It’s not “under $20,000,” but the American-made electric pickup is still the least expensive truck and EV on the US market.
We now know the price of Slate Auto’s affordable American-made electric truck, almost a year after the company warned it wouldn’t hit its initial “under $20,000” target price. The no-frills pickup starts at $24,950 — matching the revised mid-$20,000 price range it promised last year, after the Trump administration announced it was putting an end to the $7,500 federal EV tax credit.
Preorders for the Slate truck are going live today, with production scheduled to begin in autumn 2026. Customers can pay a $300 non-refundable deposit within the next 30 days to lock in a delivery date, which is expected to start in “late 2026.” On its website, Slate says customers can still preorder after the 30-day window, “but your delivery window will shift to a later time slot.”
$24,950 for a minimalist vehicle that doesn’t feel stripped down is a compelling price, as explained by Rani Molla who just returned from a first test drive of the new Slate:
The average new vehicle sold for $49,220 in May, according to data from Cox Automotive — a price that’s been heading ever upward. Small and midsize pickups averaged $43,044, while new EVs averaged $54,532. Slate’s truck is even cheaper than the average used vehicle, which goes for $26,918. Its closest pickup competitor, the Ford Maverick, starts at around $30,000, while the Chevrolet Bolt EV begins at roughly $29,000.
Slate says it’s taken roughly 180,000 reservations to date, which suggests the company might be onto something with its approach.
