Update: ‘SpaceX Package,’ Autonomous Driving,’ ‘Release Date,’ and ‘TopElectricSUV says’ section revised; ‘Hiring’ sub-section added.
Tesla fans and reservation holders of the Roadster must be hoping that the long wait will be worth it. While the Model S Plaid is Tesla’s ultimate performance car, the Roadster will surpass it to become the brand’s flagship. Wondering how fast the Roadster might be? Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk has an answer.
Will outperform the Model S Plaid
On February 28, 2024, Elon Musk revealed bold updates on the next-gen Tesla Roadster, tweeting, “Tonight, we radically increased the design goals.” He claimed, “There will never be another car like this, if you could even call it a car,” and highlighted a Tesla/SpaceX collaboration.
Musk teased, “I think it has a shot at being the most mind-blowing product demo of all time,” with its sub-one-second 0-60 mph time being the “least interesting part.”
The Model S Plaid uses three electric motors to produce 1,020 hp and 1,050 lb.-ft. of torque, for reference. Musk has promised that the two-door model will outperform the Model S Plaid. “We have a few ideas for increasing torque & max rpm even further for the new Roadster,” Musk said in a post on X on June 13, 2021. “Definitely fun and exciting engineering ahead!” he added.
SpaceX Package
Musk has stated that Tesla will offer the new Roadster with the optional ‘SpaceX package,’ which includes cold air thrusters around the car to improve top speed, braking, and cornering. Currently, a sub-one-second acceleration figure seems almost unbelievable. We will have to wait until the production version reaches drag strips to witness its performance firsthand.
At the July 2025 X Takeover, Moravy admitted this feature is one of the hardest parts of the program. He explained that rocket technology has a high fuel-to-weight ratio, but in a car, mass and a separate propulsion system complicate the equation.
Tesla and SpaceX engineers have been working to shift mass where it’s needed to make the system work as intended. We’re also expecting the car to feature ground effect without a fan to create the necessary downforce at high speeds.
While rocket thrusters raise safety questions, Musk earlier assured that when used as advised, the Roadster will be safe and deliver an experience unmatched by any other street-legal car.
Futuristic Interior
The next-gen Roadster has a minimalist interior, which is typical of a Tesla. It features a sleek dashboard with carbon-fiber trim, a spaceship-themed steering yoke, and a curved, super-slim bridge-type center console that houses a large portrait touchscreen.
A hollowed section beneath the center console offers extra storage for larger items such as a grocery bag or handbag. The central armrest houses a cup holder.
At least one configuration of the Roadster will feature four seats, and though the rear seats may not be comfortable for adults, they are a rare feature in supercars. The electric sports car has a removable glass roof storable in the trunk, and is likely to come with Tesla’s new door mechanism that combines manual and electronic release.
Unlike other car companies that have embraced Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Tesla has avoided offering integration for these platforms. Current Teslas are devoid of Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant as well.
Specifications & Features
The new Roadster is something special beyond a car
Elon Musk, via X, on September 16, 2025
Top Speed
The all-new Roadster sits on a dedicated EV platform and will maximize high performance and efficiency with spectacular figures: wheel torque of 7,376 lb-ft (10,000 Nm) and a top speed of over 250 mph (402 km/h).
In addition, it will feature an all-wheel-drive layout with torque vectoring (one electric motor at the front, two at the rear). At least in terms of acceleration (0-60 mph in <1 second), it should outperform combustion-engined supercars.
Battery, Charging & Range
We expect Tesla to deploy its new 4680 battery cell format in the new Roadster, in the high-performance application version. The company has named the new format after its dimensions: 80 mm in length and around 46 mm in diameter. The new tabless cell technology’s advantages include reduced battery pack size and cost/kWh as well.
The Roadster prototype features a 200 kWh battery that supports charging at 350 kW DC and offers a range of 620 miles (997 km) at highway speeds, which is the longest driving range on a production EV. We wonder how Tesla can fit such a large battery pack onto a compact sports car.
Wireless Charging
The next-gen Tesla Roadster could be the brand’s first model to feature wireless charging. In an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage (via YouTube), von Holzhausen revealed that Tesla is developing wireless EV charging technology. Customers will just need to park their Tesla over a wireless EV charging pad installed in their garage, and the car will automatically start charging, the design boss said.
Autonomous Driving
Tesla is expected to offer Full Self-Driving (FSD) as an optional feature in the next-gen Roadster. The company has discontinued basic Autopilot in new vehicles, so that’s not expected in the sports car. FSD gives the car the capability to identify stop signs and traffic lights and automatically slow down where required. It should also come enabled with automatic steering on city streets.
Price
Tesla initially priced the new Roadster at USD 200,000 in the base trim and USD 250,000 in the priority-delivery (first 1,000 units) Founder’s Series trim. Although reservations remain open, Tesla has removed pricing information from its website.
In the U.S., customers need to place a deposit of USD 50,000, consisting of an initial USD 5,000 credit card payment and a USD 45,000 wire transfer due in 10 days. Perhaps Tesla removed prices because it can no longer promise the initially announced prices for new reservations. The company could announce a price hike closer to the launch, as it did with the Cybertruck.
Release Date
At the 2025 annual shareholder meeting on November 6, Musk said that the company will hold a demo event of the next-gen Roadster on April 1, 2026, followed by the production launch in 2027. He also said that the sports car will have a “very different” design compared to the concept shown in 2017.
So the product unveil of the Roadster 2, which will be very different from what we’ve shown previously, that demo event will be April 1 of next year…I guess production is probably about 12 to 18 months after that.
Elon Musk, answering a question about the next-gen Roadster at the 2025 annual shareholder meeting on November 6, 2025
In July 2025, at the X Takeover, VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy (via YouTube) said the team had spent years rethinking the car to make it “the last best driver’s car” before autonomous driving becomes the norm. He said it will be “more than a car,” noted Musk had seen new tech that left him excited, and described the event as “super cool” and “mind-blowing.”
Limited-run Model
On April 5, 2023, Tesla unveiled its Master Plan Part 3, a document that outlines its current and future models, not including the Roadster. During the 2023 Investor Day on March 1, 2023, Tesla indicated in its presentation that the redesigned Roadster will not be a major sales contributor, as it was not pictured on its Global Electric Fleet slide.
The halo car will serve more as a brand-shaping product and innovation platform. It will push the boundaries for performance, efficiency, and design, with things that wouldn’t normally be possible in mainstream models like the Model 3 or Model Y.
Hiring
In December 2025, Teslarati spotted Tesla listing three new Roadster-related jobs: Technical Program Manager for Battery Manufacturing and Manufacturing Engineer in Fremont, and a Manufacturing Vision Engineer in Palo Alto.
The roles focus on transitioning the Roadster’s design into factory execution, engineering the battery pack, and building production processes and equipment from concept to launch.
Competitors
While there may not be direct competitors in the U.S., current and future high-performance electric sports cars include the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore, reborn Audi TT, next-gen Porsche 718 Cayman, Polestar 6, and the Chevrolet Corvette Electric.
TopElectricSUV says
The next-generation Roadster will be as intense as a hardcore roller coaster, meaning it won’t be for the faint-hearted. In all likelihood, it would be way more extreme than what Tesla promised with Plaid at the convertible concept’s debut in 2017, with the team working on the project hinting at performance levels that lift the car momentarily off the ground!
New Tesla Roadster FAQs
What is the new Tesla Roadster’s release date?
The next-gen Tesla Roadster will debut on April 1, 2026. Production is expected from 2027.
What will be the new Tesla Roadster’s price?
The new Tesla Roadster will likely start at USD 200,000.
Which models are the Roadster’s competitors?
An automobile engineer by training, I’ve analyzed the global car market since 2005, with a keen focus on EVs since 2008. My journey in online automotive publishing spans 17 years, during which I have reviewed cutting-edge automotive technologies and interviewed leading global CEOs and vehicle developers.
