Tesla officially revealed the Cybertruck and began deliveries in late 2023, marking its first all-new EV since the Model Y. Now, over a year later, the futuristic truck is finally making its way into the hands of more customers.

• 2025 Tesla Cybertruck

  Base MSRP

  $79,990

  Base Trim Engine

  EV

  Base Trim Horsepower

  600 HP

  Base Trim All Electric Range

  325 miles

• 

  2025 Ford F-150 Lightning

  Base MSRP

  $47,780

  Base Trim Engine

  EV

  Base Trim Horsepower

  452 HP

  Base Trim All Electric Range

  240 miles

While the final wedge-shaped design remains largely unchanged from the prototype shown five years ago, several key aspects have evolved. Tesla’s initial promise of a sub-$40,000 starting price never materialized, and the production model no longer offers a six-seat configuration. Additionally, the top-tier variant features a tri-motor setup instead of the originally planned four-motor version.

With more information available about both models than ever before, we can better assess how the Cybertruck vs. the Ford F-150 Lightning battle plays out in 2025.

Design: Traditional Pickup Vs. Stainless Steel Wedge

Considering that the Cybertruck’s final design has remained largely unchanged from earlier prototypes, we won’t dwell too much on this aspect. Years of spy shots and leaks gave us plenty of time to digest its angular, futuristic styling—one that makes the F-150 Lightning look far more conventional by comparison.

Both pickups have a full-width front light bar, but that’s where the similarities end. The Cybertruck is undoubtedly more imposing, whereas the Lightning looks like a more modern F-150.

In terms of size, the Ford is almost ten inches longer, but the Tesla is wider. Whereas the Ford has a 5.5-foot bed, the Tesla’s bed is a foot longer. The Tesla’s payload of up to 2,500 pounds exceeds the Ford’s 2,235 lbs.

The Tesla has more party tricks, like a light bar that illuminates your path up to 525 yards (the equivalent of over five football fields), armor glass that can resist a baseball flying at 70 mph, and Tesla-designed steel alloy for the body that gives it a unique finish alongside conventional paint.

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Performance: Cyberbeast Stands Alone

There are three variants of the Cybertruck, but only two are currently available to order:

• Single motor with rear-wheel drive
• Dual motors with all-wheel drive
• Three motors with all-wheel drive

We don’t know much about the elusive RWD model besides that it can hit 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. The dual-motor version makes 600 horsepower, and the Cyberbeast puts out 845 hp. The 0-60 times drop to 4.1 and 2.6 seconds, respectively.

Neither of the two F-150 Lightning variants can match the Cyberbeast. They make either 452 hp or 580 hp from dual electric motors, and the more powerful model can hit 60 in around four seconds. The Ford is supremely quick for a full-size pickup, but the Tesla wins if all you care about are raw numbers.

The F-150 Lightning vs. Cybertruck towing comparison has a clear winner. Once again, the Cybertruck comes out on top and can tow up to 11,000 lbs for AWD models, whereas the Lightning manages up to 10,000 lbs in its optimal guise. The Cybertruck RWD can tow 7,500 lbs, but even the base Lightning can tow 7,700 lbs as long as you equip the Max Trailer Tow Package.

Tesla optimistically says the Cybertruck has “the handling of a sports car,” thanks to steer-by-wire and rear-wheel steering. We’ll have to drive it to see if it lives up to that. And, while the Cybertruck was never considered a hardcore off-roader, it has up to 17.44 inches of ground clearance, crushing the Ford’s 8.4 inches.

Range, Charging, And Battery Life: Close… Without Tesla’s Range Extender

Tesla fell some way short of its 500-mile promise. The production Cybertruck has a range of 325 miles with AWD and just 250 miles with RWD. At 320 miles, the mighty Cyberbeast slots in between those two models. A range extender option can improve the dual-motor model’s range to 445 miles or the Cyberbeast’s to 440 miles. The trade-off is that the range extender eats up a large chunk of space in the bed. For the Lightning, expect to cover up to 320 miles with the larger 131-kWh battery or between 240 and 300 miles with the smaller 98-kWh battery. Those numbers almost match the Tesla if the range extender isn’t equipped.

With DC fast charging, the Cybertruck can add 128 miles of range in just 15 minutes. By comparison, the Lightning can add up to 54 miles of range in 10 minutes. These numbers align with reports that the Cybertruck’s battery capacity is around 123 kWh.

Ultimately, the Tesla goes further on a full charge or much further with the range extender.

Speaking of charging, the Cybertruck is capable of bi-directional charging to send energy to your home or another EV:

• Cybertruck: 11.5 kW of power output + 120V/240V outlets in the bed and cabin
• F-150 Lightning: 9.6 kW of power output with Pro Power Onboard (extended-range battery required)

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Interior: Minimalism Vs. Usability

Initially, the Tesla Cybertruck had six seats, but the production model sticks with a more conventional five-seater layout. The rest of the cabin is minimalism taken to the extreme, with all controls relegated to the 18.5-inch touchscreen. A second 9.4-inch touchscreen is found at the back.

In the Ford, you can opt for a 15.5-inch center touchscreen. Base models have dual 12-inch displays. Overall, this is a much more conventional pickup interior, but it’s more high-tech than the normal F-150.

Ford Sticks With More Traditional Controls

The Cybertruck has a few annoyances, such as no physical stalks for the indicators and no rearview mirror. The mirror would be pointless since you can’t see anything out of the back when the tonneau cover is closed, one of the compromises that had to be made for the Tesla’s unconventional styling. By comparison, the Lightning will be much easier to gel with until you adjust to the Tesla’s quirks.

Regarding interior dimensions, the Ford comes out on top in most respects. It has more rear headroom (no surprise given the Cybertruck’s dramatically sloping roofline), and the Ford is also better for rear-seat legroom and shoulder room. If you regularly transport passengers at the back, they’ll be happier in the F-150.

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Sales Figures Comparison

Since its late 2023 debut, the Tesla Cybertruck has made a significant impact in the electric pickup market. In its first full year on sale, 2024, Tesla sold approximately 38,965 Cybertrucks, according to Kelley Blue Book estimates, making it the best-selling electric pickup truck in the USA. However, Cybertruck sales have recently stagnated.

F-150 Lightning’s Sales Surge Still Falls Short Of Cybertruck

In comparison, the Ford F-150 Lightning, which has been available since 2022, saw substantial growth in 2024. Ford reported total sales of 33,510 units for the F-150 Lightning in 2024, marking a 39% increase from the previous year. Despite the growth in sales, Ford was offering massive incentives on its F-150 Lightning’s to encourage more sales.

The following table provides a year-over-year comparison of sales figures for both models:

While the Cybertruck took the lead in 2024 sales, it’s important to note that both vehicles have contributed significantly to the growing popularity of electric pickups. The F-150 Lightning’s earlier market entry and consistent sales growth demonstrate Ford’s strong presence in the segment. As the electric vehicle market continues to evolve, both Tesla and Ford are expected to play pivotal roles in shaping the future of electric trucks.

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Pricing And Verdict: Cybertruck Is The Ultimate Disruptor

Never has a comparison between two vehicles in the same segment felt so incongruous. The Cybertruck is so utterly different from any other electric pickup that comparing it to one feels almost pointless. For better or worse, the Tesla rewrites the rulebook for pickups in design and performance.

But this is a comparison, so to help us along, we’ll look at some pricing figures. The cheapest RWD Cybertruck model will only arrive later in 2025 at a price of just over $60k, while the base Ford F-150 Lightning now starts at $62,995.

The dual-motor AWD Cybertruck costs $79,990, and the tri-motor Cyberbeast costs $99,990. You can get the more powerful Lightning with the extended range battery from $67,995, but Ford has no answer to the powerful Cyberbeast, even if you spend close to $90k on the Lightning Platinum. The Cybertruck is now also eligible for a federal tax credit.

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As things stand now, the F-150 Lightning offers more value at a lower price point, more user-friendly controls, and more interior space, especially for those at the back. But those willing to live with the Tesla’s new-age tech and all the attention will be driving something much more exciting. The Tesla is also quicker, has more range, can tow more, and has a higher payload. Early reports suggest the steer-by-wire system makes the Tesla feel far nimbler than other pickups, so yes, the Cybertruck isn’t all flash and no substance.

We can’t make a definitive choice until we drive the Tesla, but we suspect all other electric pickups have their work cut out for them, including the F-150 Lightning.

Sources: Ford, Tesla, Kelley Blue Book