Tesla Roadster reservation: what buyers know so far.

What did Tesla show on 15 October?

A white prototype drove up a curved ramp, hung upside down, then jumped off, flipped and came down slowly on its thrusters. [1][8] The event was streamed from SpaceX's test site near Waco, Texas. Elon Musk was on stage with designer Franz von Holzhausen and Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice president of vehicle engineering. [1]

Tesla's timer showed 0 to 60 mph in under a second. [1] Car and Driver reports a first run of about one second and a second run of a claimed 0.8 seconds, using four rear thrusters fed by high-pressure air tanks. [9] Musk said the car will do "over 230 mph", and Reuters reports a range of over 300 miles. [9][2]

Tesla's product page describes the fan system this way: it "provides enough suction to hold the vehicle upside down, even when stationary." [10] The same page lists a yoke "designed specifically for steer by wire", a fixed seat position, and magnesium, titanium and carbon fibre to save weight. [10] Musk also said the Roadster will not get FSD and will be the last Tesla meant to be driven by a person. [1]

Musk was careful about the road. "I'm not sure it's necessarily legal in all jurisdictions," he said, "but there will be such a car that someone can own." [9] The car doing the stunts was a different prototype from the one on stage. [9]

What are the three versions?

Tesla's Roadster page lists three versions. Only the first two can be reserved. [10][4]

Tesla's footnotes add limits. The flight features are "Available with the Rocket trim only, which is not available in all regions." The Rocket is also marked "Not approved for public road use." [10] The page also says its features and specifications reflect "our Thrust augment only and are available as an optional upgrade." [10] So the numbers you saw on stage may not apply to the Performance car most people can reserve.

What does a reservation cost?

A US Performance reservation costs $50,000: $5,000 today and $45,000 within 10 days. A reservation is a deposit, not a price. Tesla's US reserve page shows this for Performance: [3]

For Thrust, Wired and Engadget report $5,000 up front and $245,000 within 10 days. [4][8] Rocket has no public amount. [4]

Tesla adds three lines under the table: "Reservations are not final until payment is received. Reservation subject to cancellation if payment is not completed within 10 days. Refunds for modifications will not be issued." [3]

Outside the US the reserve pages use local currency. On 16 October the Dutch page showed €5,000 today and €45,000 within 10 days, and the UK page £5,000 and £45,000. [11][12] Les Numériques reported a lower €4,000 plus €39,000 for France in September, so amounts have changed at least once. [13]

What do Tesla's reservation terms say?

Tesla's terms say the deposit is refundable until you configure the car, the price is not set, and delivery is not guaranteed. The US Roadster Reservation Agreement is dated 15 October 2026. [7] The main points, in Tesla's words:

• Priority: you have "secured the approximate priority for configuring and ordering your Tesla Roadster, once available."
• Price: "We are still working on what options, features and hardware the vehicle will have and so cannot confirm the exact price just yet."
• Delivery: "we cannot guarantee when your vehicle will actually be delivered or if it will be delivered."
• Cancelling: until you configure the car after Tesla invites you, the reservation "may be cancelled at any time through your Tesla Account and for any reason, by either you or us", with "a full refund of your Reservation Payment."
• No interest: Tesla "will not hold your Reservation Payment separately or in an escrow or trust fund or pay any interest."
• Transfer: the reservation is not transferable without Tesla's written consent.

The US agreement also has an arbitration clause with a 30 day opt-out by letter. [7] Terms differ by country, so read yours before you wire money.

The order comes later. Tesla says it will invite you to configure the car "as production nears", then issue an Order Agreement, and later a final Purchase Agreement with the price, taxes and fees. [7]

What happened to the 2017 reservations?

No 2017 reservation holder has received a car, and Tesla has not said how those reservations rank against new ones. [5][6][18]

Tesla first showed the next Roadster on 16 November 2017, as a surprise at the end of the Semi event. It promised a $200,000 base price, 1.9 seconds to 60 mph, 620 miles of range and four seats, with production in 2020. [5][14] A base reservation was $50,000. The first 1,000 Founders Series cars cost $250,000 up front: $5,000 by card and $245,000 by wire within 10 days. [5][15]

The 2020 date passed. TechCrunch notes that in late 2025 Musk said he wanted a demo by the end of that year, then moved it to 1 April 2026. [16] Tesla reopened reservations around 19 to 20 September 2026, ahead of an event planned for 1 October. [17][19] The event was moved and took place on 15 October. [1][16]

Some 2017 holders gave up. In 2025 Electrek reported that Marques Brownlee cancelled after eight years and was told at first that he would get $45,000 of his $50,000 back. Electrek later updated the story: Tesla also returned the $5,000. [6] Sam Altman posted about trouble cancelling his reservation. Musk said he was refunded within 24 hours. [4] Others stayed. One Founders Series holder told CNBC he had given Tesla an "interest-free loan" of $250,000 since 2017 and called the reveal "off the charts." [1]

Tesla has not said publicly how 2017 reservations rank against new ones. Fox Business asked and got no reply before publication. [18] Les Numériques and SomosEléctricos reported that earlier reservation holders were invited to the event. [13][19]

When could deliveries start?

The only public date is Musk's: production in 2028. [1][2] No delivery month, country order or volume was given. Wired notes that Tesla often misses its own dates. [4]

Before the event, people in an r/teslamotors thread guessed anywhere from late 2027 to much later, and some expected low volumes. [20] On TMC, one member read the 12 to 18 months Musk had mentioned after a demo as optimistic and suggested 24 months as safer. [21] Both are guesses.

For Europe, Tesla has not said whether every version will be approved for road use in Europe, and its own page says Rocket is not available in all regions. [10]

What buyers are asking

These questions come up on Reddit, TMC and X, paraphrased here.

Frequently asked questions

What we do not know yet

• Price. Not announced for any version. [1][7]
• Delivery dates by region. No month, no country order, no volume. 2028 is a production target, not a delivery date. [1][7]
• Flight in a customer car. Rocket is invite only and "Not approved for public road use." How it will be sold, used or insured is unknown. [10]
• Specs for Performance. Stage figures came from cars with thrusters, and Tesla's page says its specs reflect the Thrust option. [9][10]
• 2017 priority. How older reservations rank against new ones. [18]
• European road approval and final European terms. [10]