Cybertruck is top-selling EV pickup in US for 1Q 2026

[YDR37]

Ha-ha! That's funny!

I hope you are not being serious.

Hey, at one time, BYD was a funny joke too. Just ask Elon.

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[dalton108]

Hey, at one time, BYD was a funny joke too. Just ask Elon.

 

[YDR37]

How can it be considered a full-size pickup if it has a tow rating of only 5,000 lbs?

Not sure where you got that number. Ram is claiming tow capacity of 14,000 lbs and payload of 2,625 lbs for the 1500 REV. For comparison, both numbers exceed the ratings for any Cybertruck.

 

[YDR37]

As a side note, my personal criteria for an EV is that it doesn't have a gas tank and an exhaust pipe that spews toxic gasses, the Ram 1500 REV doesn't qualify as an EV, regardless of how the auto industry classifies it. The industry can greenwash all they want as they avoid making EVs in volume, an EV doesn't have an exhaust pipe.

Clearly there is a spectrum that runs something like this:

(1) pure ICE - no battery/motor
(2) mild hybrids - battery/motor supplements ICE
(3) PHEVs - battery/motor can replace ICE for short distances
(4) EREVs - battery/motor like an EV, but including an ICE acting as generator
(5) pure EV - no ICE

Maybe it doesn't make sense to draw a sharp line when a spectrum exists. But for practical purposes, mild hybrids and PHEVs commonly share designs with ICE vehicles. In contrast, EREVs can share designs with EVs; the only significant difference is the addition of a generator. For example, the forthcoming Scout pickup/SUV will be offered as both a pure EV and as an EREV; the Scout CEO has noted that it is easy to make both on the same assembly lines. So if you were forced to draw a sharp line, there's a case for putting it between (3) and (4).

 

[YDR37]

The industry can greenwash all they want as they avoid making EVs in volume, an EV doesn't have an exhaust pipe.

As far as I can see, Ram isn't "greenwashing" the 1500 REV, because they make no claims that it offers any environmental benefits. Ram is promoting the 1500 REV as a full-sized truck with high hp, high torque, fast acceleration, and long range. They're not promoting it as an eco-friendly solution to the climate crisis -- probably because no Ram customers would care about that anyway.

 

[HaulingAss]

Not sure where you got that number. Ram is claiming tow capacity of 14,000 lbs and payload of 2,625 lbs for the 1500 REV. For comparison, both numbers exceed the ratings for any Cybertruck.

You're right, I was remembering the announced Scout EREV that went from 10K towing in the all electric model to 5K towing in the EREV model.

 

[HaulingAss]

Clearly there is a spectrum that runs something like this:

(1) pure ICE - no battery/motor
(2) mild hybrids - battery/motor supplements ICE
(3) PHEVs - battery/motor can replace ICE for short distances
(4) EREVs - battery/motor like an EV, but including an ICE acting as generator
(5) pure EV - no ICE

Maybe it doesn't make sense to draw a sharp line when a spectrum exists. But for practical purposes, mild hybrids and PHEVs commonly share designs with ICE vehicles. In contrast, EREVs can share designs with EVs; the only significant difference is the addition of a generator. For example, the forthcoming Scout pickup/SUV will be offered as both a pure EV and as an EREV; the Scout CEO has noted that it is easy to make both on the same assembly lines. So if you were forced to draw a sharp line, there's a case for putting it between (3) and (4).

I understand the different powertrains available, I'm just saying an electric vehicle doesn't have a tailpipe, that's a hybrid or an ICE vehicle. It's the industry that is trying to greenwash these dubious designs on an unsuspecting public by calling them EVs when they are not.

Next thing you know they will be calling ICE vehicles EV's since they have a battery and electric starter motor! That's a joke, but I wouldn't put it past them to try to capitalize on that.

 

[HaulingAss]

As far as I can see, Ram isn't "greenwashing" the 1500 REV, because they make no claims that it offers any environmental benefits. Ram is promoting the 1500 REV as a full-sized truck with high hp, high torque, fast acceleration, and long range. They're not promoting it as an eco-friendly solution to the climate crisis -- probably because no Ram customers would care about that anyway.

RAM markets the current Ram 1500 REV (a range-extended electric vehicle, or EREV/series hybrid, formerly known as the Ramcharger) explicitly as an electric truck—specifically the “World’s First-Ever Range-Extended Full-Size Electric Pickup Truck.”

This positioning comes after Stellantis discontinued the original all-electric (pure BEV) 1500 REV in 2025 due to softening BEV demand and repurposed the REV nameplate for the EREV version.


Here are some of the ways Ram promotes it as an electric vehicle, at least in part (drawn directly from their official site and marketing materials):

Core branding and headlines: The truck sits in Ram’s dedicated “electric” section (ramtrucks.com/electric). Official copy repeatedly calls it a “Range-Extended Electric Truck,” “electric truck,” and “Range-Extended Full-Size Electric Pickup Truck,” with phrases like “distance-defying electric capability” and “the electric truck that is set to push boundaries.”

Electric propulsion emphasis: All-wheel drive comes exclusively from dual electric motors (up to 647 hp / 610 lb-ft). The 3.6L Pentastar V6 acts only as a generator to recharge the ~92 kWh liquid-cooled battery pack—there is no mechanical connection to the wheels. Ram highlights electric-only driving modes (e.g., Electric+ Mode for battery-only operation, E-Save Mode to preserve battery, Eco Mode) and claims ~145 miles of all-electric range.

Classic EV driving features: One-Pedal Driving Mode, regenerative braking (which recharges the battery), EV-specific digital displays showing battery/energy levels, power flow, and charging status.

Performance and capability claims framed vs. other EVs: Ram directly compares it to electric pickups (class defined as “Large Light-Duty BEV and REEV Pickups”), claiming best-in-class total range (up to ~690 miles with full battery + gas), towing (14,000 lbs), and payload (2,625 lbs) “more than any Electric Pickup Truck in its Class.”

Ram sells the REV as a practical electric truck that delivers EV driving dynamics, while using the gasoline generator purely to eliminate range anxiety and maintain full truck capability for long-haul or heavy-duty use. It is positioned as a bridge solution in the “world of electric pickup trucks,” not a conventional hybrid.

 

[YDR37]

Question, when is Tesla going to have pre owned Cybertruck inventory?

My guess: Tesla will start offering pre-owned Cybertrucks after they start getting lease returns.

When will that be? Well, Tesla didn't start leasing Cybertrucks until November 2024, about a year after introduction. The leases run 24 or 36 months. So even the earliest and shortest Cybertruck leases aren't due to run out until November 2026.

Tesla should start getting lots of CT lease returns in 2027-2028, and I suspect that's when the inventory system will start listing pre-owned CTs.

At a reasonable price?

I have no clue what the pricing will look like.

 

[HaulingAss]

My guess: Tesla will start offering pre-owned Cybertrucks after they start getting lease returns.

When will that be? Well, Tesla didn't start leasing Cybertrucks until November 2024, about a year after introduction. The leases run 24 or 36 months. So even the earliest and shortest Cybertruck leases aren't due to run out until November 2026.

Tesla should start getting lots of CT lease returns in 2027-2028, and I suspect that's when the inventory system will start listing pre-owned CTs.

I have no clue what the pricing will look like.

Tesla prices all their trade-ins/leases at supply/demand market prices. They sell most of them at action at low wholesale prices because they don't consider themselves used car dealers, they are producers of electric vehicles, they only buy used cars from customers to facilitate the sale and lease of new cars. They will even accept your used non-Tesla as a trade-in (which they will immediately send to an action house). They never pay top dollar, just wholesale prices, for their customers that want the convenience, and to help facilitate getting new customers into electric cars

 

[EricGregori]

Yeah, I have seen and agree with that assessment. The cancellation of the EV credit is really kicking everybody’s ass.

I think governmental retreat on this will be eventually seen as a huge blunder. We’ve confused sound policy for anti-capitalism. We’ve handed the keys to the future to China.

Not going to do partisan politics, but anybody who wants to trot out the company line on this subject (subsidies = communism) needs to remember/learn that but for government meddling, the petroleum industry would not have existed. It’s asinine to shoot ourselves in the foot on the future under the guise that the role of the government isn’t to “pick winners.” One need look no further than the
Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (and numerous other actions before and since). 🫤

Some of the very first cars ever made were electric, and if it wasn’t for dirt cheap petroleum products (thanks to our government), electricity probably would’ve won from the start.

*ie Robert Anderson’s electric carriage, 1832–1839, decades before Karl Benz’s gasoline automobile of 1885/86.

Like I’ve said before, Morons v. Machiavellians is going to be the complete ruin of this nation! The Machiavellians know what they’re doing and they know this history. The morons don’t know shit, and they never learn!

The EV credit was never meant to be forever. It was supposed to bootstrap manufactures to offset original R&D costs. Mission accomplished. Tesla, GM, Hyundai, Kia all have solid EV's available for reasonable prices without the credit. Ford failed. Instead a per car tax credit, the government should be investing in the charging infrastructure without all the BS DEI overhead and more nuclear power for cheaper electricity.
To pay for this, there should be an additional tax on gasoline. Make gas more expensive and charging less expensive (and more available), and buying an EV will make more sense. I would also create a "buy American" credit that is based on what percentage of the car is made in America with the goal to incentivize people to buy American made cars and support Amercian jobs.

 

[EricGregori]

Cox/KBB released their 1Q 2026 EV sales estimates for the US today. EV pickup sales were estimated as follows:

3,519 Tesla Cybertruck (down 45.1% from 1Q 2025)
2,060 Ford F-150 Lightning (down 71.3%; discontinued)
1,658 Rivian R1T (down 4.0%)
1,406 Chevrolet Silverado (down 41.0%)
1,286 GMC Sierra (up 3.1%)
551 GMC Hummer (down 52.5%; pickup is an estimated 1/3 of 1,653 combined SUV/pickup sales)

Overall it was a pretty bad quarter for EV pickup sales. However, the Cybertruck sold the most.

It's not a pickup, so I didn't list it above, but the vehicle to watch in the EV truck category this year might be the Rivian EDV500/700 delivery van. Rivian sold 3,213 EDVs, up 118.7% from 1Q 2025.

There are currently 2,601 new F150 Lightning available nationwide.


Cybertruck: $80K
F150 Lightning: $60K to $70K
Rivian R1T: $80K to $95K
Silverado: $55K to $100K
Sierra: $62K to $100K
GMC Hummer: $100K

At $80K, the Cybertruck is too expensive for the quantities Tesla wants to sell.
I think the goal of the $60K sale is to verify this.

 

[YDR37]

Cybertruck: $80K
F150 Lightning: $60K to $70K
Rivian R1T: $80K to $95K
Silverado: $55K to $100K
Sierra: $62K to $100K
GMC Hummer: $100K

Slate: mid-$20s K to ?

In terms of starting price, the Slate obviously stands out. Of course, it is equally obvious the Slate has significant compromises in other respects (like small size, low range, barebones features), so I don't think that the price alone guarantees that it will succeed. But Slate deserves some credit for offering a real alternative in the stagnating EV pickup market.

 

[Sjohnson20]

Ha-ha! That's funny!

I hope you are not being serious.

hehe remember when people were adding the Silverado and Sierra sales together to make the Cybertruck sales look worse? That seems to have stopped now lol

 

[YDR37]

hehe remember when people were adding the Silverado and Sierra sales together to make the Cybertruck sales look worse? That seems to have stopped now lol

It doesn't really matter how you slice and dice the 1Q 2026 sales numbers. The bottom line is that the sales sucked for every EV pickup. You could combine the Silverado and Sierra numbers and they would still suck.

The worst-selling ICE pickup right now is the Hyundai Santa Cruz; it's being discontinued this year because the sales are so bad. Yet the Santa Cruz still sold 4,544 units in 1Q 2026, which easily topped every EV pickup (including the Cybertruck or the Silverado/Sierra combined).

1Q is typically the slowest quarter of the year, so maybe things improve later in the year.

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