What has caused the Cybertruck sales decline? While other EVs were booming, it was busting. Tesla had impressive Q3 sales growth, but not the Cybertruck.
Tesla’s Cybertruck just posted its worst quarter yet. Sales fell 63% in Q3 2025 to just 5,385 units, even as the rest of the EV market hit record highs with buyers rushing to grab vehicles before tax credits expired. For context, Ford sold nearly twice as many F-150 Lightning trucks in the same period, and even Rivian’s R1T saw a 13% increase. The numbers get worse when you look at the full year. Tesla has moved only 16,000 Cybertrucks so far in 2025, down 38% from last year.
Serious sales and prediction disparities
Remember when Elon Musk predicted 250,000 annual sales? The company now expects to deliver around 20,000 this year, compared to 50,000 in 2024. What went wrong? The starting price jumped from the promised $39,990 to over $60,000. The truck has faced multiple recalls, including one affecting 46,000 vehicles. Tesla even discontinued the cheaper rear-wheel drive model after just five months.
Now Musk’s other companies, like SpaceX and xAI, are buying up unsold inventory to pad the numbers. The Cybertruck was supposed to prove Tesla could dominate the pickup market. Instead, it shows that bold design alone won’t win over truck buyers who have practical needs and plenty of other electric options. So much for Elon Musk and his predictions to dominate this part of the EV market in 2025.
While the Cybertruck sales decline, Tesla sales go boom
The Tesla Q3 sales for 2025 were incredible and in line with the rest of the EV market. The company delivered 497,099 vehicles in the third quarter, which allows the automaker to reach an all-time high. The previous high was in Q4 2024 when Tesla delivered 495,570 vehicles. Despite the less-than-stellar sales of the electric pickup trucks, Tesla experienced an incredible boom, leading up to the now-expired $7,500 EV tax credit. These incredible sales came during a time when EV inventories were slashed, which means Tesla should be able to enjoy solid margins despite the Cybertruck sales decline.
What makes the Ford F-150 Lightning a great choice?
The Ford F-150 Lightning saw impressive sales increase while the Cybertruck sales decline has been happening. The Ford electric truck has the most traditional look and build of all electric pickup trucks. It has a large and comfortable crew cab configuration and a large fourteen cubic-foot storage space where the gasoline engine used to reside. This area is powered and great for tools and gear.
Additionally, when equipped with the longer-range battery pack, the F-150 Lightning has a 320-mile driving range. Ford also boasts that it has the largest public charging network in North America, which means you shouldn’t run out of power. Every truck comes with a Mobile Power Cord, which allows the truck to charge up at various charging stations around the country.
As the first electric pickup truck to hit the market, the Ford F-150 Lightning has a strong foothold in America. The traditional styling makes it much more attractive to most drivers when compared to the Tesla Cybertruck, which is experiencing a sales decline.
What makes the Rivian R1T a great choice?
The Rivian R1T is an impressive truck that’s made to go on the trails and handle the rugged stuff. While most EVs spend their time between the lines on the road, the R1T does things differently and is ready to tackle the trails. The power at each wheel makes the R1T easier to control, making it great on the trials with its unique 4WD system that sends power to the wheel that needs it the most.
The R1T can be a good work truck when you need to tow or carry gear. Its smaller than the Ford, and considered a midsize truck, but it drives big. The tow rating is 11,000 pounds and the payload reaches 1,760 pounds, making it easier to use the R1T as a work truck. The truck bed has a clever storage compartment under the bed floor and electricity plugs to make it easy to plug in your devices while camping.
The Ford F-150 Lighting and Rivian R1T experiences sales increases while Tesla saw the Cyber truck sales decline during the third quarter. It should be interesting to see how electric vehicle sales will fare now that the federal tax credit has expired. This tax credit didn’t have much to do with the failure of the Cybertruck compared to other trucks. Maybe Tesla should go back and design a truck that actually looks like a truck.
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