--- title: "Adding a White Interior to a Tesla Cybertruck Is an $11,000 Mistake" date: "2025-03-04" modified: "2025-03-04" authors: - name: "Ronan Glon" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/ronan-glon" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/adding-a-white-interior-to-a-tesla-cybertruck-is-an-11000-mistake" categories: - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Tesla News" tags: - "Cybertruck" - "Electric Vehicle" - "pickup" - "Tesla" --- # Adding a White Interior to a Tesla Cybertruck Is an $11,000 Mistake ![]() *\Tesla\* Shopping for an electric car that qualifies for the full $7,500 federal tax credit sometimes requires re-calibrating your definition of arithmetic. Take [the Tesla Cybertruck](): its optional white interior costs $2,000, but buyers who select it can end up paying over $11,000 for it. EVs and the drivers who buy them [need to tick numerous boxes]() to qualify for the full tax credit. There are several technical, pricing, and income limitations. Only vehicles equipped with a battery pack with a capacity of at least seven kilowatt-hours qualify, for example, and married couples who file jointly can't claim the full tax credit if they make over $300,000 a year. The car's price gets taken into account as well. SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks don't qualify if they cost over $80,000, and the price of other vehicles (like sedans and coupes) is capped at $55,000. ![]() *www.thedrive.com* This very likely explains why the entry-level, all-wheel-drive version of the Cybertruck costs $79,990 excluding destination. It's a Hamilton and a penny away from not being eligible for the federal tax credit. The Cyberbeast trim starts at $99,990, so it's far too expensive to qualify for government incentives. But, the base trim is so close to the threshold that ticking even a single option box can end up costing buyers a lot more. Website *[CarsDirect]()* used the optional white interior as an example. Which, by the way, doesn't *actually* change the color of the upholstery; it merely adds white trim accents to the door panels and the dashboard. If you buy an all-wheel-drive Cybertruck without any options—and if you qualify for the full tax credit—you can put the electric pickup in your driveway for $72,490 excluding destination and other applicable fees. Tesla charges $2,000 for the white interior, which bumps the price to $81,990 and makes the Cybertruck no longer eligible for the $7,500 incentive. Put another way, selecting a $2,000 option ends up costing you $9,500. The same applies to the Cyber wheels, which come with all-terrain tires and cost $3,500, and [the much-hyped range extender](), which should cost approximately $16,000 when it finally enters production later in 2025. You'll lose more money if you finance your Cybertruck through Tesla, according to *CarsDirect*. The brand offers 5.99% financing for 72 months. Add it all up, and a Cybertruck with the white interior sets you back by about $97,807 once interest enters the equation. Financing the same Cybertruck with the standard, Tactical Gray interior and the tax credit costs a total of $86,474, which represents a difference of nearly $11,400. This isn't limited to the Cybertruck, of course. Tesla charges $54,990 for the range-topping Model 3 Performance. While the black and white interior is a no-cost option, you're stuck with Stealth Gray paint if you want to buy and qualify for the federal tax credit. All of the other paint colors are optional; Deep Blue Metallic, Solid Black, and Pearl White Multi-Coat cost $1,000, while Ultra Red and Quicksilver are priced at $2,000. However, there's a loophole. If you [lease rather than buy](), you can bag a $7,500 credit regardless of factors such as the MSRP and your income. *Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Ronan is a contributing writer for The Drive. He draws on over 15 years of experience to cover breaking industry news, cool one-off builds, and anything in between. He began writing for The Drive in 2021 and stepped into his current role in 2024. His obsession with cars started when a relative gave him a Majorette die-cast shortly after his first birthday. It hasn't flickered since. Ronan lives in France; He swapped Utah's Rocky Mountains, where he grew up, for the Alps. He's an avid hiker, mountain biker, and musician. He also restores classic European cars and mopeds, including a 1978 Citroen 2CV that he's rebuilding from the ground up. ### Author social links [Twitter]()