Tesla Roadster: Price, Release Date, 0-60 and What Tesla Has Confirmed

The new Tesla Roadster finally had its public reveal on October 15, 2026, almost nine years after Tesla first showed a prototype in November 2017. The reveal answered some questions and left the biggest ones open. Tesla has now shown the car, opened reservations for named versions and put a production year on record. It still has not published a price, a delivery date or any independently measured performance figure. This guide separates what Tesla has confirmed from what Tesla and Elon Musk have claimed, with the date and source of each statement.

Tesla Roadster at a Glance: Confirmed vs Claimed

“Confirmed” means Tesla has shown it or listed it on its reservation page. “Claim” means a figure nobody outside Tesla has verified.

What Tesla Showed at the October 15, 2026 Reveal

Tesla held the livestreamed event at SpaceX’s rocket test site in McGregor, near Waco, Texas, according to Fox Business and Electrek. The car on stage was a white, angular two-door that Tesla said reflects design language that “has evolved since the last reveal,” citing the SR-71 and F-35 as influences (TechCrunch, Oct 15, 2026). It looks clearly different from the red 2017 prototype, which matches what Musk told shareholders on November 6, 2025: the car would be “very different than what we’ve shown previously” (Electrek, Nov 6, 2025).

The demonstration was built around the SpaceX-developed cold-gas thruster system. As Fox Business described it, a fan-based suction system held the car to a curved ramp until it was upside down. Thrusters then launched it off the ramp, and it flipped in midair and landed. In another run it launched over a lineup of cars and a semi-truck. NBC News reported that the car hurdled five other Tesla vehicles and, according to Tesla, jumped 27 feet in the air while performing a barrel roll. Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering, Lars Moravy, said the system uses 10 thrusters fed by 600 liters of rechargeable compressed air (TechCrunch).

Two cautions apply. First, the stunts were Tesla’s own demonstration, not an independent test. Second, Tesla itself says the single-seat Rocket version is not approved for public roads, and Musk acknowledged the car may not be legal in every jurisdiction (NBC News, Oct 16, 2026).

Tesla Roadster Price, MSRP and Reservations

There is no official Tesla Roadster MSRP. Executives did not disclose a price at the October 15 reveal, and Musk did not name one (Fox Business; TechCrunch, Oct 15, 2026). The only Tesla price ever attached to the car is old: at the November 2017 unveiling, Tesla quoted a $200,000 base price and offered 1,000 Founders Series cars at $250,000, paid in full up front (Fox Business, Oct 15, 2026; Electrek, Nov 17, 2017). Treat the $200,000 figure as a 2017 quote, not a current price.

What Tesla has published is a set of reservation deposits. A deposit holds a place in line; it is not a purchase price.

Sources: TechCrunch and Fox Business, Oct 15, 2026; NBC News, Oct 16, 2026. Deposit amounts are as listed on Tesla’s reservation page on the reveal date and can change; check Tesla’s site before paying anything.

Tesla Roadster Release Date: What Is Actually Scheduled

The only date on record is a production year. At the reveal, Musk said Tesla will build the car in 2028 (TechCrunch, Oct 15, 2026), and Fox Business and the PA news agency reported the same 2028 production start. NBC News noted on October 16, 2026, that Tesla has still not announced a release or delivery date.

That means there is no 2026 model-year Tesla Roadster you can buy. “Tesla Roadster 2026” describes the year of the reveal, not a car on sale. Musk’s November 2025 guidance was that production would come “about 12-18 months” after the demo (Electrek, Nov 6, 2025). Measured from an October 2026 demo, that points to roughly late 2027 to early 2028, which matches the 2028 target given at the reveal.

Tesla Roadster 0-60, Top Speed and Range Claims

Every performance number for the new Roadster comes from Tesla or Musk. None has an EPA rating or an independent test behind it. The claims have also changed between 2017 and 2026, so the date of each figure matters.

Sources: 2017 column from Electrek, Nov 17, 2017. 2026 column from TechCrunch (Oct 15, 2026), Fox Business (Oct 15, 2026), NBC News and PA (Oct 16, 2026).

Two shifts stand out. The claimed range fell from more than 620 miles to about 300 miles, which NBC News described as less than half the original promise. The claimed acceleration got much quicker, from 1.9 seconds to 0.81 seconds. The sub-1-second figure was not new at the reveal: Musk first claimed a 0-60 time below one second on February 28, 2024, calling it the car’s “least interesting” feature (Fortune, Feb 28, 2024). Tesla also said on X that the thrusters produce four to five times the force the tires can (Fox Business), which is how it explains a time that tires alone cannot achieve. Musk has also said he wants a future top speed of about halfway to the speed of sound, which NBC News noted is far above the announced figure. That is a goal, not a spec.

Timeline: Tesla Roadster Announcements and Delays, 2017 to 2026

• November 16, 2017: Tesla unveils the second-generation Roadster prototype at the end of its Semi event. Claims: 1.9-second 0-60, 620 miles, 250+ mph, $200,000 base price; production promised for 2020 (Electrek, Nov 17, 2017; Wikipedia).
• 2018: Musk posts about a “SpaceX option package” with about 10 small rocket thrusters (TechCrunch recap, Oct 15, 2026).
• July 2020: Musk moves production to “the next 12-18 months.” Later targets slide to 2022, 2023 and 2024 (Electrek, Apr 22, 2026).
• February 28, 2024: Musk posts on X that Tesla “radically increased the design goals” for the car, claims 0-60 below one second, and says “Unveil end of year, aiming to ship next year” (Fortune, Feb 28, 2024). Neither the 2024 unveil nor 2025 shipping happened.
• Late October 2025: On Joe Rogan’s podcast, Musk says he wants to reveal the car by the end of 2025 (TechCrunch).
• November 6, 2025: At Tesla’s shareholder meeting, Musk sets a tentative demo date of April 1, 2026, with production about 12-18 months later (Electrek, Nov 6, 2025).
• March 2026: Musk shifts the target to a “late April” unveil (Electrek, Apr 22, 2026).
• April 21, 2026: On the Q1 2026 earnings call, Musk says Tesla “may be able to debut that in a month or so” (Electrek, Apr 22, 2026).
• June 5, 2026: The Information reports the demo has slipped to August or later, citing four people familiar with the program (as reported by Electrek, June 5, 2026).
• September 12, 2026: Tesla posts “Go for launch” on X, sets an October 1 event in Waco, Texas, and invites reservation holders (Not a Tesla App, Sept 12, 2026).
• September 28, 2026: Tesla moves the event to October 15, citing severe weather and saying the event “can only be held outdoors” (Electrek, Sept 28, 2026).
• October 15, 2026: Public reveal at SpaceX’s McGregor site. Reservations listed, no price, production targeted for 2028 (TechCrunch; Fox Business).

What Tesla Has Not Confirmed Yet

As of October 20, 2026, these points remain open. We found no Tesla statement covering any of them:

• Price for any version. Only reservation deposits are published.
• Delivery date. 2028 is a production target, not a delivery promise.
• Battery size, motor count and charging speed for the 2026 design.
• EPA range. The 300-mile figure is Tesla’s own.
• Street legality of the thruster versions. Tesla says Rocket is not approved for public roads, and Musk acknowledged the car may not be legal everywhere (NBC News).
• Where it will be built and in what volume. Musk said he is “not sure it moves the needle massively from a revenue standpoint” (TechCrunch), so expect a low-volume car.
• Safety ratings. Musk has said “safety is not the main goal” for this car (TechCrunch, Oct 15, 2026). No crash-test data exists.

New Roadster vs the Original 2008 Tesla Roadster

The original Roadster, built from 2008 to 2012 on a Lotus Elise-based chassis, was Tesla’s first car and is now a collector item. The new car shares only the name. For the first car’s history, specs and the SpaceX “Starman” launch, see our 2008 Tesla Roadster guide.

If you want a Tesla with very high performance that you can actually buy today, the current lineup is the realistic option. Our 2026 Tesla Cybertruck vs Rivian R1T comparison covers the Cyberbeast’s published figures, and the Cyberbeast first review goes deeper on that trim. For the basics of range, charging and ownership costs, start with our EV guide.

Should You Place a Tesla Roadster Reservation?

A Roadster reservation is a bet on a timeline, not a purchase. The facts to weigh are simple. Tesla has collected deposits since 2017. The first production promise was 2020, and it slipped repeatedly. The new 2028 target comes with no price. A $50,000 deposit is tied up for an open-ended period against an unknown final price.

Before you reserve, read and save the current deposit and refund terms on Tesla’s reservation page, and budget as if the final price will be well above the deposit.

Morgan Reyes

Morgan Reyes is the founder and editor-in-chief of NextCarReview, which Morgan launched in August 2024. A 2022 graduate of Columbia University, Morgan is based in New York and writes and edits the site’s reviews, comparisons and buying guides. Morgan does not road-test vehicles. Every article is built from published primary data: EPA FuelEconomy.gov ratings, NHTSA crash ratings, recalls and owner complaints, IIHS results, and manufacturer specifications and pricing, with each figure cited and checked before publication. Contact: admin@nextcarreview.com

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