Despite being on sale for only about half a year, the Tesla Cybertruck has already outpaced the Rivian R1T in U.S. registrations as of March, according to S&P Global Mobility data. The Rivian R1T, the first all-electric pickup truck in the U.S., started reaching customers in the second half of 2021.
However, the Ford F-150 Lightning, which began deliveries in 2022, remains the leader in the American electric pickup market.
S&P Global Mobility reported 2,893 new F-150 Lightning registrations in March, compared to 1,158 Cybertrucks and 548 R1Ts. The Lightning’s registrations nearly tripled year over year, while the R1T saw a 65% drop from March 2023.
The Chevrolet Silverado EV had 319 registrations in March, and the GMC Hummer EV pickup had 192.
In the first quarter of 2024, Ford’s electric F-150 had 8,589 registrations (up 51% year over year), the Cybertruck had 1,791, and the R1T had 1,786 (down 56%). The Silverado EV recorded 803 registrations in Q1 2024.
Tesla began Cybertruck deliveries in November 2023, but neither Tesla nor Rivian has released separate sales figures for their pickups, so registration data serves as a useful gauge of consumer interest.
“In its fourth month, the Cybertruck had over a thousand registrations and outsold the R1T by more than two to one,” said Tom Libby, associate director of industry analysis at S&P Global Mobility. “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.”
During the Cybertruck’s lengthy and delay-filled journey to production, Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, claimed the angular electric pickup had one million reservations. Each reservation required a $100 deposit, so if Musk’s statement is accurate, Tesla collected a significant $100 million from reservations alone.
