“Exposing the truth about Tesla Cybertruck depreciation.”
Nearly all cars depreciate, especially new ones. The rate of depreciation came as a surprise to a Tesla Cybertruck driver.
Jeremy Judkins (@jeremyjudkins2) posted a video about how much value he lost on his EV since buying it in April 2024. His clip begins with “unboxing” footage of a brand new Cybertruck. Plastic covers are slipped off of the seats.
“I’m exposing the truth about Tesla Cybertruck depreciation. I spent $100,000 on my Foundation Series Tesla Cybertruck 2 years and four months ago. Then I put 25,000 miles on it. What do you think it’s worth today?” he asks.
Following this, he records himself holding up a black Tesla-branded paper to the camera. “I have the trade-in value right here in this little card holder. Are you ready to see it? Are you curious? Okay, here we go,” he says. Upon doing so, he shows that his ride is worth $73,500, a figure that’s got him thinking of getting rid of it.
“I am so tempted to take my Tesla Cybertruck to Tesla, today, and trade it in for something new,” he says. Then he explains why this isn’t exactly an easy prospect. “I’m figuratively chained to my Tesla Cybertruck for one major reason. Never say never but I’m never getting rid of my Tesla Cybertruck. Because I own Full Self-Driving,” he says, after showing a recording of him eating with two hands as the ride steers itself.
“If you buy a Tesla today, you cannot own Full-Self Driving. You have to subscribe to it. For eternity,” he says showing the $99/month price of the software on Tesla’s website.
“And if Tesla raises the price of it. You’re just stuck paying it? In a world where everything feels like a subscription, it’s just so refreshing to own Full Self-Driving. And for that reason I think I’m stuck with my Tesla Cybertruck,” he says.
Beginning in February, the brand eliminated the option for buyers to purchase full-self driving (FSD) software outright, which had ranged from $8,000 to $15,000 at its peak. Elon Musk also announced on X a month earlier that FSD would be subscription-only. And while Judkins enjoys being able to own FSD outright without having to cough up $100 per month, the move didn’t hurt sales.
In fact, Tesla recorded a massive surge in the number of owners trying out FSD each month after it moved to a subscription-based model. Proving that the pivot was a financially viable move.
But this also means folks looking to sell a used Tesla with FSD pre-installed can command higher market values. Find My Electric reports that even before FSD subscriptions became available, the feature commanded higher used-car prices.
So if you’re selling one with this tech installed, you could ask for more money. Although the website argues that it’s probably not going to command as much as those who purchased FSD outright may think.
That’s because, as Find My Electric writes, the previous $8,000 price of a FSD package represents about seven years of FSD subscription costs. And judging from purported Tesla driver trade-in habits, some folks may not see the value in paying too high of a premium for a used EV from the automaker that comes with FSD.
Teslas that come with free lifetime supercharging also command around $1,000 to $2,000 more per sale, according to Find My Electric. The reason why this premium isn’t that high is because carte blanche transferable supercharging has been done away with since 2017.
Story subjects didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Rightly or wrongly, the Cybertruck has been fodder for jokes since its debut. Naturally, Judkins’ post inspired plenty of mockery.
“Today it’s worth a pack of Newports,” one jested.
Another invoked a common description of the Cybertruck, writing, “It’ll take close to 7 years for the FSD purchase to be cheaper than just paying $99 a month. Thats a long time to be driving around a dumpster.”
“You’d have to pay ME to take it,” a third detractor wrote.
Others shared their thoughts about FSD.
“I have a 2018 M3LR with FSD. No subscription. It’s mine. It’s Awesome!” said Reggie Dotson.
Anti-fascist Auntie disagreed: “It’s not worth 73k either and full self driving is dangerous asf.”
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