Tesla is once again taking money for its long-awaited second-generation Roadster, nearly nine years after the electric sports car first appeared on stage. For Canadians, getting into the queue now requires a total reservation payment of C$64,000. Americans face a US$50,000 commitment.
The timing is notable. Tesla reopened reservations shortly before a new Roadster unveiling scheduled for October 1, 2026, potentially giving the project its most significant public milestone in years. But there is an important distinction behind the “Reserve Now” button: Tesla still has not announced the final purchase price or guaranteed when customers will receive their cars. After years of shifting timelines, the reopened reservation system gives enthusiasts a fresh opportunity to get in line while leaving some of the biggest financial and production questions unanswered.
Canadians Have to Put Up C$64,000 to Secure a Place
Tesla’s Canadian reservation process is divided into two unusually large payments. A customer first pays C$6,000 by credit card. Another C$58,000 must then be sent by wire transfer within 10 days, bringing the total reservation commitment to C$64,000. Tesla says the reservation does not become final until the wire-transfer portion has been received.
The U.S. process follows essentially the same structure at a lower nominal dollar amount. American customers pay US$5,000 initially and must wire another US$45,000 within 10 days, for a total of US$50,000. That is not merely an order fee of the sort commonly attached to a production vehicle. It is a substantial sum being committed to obtain an approximate place in the Roadster queue. Tesla is presenting the reservation payment as refundable under the applicable terms before the customer enters the final vehicle purchase agreement, an important detail considering the Roadster’s unusually long development history.
This Is Still a Reservation, Not a Final Roadster Purchase
The wording in Tesla’s reservation agreement matters. Reserving a Roadster secures what Tesla describes as an “approximate priority” for eventually configuring and ordering the vehicle. It does not mean Tesla has sold the customer a completed car, nor does the reservation establish a guaranteed delivery date. The formal purchase process comes later, when production is closer and customers are invited to configure their vehicles.
Tesla also says it cannot yet confirm the exact Roadster purchase price because options, features and hardware are still being determined. The final amount is supposed to be established when the customer configures the vehicle. Tesla’s agreement separately warns that the Roadster remains under development and that the company cannot guarantee when a reserved vehicle will actually be delivered. In other words, the C$64,000 Canadian payment purchases a position in the process rather than a Roadster with a locked specification, price and delivery appointment.
The Canadian Deposit Is Almost the Price of a Model Y
The scale of the Canadian Roadster reservation becomes clearer when it is compared with vehicles Tesla is already selling. Tesla Canada currently lists the MSRP of a Model Y Premium AWD at C$64,990. That means the entire Roadster reservation payment of C$64,000 is just C$990 below the listed MSRP of that Model Y trim.
The comparison does not mean the two transactions are equivalent. A Model Y buyer is purchasing a production vehicle with an established specification and price, while a Roadster customer is committing funds toward a future vehicle whose final price remains unknown. Still, it illustrates how unusual the Roadster program is. Most reservation programs are designed to let consumers hold a position with a relatively modest payment. Here, a Canadian enthusiast must make available roughly the cost of an entire new Tesla before knowing exactly how much the Roadster will eventually cost or when it will arrive. The refundable nature of the reservation reduces some risk, but not the size of the commitment.
The US$50,000 Reservation Has Roots Going Back to 2017
The new reservation amount will look familiar to anyone who followed the Roadster’s original unveiling. Tesla revealed the second-generation car in November 2017 after unexpectedly driving a red prototype out of a Tesla Semi trailer. At the time, the company announced a US$200,000 starting price and asked US$50,000 to reserve a standard Roadster. The first 1,000 Founders Series vehicles were announced at US$250,000, with buyers expected to commit the entire amount.
Tesla originally said the new Roadster would arrive in 2020. That target came and went, followed by a series of later timelines. During Tesla’s November 2025 shareholder meeting, Elon Musk said production could begin roughly 12 to 18 months after a planned April 2026 unveiling. That April event did not occur, and the unveiling subsequently moved again. With the presentation now scheduled for October 1, Tesla has still not published a firm current date for customer deliveries on its reservation page.
October 1 Could Finally Show How Much the Roadster Has Changed
Tesla has now attached a specific date to the Roadster’s next major public moment. On September 12, the company posted “Go for launch” alongside an October 1 date, and Musk subsequently confirmed that the Roadster would be unveiled then. Tesla reopened North American reservations days later, putting a functioning payment process back in front of prospective customers ahead of the event.
What happens on October 1 therefore carries more significance than a typical vehicle presentation. Customers have already seen one Roadster prototype—the car displayed in 2017. What remains unclear is how much of that vehicle survives in the version Tesla now intends to show. Musk has repeatedly indicated that the project’s ambitions expanded during development, while Tesla has spent years revising the timing. The October unveiling could clarify the design, technology and production strategy, but an unveiling by itself should not be confused with the start of customer production. Tesla’s current reservation terms still provide no guaranteed delivery schedule.
Tesla Is Still Advertising Some Extraordinary Performance Numbers
Despite the years that have passed, Tesla’s current Roadster webpage continues to display some of the headline performance targets associated with the project. The company lists a 1.9-second 0-to-60-mph time, a top speed above 250 mph and an estimated 620-mile driving range. The Canadian version translates that range to roughly 1,000 kilometres and advertises a maximum speed above 400 km/h. Tesla also describes the Roadster as having four seats and a lightweight removable glass roof that can be stored in the trunk.
Those numbers are important, but so is their status. They remain manufacturer claims for a vehicle that has not yet reached series production. The October unveiling may reveal whether those specifications remain representative of the production-intent Roadster or whether Tesla has substantially revised them. Electric performance cars have advanced considerably since 2017, making the context very different from when a sub-two-second acceleration claim and a 1,000-kilometre range target first helped make the Roadster one of Tesla’s most talked-about future vehicles.
Canadian Buyers Could Face a Much Bigger Tax Bill at Delivery
The C$64,000 reservation is only the beginning of the financial calculation for a Canadian buyer. Tesla has not announced a current Roadster purchase price, so there is no reliable way to calculate the eventual Canadian total. However, if the final taxable value exceeds C$100,000 and the vehicle meets the applicable definition, Canada’s federal luxury tax becomes relevant.
Under current federal rules, the luxury tax for a subject vehicle above the C$100,000 threshold is generally the lesser of 10% of its taxable amount or 20% of the portion above C$100,000. The Canada Revenue Agency also explains that GST or HST is calculated on the final consideration inclusive of the luxury tax. Provincial sales taxes and registration costs can add another layer depending on where the vehicle is purchased and registered. Tesla’s originally announced US$200,000 Roadster price dates from 2017 and should not be treated as today’s price, but it demonstrates why the eventual Canadian pricing announcement will matter well beyond the headline sticker figure.
Years of Waiting Have Made Refund Terms Especially Important
The Roadster’s history helps explain why refund language is more than a technical detail. Some high-profile early customers eventually decided that years of waiting were enough. Technology reviewer Marques Brownlee said in 2025 that he was cancelling a paid Roadster reservation after roughly eight years. Reporting initially described complications with recovering the entire US$50,000, although Brownlee later said Tesla ultimately returned the remaining US$5,000 as well.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also publicly sought the return of his US$50,000 Roadster reservation after waiting about seven and a half years. His initial refund email bounced, leading to a public exchange with Musk, who later said the problem was fixed and the money had been refunded. Those cases do not determine what will happen with new reservations, but they illustrate why buyers may pay close attention to Tesla’s current cancellation process. Today’s agreement states that customers can cancel before entering the final Motor Vehicle Purchase Agreement and receive their reservation payment back.
Tesla’s decision to reopen the Roadster queue nevertheless marks a tangible change after years dominated by shifting schedules and promises of future demonstrations. There is once again a live pathway for customers in Canada and the United States to commit money to the project, and an October 1 unveiling is now on the calendar. What Tesla still needs to provide is arguably more important: a final specification, an updated purchase price and a credible path from dramatic unveiling to customer deliveries.
