Tesla is asking people to pay for its next Roadster before they have seen it. The company has reopened reservations for the sports car, according to Electrek, with a $50,000 deposit requested about two weeks before an unveiling on 1 October near Waco, Texas. It is the second time Tesla has collected $50,000 for the Roadster, and the first group of deposit-holders is still waiting almost nine years later.
How the new reservations work
The reserve page went live this week. It asks for $5,000 on a credit card today, described as “fully refundable”, followed by a $45,000 wire transfer due within 10 days. The reservation is not final until the wire has cleared. Tesla says the 1 October event will reveal pricing, specifications and production targets.
The 2017 promise
Tesla first took Roadster deposits in November 2017, when it rolled a prototype on stage at its Semi truck event. Standard reservations then also cost $50,000, and there was a $250,000 “Founders Series” that required the full amount up front. Production was promised for 2020. According to Electrek, the 2017 Roadster has been delayed at least eight times and has not delivered a single car. The 2017 car was promised with a 620-mile range, a 0–60 mph time under 1.9 seconds, a top speed above 250 mph and a $200,000 base price.
Electrek also reported last year that some reservation holders struggled to get their deposits back, with Tesla initially keeping a $5,000 portion. Tesla reportedly owes more than 100 free Founders Series Roadsters to participants in its 2017–2019 referral programme.
What Tesla is teasing
The latest teasers point to a redesign with Tesla’s angular “Cyber” styling and a full-width light bar. Elon Musk has spent months teasing a demonstration built around cold-gas thrusters designed by SpaceX, which he says will let the car “fly”, or at least hover. Electrek says the stunt car is expected to be remotely operated, is not expected to be street legal, and could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars on its own. At the All-In Summit this month Musk said excitement is guaranteed but success is not, and that Tesla wants a live audience present to confirm the demonstration is real and “not AI”.
- 1 OctUnveil date, near Waco, Texas
- $50,000Deposit being requested
- Nov 2017When the first deposits were taken
- <5%Polymarket odds of customer deliveries in 2026 (thinly traded)
What the betting markets think
Electrek noted that prediction markets are sceptical about timing. On Polymarket, a contract on the Roadster reaching customers by the end of 2026 was priced below 5%, though that market is thinly traded, while a separate contract for 2027 was about 61%. Those numbers are a guide to sentiment, not evidence of what will happen.
What to think about before paying a deposit
- Check whether the deposit is refundable, when it is refundable, and how to request a refund in writing.
- Understand the difference between a card payment, which may carry consumer-protection rights, and a wire transfer, which is harder to reverse.
- Remember that pricing, specifications and delivery dates were promised for a previous version of this car and have not been met.
- Wait for the 1 October event if you want to know the price and production plan before committing money.
