- Price rise challenges affordability. Originally priced under $20k with incentives, the slate truck now starts at $24,950 without federal tax credits.
- Strong initial interest despite cost. The slate received 10,000 pre-orders, indicating continued consumer interest.
- Customizable and DIY appeal. The truck offers many affordable accessories and DIY options for personalization.
- Comfortable and economical ride. Despite its simplicity, the Slate Truck offers a comfortable and quiet driving experience.
Ground level: Slate’s electric truck offers affordability and customization, but price increases challenge its value proposition.
AI assisted, editor reviewed
When it was originally announced last year, Slate said their new truck would cost at least $20,000. At that time, federal incentives will apply, bringing the truck’s final price down to under $20k. Now, federal incentives have been eliminated and new automakers have had to move on.
In April 2025 it seemed plausible that car buyers would be attracted to a simpler, smaller, cheaper truck that boasts about its customization opportunities and ease of ownership. In fact, Slate recently reminded us that they received 180,000 reservations for the truck, and they still emphasize the need for an affordable vehicle option for consumers.
But what now that the basic, blank slate truck will cost $24,950 to start (before unknown destination charge) and there will be no federal tax credits to help with the pricing? Slate is optimistic and shared that they immediately received 10,000 of them after their web portal opened yesterday morning to accept pre-orders (remember, pre-order designation requires a $300 deposit). Does this mean that all potential buyers are relaxed? Not necessarily, but there are 10,000 people who are willing to explore a future with a slate truck.
And here’s your friendly reminder that some states and localities are still offering incentives. Some states offer actual tax credits (though most of the time buyers need to qualify by not making more than a certain amount of money) and many incentives include discounted charging for certain periods of time or rebates on installing a home charger. It is important to note that the buyer will not get more money back than his tax burden. And frankly, most of those incentives won’t come close to the $7,500 maximum tax credit that Uncle Sam was offering until last fall. So doing your homework may pay off, but not by much. There is a link on Slate’s website that you can click on to find the incentives available in your state.
It should also be said that the Slate Truck potentially has an edge in cost of ownership compared to its non-EV competitors. EVs require less maintenance and of course, the price of gas is definitely attractive right now for EV ownership. Sure, this requires different thinking than discounting the truck price, but it’s worth keeping in mind.
The main issue here isn’t whether the slate truck is economical or not. The truck is still one of the least-expensive new vehicles. But the problem is that the truck is completely useless. What seemed like an attractive value option in 2025 may look like undervalued now. And it is important to discuss the overhead level of expenditure also.
The Slate Truck has a lot of positive features to be sure. For one thing, you can drive this truck almost completely disconnected. There is no telematics in the vehicle. Slate Truck relies on its app to relay information back to Slate. It’s not a natively connected vehicle, it simply collects the data needed to refine driving characteristics and improve the vehicle over time, and collects the information through the Slate app. People looking for a break from Big Brother may have to shell out more money to get privacy, although who knows what the future holds.
Personal expression will definitely be a draw for some people. The truck has wraps, brakelights, seat upholstery, bezels, trim pieces and more. One-third of the accessories available for trucks are less than $100. If you’re not crazy about the gray color coming off the assembly line, wraps start at $500. The truck was actually designed with a wraparound front, explaining the boxy shape.
And guess who’s going to wrap it? You! In fact, there are plenty of DIY options for your slate truck. It’s certainly tempting to know that you can order an SUV kit, it will be delivered packaged to your home, and you can install it yourself. If you built your own Scandinavian furniture and aren’t excited to undertake that kind of project, you can outsource the work to a local slate mechanic through RepairPal.
And of course, it’s hard to say what the price range should be for a slate truck since no one outside of slate has really gotten into it yet. Will all talk about price be put to rest after one experience? I’m here to partially address this issue only because I had a chance to get into a slate truck and go for a ride, not a drive. I took a drive around a Los Angeles block and here’s what you need to know.
The blank slate truck features bucket seats and a center tray with cup holders and open bins. The seats are comfortable, they’re a little soft in a good way. They are wide, I expected them to be a little more narrow and sporty. Well yes, I was worried they would be thin and stiff, so I’m glad to find such a pleasant ride. And while the truck is small, it didn’t feel cramped. I had my backpack on the floor in front of me, but could have placed it on the back of the seat. Legroom is good in the front of the slate truck, and surprisingly good in the back seat of the SUV trim, too.
The roll-up windows were strong and did not bounce when rolled up and down. Your very own throwback-pickup-truck, the Slate.
The dash features a shelf that extends across the entire truck and is covered with doors that look like panels. The door panels are plastic and feel like it. But guess what? You can upgrade them. Climate controls are operated via a knob down the center of the dashboard. There is space for an iPad or Android/iPhone clip to install your device.
The truck keeps the drive and ride simple. It operates as a one-pedal driver, with no adjustable regenerative braking. Does it have an EV speed boost feature? Yes. It is comfortable to live in, it also withstands the ups and downs on the road. The test truck was extremely quiet, allowing normal, inside-voice conversation. In short, the environment didn’t seem cheap. It felt comfortable and economical, which made me realize that editing every single thing and considering from the beginning whether it should be included in the truck or not might be its superpower.
Originally, I was really worried about the slate truck that someone could buy a blank slate for under $25 thousand and spend $75,000 in the blink of an eye. The saving grace was that Slate had a “tricked out” version of the truck on display that included the SUV kit and lift kit, roof rack and all the other features for a total price of $35,000. So it’s affordable, but still maintains its reasonable price with a ton of accessories.
A little nostalgic romanticism is nice, and Slate certainly leans on that emotional vibe. But the ride and low roof make the slate truck worth a look.
slate The Drive was provided access to travel, accommodations, and vehicles for the purpose of writing this story.
