Why Cybertrucks Aren’t The Best Off-Road Vehicles

If you spend any time at all on the internet (or at least on the same auto enthusiast side of the internet as me) you’ve likely seen a video of a Cybertruck getting stuck in the mud, or in the snow, or on sand dunes. Or, maybe you’ve seen dozens of them. Early in production, there was a now-infamous video of a Cybertruck struggling with one of the most unintimidating driving scenarios I’d ever seen — a slightly snowy parking spot. Then, there was the Cybertruck that was stuck on a hilariously mild slope, being pulled back onto a trail by a Ford Super Duty. And since then, all sorts of YouTubers, influencers, and owners have put their Cybertrucks to the test off-road, often with mixed or disappointing results.

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It may be billed as an off-roader that can go to the ends of the earth, but the Cybertruck doesn’t seem to be up to the off-roading standard set by lots of other pickup trucks and SUVs over the years. I’ve spent a lot of time in the dirt and the mud, testing the capabilities of various off-road pickups. I’ve become acquainted with the hardware and software that lends itself to impressive off-road performance. With a good amount of experience on trails, and plenty of time spent watching all sorts of vehicles get stuck off-road (including Cybertrucks), I have some insights to offer regarding Cybertruck capability, or lack thereof.

Tires play possibly the largest role in off-roading capability, no matter what vehicle you’re driving, and Cybertrucks come with tires that aren’t the most off-road worthy. You can have a massive suspension lift, all the underbody skid plates money can buy, and every fog light known to man bolted to the front of your truck, but you’re not getting very far on the wrong tires. 

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The standard tire for a Cybertruck is an “on-road all-terrain” Pirelli Scorpion — so technically not a tire optimized for performance in the dirt. It might look like a rough-and-tumble tire, but according to Tire Rack’s specs on the appropriately sized Scorpion tire for the Cybertruck, it isn’t rated for service in severe snow. That could explain several of the videos and accounts of Cybertrucks being unable to traverse light snow. There’s an available all-terrain tire listed in Tesla’s online manual, the Goodyear Wrangler Territory RT, but that tire isn’t rated for severe snow service either. If Cybertruck owners want an increase in off-road capability, especially in rough weather, they should probably look into buying better all-terrain tires than what’s available from the manufacturer.

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On top of needing to have the right tires, articulation is also a big part of off-roading success. To put it simply, articulation refers to a vehicle’s ability to flex its suspension up or down as it goes over obstacles. Trucks that can move their wheels up and down independently of each other can get over lop-sided obstacles without losing traction — and keeping all four wheels in contact with the ground is what keeps off-road rigs going forward instead of losing traction and getting stuck.

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When Dan Edmunds at Car and Driver put the Cybertruck on an RTI ramp that tests articulation, it performed poorly, especially compared to other off-road capable trucks. The Cybertruck didn’t make its way very far up the ramp, and that’s not just when you compare it to other EVs like the Rivian R1T, but among all kinds of off-road pickup trucks. Less expensive gasoline-powered trucks like the Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado, and Jeep Gladiator all scored higher in the RTI-ramp test. Combine the Cybertrucks poor articulation with tires that aren’t prepared for the job and things start to become a little bit clearer. It’s not completely useless in off-road situations, but the Cybertruck isn’t likely to beat out better-prepared off-roading rivals when the terrain gets tough. 

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