The newcomer Tesla Cybertruck is already defeating most of its rivals in the US electric pickup truck market, including the Rivian R1T. As noted by Automotive News, the latter established the e-pickup segment when it overthrew the competition in fall 2021.
Cybertruck tops Rivian R1T as EV pickup battle heats up
While the Tesla Cybertruck has only been on the market for six months, it has already made a significant impact in the electric pickup space. In fact, it only lost to the more established Ford F-150 Lightning in registrations in March 2024.
S&P Global Mobility’s data revealed that the Tesla Cybertruck amassed more registrations in the third month of the year than one of its strongest rivals, the Rivian R1T.
It is indeed remarkable, considering that March was only the fourth month of Cybertruck’s availability in the market. Tesla is still ramping up the electric pickup’s production, achieving 1,000 units in a week in the first quarter.
“In its fourth month, the Cybertruck had over a thousand registrations and outsold the R1T by more than two to one. And frankly, I’m a little bit surprised. The Cybertruck is very, very unique, and it’s interesting that it’s been able to do that type of volume so quickly.”
Tom Libby, S&P Global Mobility’s Associate Director of Industry Analysis
Top 5 best-selling electric pickups in the US – March 2024
According to the report, the Tesla Cybertruck’s registrations reached a total of 1,158 units in the US in March 2024. It surpassed the Rivian R1T, which only had 548 registrations.
The popular Ford F-150 Lightning dominated the March 2024 registration rankings with 2,893 units. Presented below are the top best-selling electric pickups in March 2024:
| March 2024 | Model | Registrations | YoY Change | Q1 2024 | Model | Registrations | YoY Change |
| 1 | Ford F-150 Lightning. | 2,893 | +191% | 1 | Ford F-150 Lightning. | 8,589 | +51% |
| 2 | Tesla Cybertruck | 1,158 | N/A (New) | 2 | Tesla Cybertruck | 1,791 | N/A (New) |
| 3 | Rivian R1T | 548 | -65% | 3 | Rivian R1T | 1,786 | -56% |
| 4 | Chevy Silverado EV | 319 | N/A (New) | 4 | Chevy Silverado EV | 803 | N/A (New) |
| 5 | GMC Hummer EV | 192 | N/A | 5 | GMC Hummer EV | 400 | N/A |
It must be noted that registration data serves as an alternative to official sale figures, given that Tesla does not release its US sales from global deliveries. Rivian also does not disclose specific sales data by model, while other electric automakers keep some model data.
Strong customer demand
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk previously announced that the company had already received one million reservations for the angular electric pickup before going on sale.
Each reservation holder paid a $100 deposit fee. Thus, Tesla raised a whopping $100 million from reservations alone.
This strong customer demand is indeed remarkable, given that Tesla increased the Cybertruck’s base price from the originally announced $39,900 to $60,990 upon launch.
That said, it would be interesting to see how the Tesla electric pickup can compete with the current king, the Ford F-150 Lightning, in the US market.
