These days, it feels impossible to find someone who doesn’t have an opinion about Cybertrucks. Even if it’s just an offhand comment about their unique aesthetic, people have things to say about this electric truck built by Tesla. And, frankly, some of those things are not so nice.
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While online commenters and people making odd faces in parking lots certainly have the right to their opinions, there’s one demographic who should hold more sway than the everyday naysayers — car experts.
People who work with cars are generally well-equipped to discuss whether certain car models are worth your money — and priced starting around $60,000 to $70,000, Cybertrucks will cost you a lot of it. GOBankingRates talked to Ford Smith, founder and CEO of A1Xpress, as well as Carl Rodriguez, head of content creation at NX Automotive Transport, to get their takes on why Cybertrucks aren’t good investments.
They Don’t Suit the Way Most People Drive
As the leader of a courier and trucking company, Smith pays a lot of attention to how cars operate on the road. Based on what he’s seen about how most motorists live and drive, he’d discourage the people close to him from getting a Cybertruck. Point blank, it’s impractical, starting with its size.
“We operate in cities like Newark, parts of North Jersey and down through Philly, where street parking is already tight for standard pickups,” he said. “And in my opinion, the Cybertruck’s footprint makes it more of a liability than an asset in any urban or suburban setting where space is limited.”
Getting a Cybertruck could lead to many hours circling the block to find a parking space, sticking out into traffic (which risks the car getting damaged), or even having to skip certain parking lots entirely because the car just won’t fit.
“For everyday use, that friction adds up fast,” he said.
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Lack of Real-World Testing
But what concerns Smith the most about Cybertrucks is his opinion that it hasn’t been sufficiently tested for conditions in the real world. His fleet trucks are conditioned to go through stop and go traffic, weight shifts, tight turns and all kinds of weather conditions.
“You start to learn very quickly which vehicles are engineered to handle stress and which ones fall apart when they’re pushed,” he said. “The Cybertruck hasn’t proven anything yet in that category. Until I see a few years of data, like repair cycles, part availability, service support, I’d never call it a safe investment for anyone who depends on their vehicle to get things done.”
Smith isn’t alone in this assessment. When Wired magazine looked at some weather-related issues with Cybertrucks, it found users complaining of metal corrosion after exposure to rain.
There Are Issues With Reliability
Rodriguez has heard of more than a few people who realized that the Cybertruck wasn’t worth their money when it was too late. One huge reason is, well, it’s huge size, which ensures that it won’t fit in many spaces that are allocated to cars in the average housing or apartment complex.
There are other, even more concerning reasons why Rodriguez wouldn’t recommend a Cybertruck.
“There are significant and frequent reliability, performance and functional issues with the Cybertruck. Its electric inverter tends to become faulty which can cause its wheels to completely lose all power,” he said. “That’s not only a functional problem, it’s potentially a dangerous one.”
Cybertrucks are a lot of money, but to some experts, they don’t have a lot of value. Smith put it clearly: “The Cybertruck might be a fun toy for someone who drives once a week and parks in a private garage. But for regular drivers navigating real cities with real stress, I’d say it’s more risk than reward,” he said. “The design is bold, sure, but the burden falls on the owner when it turns out that bold doesn’t always translate into practical.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I’m a Car Expert: 3 Reasons Cybertrucks Are Some of the Biggest Money Wasters
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