- The 2024 Tesla Cybertruck has reached the first buyers, and it has up to 845 hp, claims up to 470 miles of estimated range, and a starting price just over $81K.
- The Ford F-150 Lightning starts at $52,090, the mightiest model has 580 hp, and the longest-range Lightning has a 320-mile estimate.
- The Rivian R1T starts at $74,800, but pricier models with four motors have 835 hp; its estimated range tops out at 410 miles.
They’re all electric pickup trucks, but what do the Tesla Cybertruck, the Ford F-150 Lightning, and the Rivian R1T have in common other than that? If you said they’re all on your would-not-buy list, you might want to read something else. These are three of the four EV pickups currently in the hands of paying customers. The GMC Hummer EV SUT is the fourth, but here we’re focusing on how the new Cybertruck compares with the F-150 Lightning and the R1T, which are both more accessible than the humungous Hummer.
The Ford and Rivian have been on sale for some time now, and we’ve tested versions of both. Meanwhile, Tesla’s polarizing pickup just finally reached the first handful of customers last week. That coincided with the company releasing up-to-date specs about the Cybertruck, including power output, range estimates, and pricing. Here’s a look at how it stacks up against the F-150 Lightning and the R1T.
Powertrains
Like its competitors, the Cybertruck offers more than one powertrain configuration. A single-motor rear-wheel-drive configuration will be the entry point, but details are limited, and it won’t be available until next year. Until then, every Cybertruck will have all-wheel drive and either two or three electric motors. The two-motor setup provides 600 horsepower and the three-motor setup, dubbed Cyberbeast, provides 845 horses; Tesla doesn’t list torque figures.
Compare that with the F-150 Lightning, which has standard all-wheel drive and dual electric motors that make either 452 or 580 horsepower (depending on the battery size) and 775 pound-feet of torque. The Rivian R1T is the only one that’s available with four electric motors (this configuration provides 835 horses, 908 pound-feet); a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup is also offered with two different outputs. The standard version packs 553 horses and 610 pound-feet, and the Performance model boosts those figures to 665 ponies and 829 pound-feet.
Range and Charging
While the Ford and the Rivian have EPA range estimates, Tesla’s claims haven’t yet been certified. With that said, the company is estimating the Cybertruck will have between 250 and around 470 miles of range. The lower figure is for the RWD model, with the AWD model claiming 340 miles and the Cyberbeast claiming 320 miles. Those estimates rise to 440 and 470 miles on Cybertrucks with the optional range extender (an extra battery pack mounted in the cargo bed).
The Rivian R1T can’t match the Cybertruck’s max range claim, but it’s not too far behind. The R1T also doesn’t have to sacrifice any space in the bed to unlock its peak 410-mile EPA estimate, which is applies to dual-motor models with the biggest available battery. The lowest rating for the R1T is 270 miles, while the Performance model’s floor is 352 miles. All quad-motor setups have a 328-mile estimate.
Things are a little simpler with the electric F-150, which has three different range estimates and two battery options. The standard setup is rated at just 240 miles, but opting for the extended-range battery pushes the peak to 320 miles; the Platinum model only has the bigger battery, but huge 22-inch wheels lower its estimate to 300 miles.
The Cybertruck is the only electric pickup that has access to Tesla’s vast Supercharger network—for now. Ford and Rivian have each agreed to adopt the company’s proprietary NACS charge port starting in 2025. But how does the trio currently compare when connected to a DC fast-charger? Tesla claims the Cybetruck has a peak charging rate of 250 killowatts, and it’s said to take 15 minutes to add up to 136 miles.
With a 150-kW connection, Ford claims the Lighting needs 10 minutes to add between 41 and 54 miles, depending on the battery size; a 15-to-80 percent charge takes an estimated 41–44 minutes. Rivian claims the R1T has a peak charging rate of over 200 kilowatts (an upcoming over-the-air update is said to increase speeds to over 300 kW). For now, the R1T is said to be capable of adding up to 140 miles of range in 20 minutes.
Size and Weight
Measuring 223.7 inches from end to end, the Tesla Cybertruck is 6.6 inches longer than the Rivian R1T and nine inches shorter than the F-150 Lightning. The Cybertruck stands 70.5 inches tall, which is 2.5 inches less than the R1T and 8.3 inches shorter than the Lightning. While Tesla doesn’t list the Cybertruck’s width without mirrors, it is 86.6 inches wide with them folded. With their mirrors folded, the Lightning is 83.3 inches wide and the R1T is 81.8 inches wide.
Tesla says the AWD Cybertruck weighs 6603 pounds; the Cyberbeast—with its extra electric motor—is 240 pounds heavier still, at 6843 pounds. However, we can’t verify either claim, and it’s likely that neither includes the optional range-extender battery, which could easily weigh over 1000 pounds. The F-150 Lighting Platinum and Rivian R1T Quad-Motor we tested had curb weights of 6855 and 7173 pounds, respectively.
To get a better idea of the weight of these EV trucks, we discovered the Cybertruck’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), which is between 8001 and 10,000 pounds. GVWR is the maximum weight of a vehicle and everything on board (passengers, payload, etc.). For comparison, the R1T has an 8532-pound GVWR, and the Lightning’s GVWR’s is between 8250 and 8550 pounds.
Towing and Hauling
When it comes to hooking up a trailer and pulling it down the road, the Cybertruck and Rivian R1T share an impressive 11,000-pound max towing capacity. The F-150 Lightning can lug up to 10,000 pounds, but that drops to 7700 pounds on models with the standard-range battery. Likewise, the upcoming RWD Cybertruck’s tow capacity is capped at 7500 pounds.
The Cybertruck holds the payload crown, with every configuration capable of hauling up to 2500 pounds. The F-150 Lighting peaks at 2235 pounds, and the Rivian R1T tops out at 1764 pounds. Opting for the Ford’s bigger battery drops its payload rating to 1952 pounds. Rivian says its payload capacities vary by configuration but only lists the max figure. Tesla also only mentioned the Cybertruck’s highest payload capacity, but it’ll surely be much lower on models equipped with the hefty range-extender battery, which cuts into the GVWR and takes up significant space in the bed.
Trucks are defined by their cargo beds, and each of these electric pickups has a single size. The Cybertruck’s measures six feet long and four feet wide. However, the buttresses that extend down the sides hinder access from certain angles. There’s also a useful tonneau cover to protect cargo from the elements; the Lightning and R1T offer one too. The Ford has a box that’s 5.6 feet long and 4.2 feet wide, while the Rivian has a smaller bed that’s 4.5 feet long and 4.3 feet wide. While all three pickups have a front trunk, the Rivian alone has an innovative gear tunnel that stretches horizontally between its rear doors and the truck bed.
Price
So how much will it cost to buy a Ford F-150 Lightning, a Rivian R1T, or a Tesla Cybertruck? The Ford is the least expensive of the bunch. A 2024 Lighting starts at $52,090 for the Pro, which is only offered with the standard battery and is targeted towards tradespeople. The $59,590 XLT is the next trim level; Ford hasn’t released pricing for the bigger extended-range battery, but on 2023 XLTs it was a $10K option. For 2024, the Flash trim level joins the party, and it starts at $72,090. The Lariat and Platinum with the big battery have base prices of $79,590 and $92,090, respectively.
Rivian hasn’t yet released pricing for the 2024 R1T lineup. We expect to see a slight increase over the outgoing models, which started at $74,800 for the AWD Adventure trim with dual electric motors and the standard battery pack. The larger battery adds $6000 and the biggest one costs $16,000. The Dual-Motor Performance variant starts at $85,800 and only come with the Large pack or the Max pack for $98,800. The Quad-Motor R1T’s base price is $88,800, and it’s only offered with the Large battery.
When the first production versions of the Cybertruck debuted, Tesla touted a base price of $60,990. However, that’s for the RWD model that won’t be available until sometime next year. For 2024, the AWD Cybertruck starts at $79,990, and the Cyberbeast starts at $99,990. Of course, none of those prices include the obligatory destination fee, which the company hasn’t yet confirmed but is currently $1390 on all other Teslas. With that fee tacked on, the 2024 Cybertruck models actually start at just over $81K and $101K. Those prices will rise even more with the range-extender battery, but Tesla hasn’t yet released pricing for any options.
It’s worth pointing out that Ford, Rivian, and Tesla all have a history of fluctuating prices, so it’s totally possible the Cybertruck, Lightning, and R1T could all cost more or less at some point in the year ahead. Ford and Rivian have also ramped up production of their respective pickups, but the Cybertruck remains a wild card.
While Tesla finally delivered about a dozen Cybertrucks to customers, its availability beyond that is unknown. In an October earnings call, CEO Elon Musk talked about problems the company has had with production, reportedly saying he didn’t think the company would reach its goal of building 250,000 Cybertrucks per year until 2025, according to the Associated Press.
All that remains to be seen, but for now, we’re focused on how the Cybertruck compares with the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T. As for the one that sounds the most compelling, we’ll leave that for you to decide.
Senior Editor
Eric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si.