or services.
The Rest of the Fine Print
Strikeouts. If Tesla detects improper or unsafe use and an owner or rider gets three or more strikeouts, the autonomous features are suspended for one week, the car may not operate during that time and the subscription isn’t prorated.
Remote control. Tesla may remotely access, locate, contact, restrict or control the Cybercab, or place it in a safe state.
Manual controls. The touchscreen controls move the car short distances at up to 2 mph, aren’t meant for public roads and require a valid US driver’s license. Tesla’s agreement doesn’t mention a license for any other use.
Data. During trips, Tesla collects location data, exterior camera recordings, cabin camera images and sound detection audio recordings during ride support. The data is collected in a form that identifies the owner and is kept for 30 days by default, unless there’s a support request or safety event, when Tesla’s Robotaxi privacy notice applies instead.
Orders. Orders are by invitation only and limited to one per customer. The order fee, deposit and transportation fee are not refundable once an order is submitted. Each Cybercab arrives with about 250 miles on the odometer from Tesla’s road testing, and those miles count toward the warranty’s mileage limits.
Disputes. Both agreements send disputes to individual arbitration, with 30 days to opt out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I lend my Cybercab to a friend?
Not the way you’d lend any other car. The way I read Tesla’s order agreement, only the owner can use it, and only while riding along for the whole trip. Tesla leaves room for family sharing through the app and for trips with nobody inside, like service visits, but only as far as Tesla turns those on.
Can I use a Cybercab for Uber or Tesla’s Robotaxi Network?
Not without Tesla’s permission. The subscription agreement keeps a privately owned Cybercab to personal, noncommercial use, which rules out ride hailing, delivery and rental platforms unless Tesla authorizes it in writing or in the app. For a car built on robotaxi technology, I find that one of the most surprising rules in the whole agreement.
Where can a Cybercab drive?
Only where Tesla says it can. The operating area generally follows Tesla’s Robotaxi service, and the first deliveries are estimated for December 2026 in Austin, Texas. Tesla can grow or shrink that map at any time, so in my view today’s map is a starting point, not a promise.
Can I sell my Cybercab later?
Only with Tesla’s written consent, and to me that’s the rule that matters most. Tesla can also buy it back at any time at a fair market value Tesla determines. A sale or transfer without consent lets Tesla disable the car and charge the greater of $50,000 or the sale’s full value.
What does the $299 subscription include?
More than I expected. Beyond the autonomous driving, it covers connectivity, remote support, roadside assistance with towing of up to about 50 miles, and a list of maintenance that includes tires, windshield and wiper replacement, cabin filters and camera cleaning. I think that maintenance list is the best part of the deal. Insurance, registration, charging, parking and cleaning are still on the owner.
Read More: This week’s EV news covers how Tesla opened Cybercab orders, and our Cybertruck story covers the truck Tesla is winding down to build more of them.
