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Tesla Cybertruck comes in dead last against GM, Ford and Rivian in consumer survey
A recent consumer survey comparing the Tesla Cybertruck to the Ford F-150 Electric, the Rivian R1T, and GM’s unreleased, unannounced electric pickup truck has rendered rather interesting results. Based on the results of the study, which was conducted by Autolist.com, it appears that consumers prefer EV trucks over incumbents like GM and Ford. Consumers specifically mentioned their preference for Rivian and Tesla vehicles. The Cybertruck, with its radical styling, ended up ranking dead last in the survey’s overall rankings.
Among the respondents of Autolist.com’s survey, 50% have never owned a pickup before, while 49% have owned or currently own a truck. One percent of the study’s respondents stated that they were “unsure.” Around ~1,100 respondents were selected for the study between late November and early December, with each one being asked which all-electric pickup they prefer and why.
Interestingly, GM’s unannounced, unconfirmed all-electric pickup was the respondents’ top choice, with the still-unknown vehicle grabbing 29% of the vote. The Ford F-150 Electric came in second with 27% of the vote, while the Rivian R1T came in at a respectable third place with 24%. At the bottom was the Tesla Cybertruck, which was deemed as the top EV pickup choice by 20% of respondents.
While the overall results of the consumer survey seem unfavorable to the Tesla Cybertruck, a look at the study’s detailed results shows something very notable about the upcoming vehicle. Respondents in the survey were asked to pick three reasons why they selected a particular all-electric truck. The reasons selected for the Cybertruck by the respondents were notably different compared to the other vehicles in the survey.
For GM’s unannounced electric pickup, 62% of respondents listed their trust in the GM brand as their reason behind their preference, while 41% listed the expected reliability of the upcoming vehicle. The expected performance of the truck was listed by 37% of respondents as a priority as well. These results mirror that of the Ford F-150 Electric, with respondents’ trust in the Ford brand receiving 54% of the votes, expected reliability getting 52%, and expected performance getting 38%.
These results are very different compared to those gathered for the Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck. For the R1T, it appears that its exterior styling is its biggest draw, as shown by 75% of respondents listing its look as a reason why they would choose the vehicle. Expected vehicle size and performance both were listed by 35% of respondents, and expected practicality and features received 30% of the vote.
In this sense, the Cybertruck’s results are a league of their own, with respondents seemingly prioritizing the vehicle’s entire ecosystem and Tesla’s classic performance. Fifty percent of respondents listed the Cybertruck’s expected performance as a reason they would choose the vehicle, while expected efficiency and Autopilot received a nod from 44% of respondents. Tesla’s Supercharger Network was also listed by 29% of respondents. This, if any, shows that those who prefer the Cybertruck are already familiar with EV ownership, as evidenced by their mention of charging infrastructure and advanced driver-assist systems as key priorities.
In a way, these results show that buyers who are considering the Tesla Cybertruck have preferences that do not necessarily mirror that of usual pickup customers. A part of this discrepancy may be due to a notable difference among respondents who have owned a truck and those that have never owned a pickup before. Respondents who have owned pickups before seemed the most averse to the Cybertruck, with 35% choosing GM’s electric truck as their top choice, 28% choosing the F-150 Electric, 23% opting for the Rivian R1T, and only 14% selecting the Cybertruck. Among respondents who were non-truck owners, the results were flipped, with the Cybertruck being most popular with 25.8% of respondents’ vote, the Rivian R1T getting 24.8%, and the two EV trucks from Ford and GM receiving 24.7% each.
Chase Disher, an analyst at Autolist.com, explained that the results of its survey are actually favorable for all the electric pickups and their respective makers. It shows that the veteran automakers can find a loyal customer base for their all-electric trucks, and it also reveals that an entirely new pickup market could be opened, pushed by vehicles like the Cybertruck. “Frankly, these results are good for all four brands. It shows that Ford and GM can leverage their considerable — and existing — truck followings to boost interest in their EV models. Meanwhile, it shows that Tesla and Rivian could be poised to grab a meaningful share of a crucial new growth segment,” he said.
The full results of Autolist.com’s study could be accessed here.
Tesla AI lead Ashok Elluswamy said this week that 24-hour Robotaxi service is close. Replying on X to a rider who wanted Cybercab trips all night, he wrote that the capability would arrive “next month or so” once “the next tech to merge on the v15 plan” is ready.
The comment landed on September 4, one day after Tesla opened public Cybercab rides in Austin. It is the clearest near-term timeline yet for overnight unsupervised operation. Tesla’s paid Robotaxi network currently runs from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week across Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa.
next month or so. the next tech to merge on the v15 plan will enable it.
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) September 4, 2026
That 16-hour window is shorter than the 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. schedule the company used for much of the prior year.
Elluswamy did not name the specific feature or say whether the change would apply first to purpose-built Cybercabs, the existing Model Y fleet, or both. He also offered no city-by-city rollout list. The link to Full Self-Driving v15 is nevertheless significant.
Tesla has described v15 as a step-change architecture with seven parallel improvement tracks and roughly ten times more parameters than earlier builds. Early versions of that software already operate on the Robotaxi fleet and contain about 40 percent of the planned gains.
By July 2026, the unsupervised fleet had logged more than 380,000 miles across six cities in two states with what the company called an impeccable safety record and no notable incidents caused by the vehicles themselves. Tesla has repeatedly argued that camera-based end-to-end neural networks, rather than extra sensors, are the core of the solution.
Overnight service would test that claim in lower-light conditions and would also raise vehicle utilization, a key variable for Robotaxi unit economics. The company has already begun using public Superchargers at night and is building dedicated Robotaxi charging sites.
Riders have asked why software must change if the cars already drive in the dark. The practical answer appears to be reliability and scale: Tesla has held back mass expansion until more of the v15 stack is merged, citing the need for higher confidence before putting thousands of unoccupied vehicles on streets around the clock.
If the next module arrives on the timetable Elluswamy sketched, 24-hour service could begin in October 2026 in at least some markets.
That would mark a shift from a daytime-bounded pilot to a service that can run whenever demand exists, including the late-night hours that have so far remained out of reach.
Tesla is beginning to roll out Full Self-Driving Supervised v14.3.9 with a new active safety layer that can take control even when the driver is operating the car manually.
Tesla AI said the software can activate FSD on the driver’s behalf when an imminent collision is detected and Automatic Emergency Braking may not be enough. It may also engage if the system detects heavy distraction or an accidental FSD disengagement.
FSD Supervised v14.3.9 starting to roll out shortly
This release includes a new active safety feature set: FSD Supervised can now activate on your behalf when an imminent collision is detected and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) may not be enough.
It may also engage if we…
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) September 4, 2026
The capability is essentially Automatic Collision Evasion. However, unlike conventional AEB, which mainly applies the brakes in a straight line, this feature can use steering, braking, and acceleration together if the car calculates that stopping alone will not prevent impact and a safer path exists. The system may change lanes or move toward a shoulder when conditions allow, then continue driving after the immediate threat is handled rather than simply coming to a stop.
The intervention is meant as a last-resort safety net, not a replacement for attentive driving.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3.7 early review: FSD saved me from an accident
Tesla’s own description still frames FSD as supervised assistance. Secondary reports on internal release notes say the feature can fire while the car is being driven manually if cabin-camera monitoring suggests the driver is not sufficiently attentive, such as reaching toward the back seat, or if FSD appears to have been turned off unintentionally.
After the emergency maneuver, the car is expected to alert the driver and request a return to manual control.
The safety case is straightforward. Many collisions happen in the last second because a driver is looking away, fumbles a control, or faces an obstacle that braking cannot fully solve. A system that can both recognize that AEB is insufficient and execute a coordinated evasive path can reduce those remaining high-severity events.
Re-engaging after accidental disengagement also addresses a practical failure mode: a small steering nudge that drops FSD at the worst moment. The advantage is a background safety net that uses the same vision stack already running in v14, instead of leaving the car solely to emergency braking once the driver is no longer in command.
The feature still depends on FSD being enabled and, according to reports, an active FSD purchase or subscription. It does not make the vehicle unsupervised. Drivers remain responsible, and Tesla has not published how often the system is expected to intervene or how it will handle false positives.
If the rollout is conservative and the false-alarm rate stays low, the update is a meaningful step: FSD is no longer only a feature the driver turns on. In the rare moments when disaster is already forming, it can step in.
Tesla launched the all-electric, steering wheel-less, and pedal-less Cybercab last night at a quiet and small event in downtown Austin, Texas.
The launch, which marked the beginning of unsupervised ride-hailing for Tesla’s Robotaxi platform with Cybercab, has already caught the attention of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) who has more questions.
NHTSA opened an Audit Query (AQ) into the Cybercab’s Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) certification that Tesla gave the vehicle. Manufacturers self-certify vehicles much of the time to avoid excessive regulatory delays.
Tesla Cybercab interior, note the lack of steering wheel and pedals. (Credit: @niccruzpatane/X< /a>)
However, the agency needs more information; it said in a summary:
“On September 3, 2026, Tesla began commercial deployment with a small number of its Cybercab vehicles in Austin, Texas. Tesla notified the Agency that it certified those Cybercab vehicles as compliant with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Tesla also notified the Agency that it plans to gradually expand commercial deployment of the Cybercab to include additional vehicles and locations.”
It also went on to state that the Cybercab lacks traditional automotive controls, which is a groundbreaking move. The process is entirely new to the NHTSA, which gives the agency some leverage to put Tesla’s launch under a microscope:
“The vehicles lack permanently attached, conventional manual controls, such as a brake pedal, gas pedal, steering wheel, and mirrors. NHTSA is opening this AQ to examine the process and technical data on which Tesla relied when certifying the Cybercab and related issues. Among other things, NHTSA will consider the extent to which Tesla’s certification depended on determinations that certain FMVSS are inapplicable to the Cybercab.”
Tesla has added 45 Cybercab units to its fleet of Robotaxi-enabled cars in Austin, according to public documents the company submitted to the State of Texas over the past week. Enabling this level of self-driving is something Tesla has worked toward for many years, and now that it is finally here, it seems more than reasonable that regulatory agencies will have some questions.
Many outlets might try to frame this as a negative, but it is truly an agency looking to gain more information about groundbreaking tech that Tesla has been developing for years.
In an effort to keep riders, pedestrians, and property safe, any and all data accumulated from these first days, weeks, and months of rides will likely be shared with the NHTSA to enable broader rollout strategies across the United States and more in the future.
Tesla Robotaxi will be a 24/7 service: here’s when
Tesla Full Self-Driving will now overtake manual driving to avoid disaster
