The Tesla Roadster flying car is the version of the new Roadster that actually leaves the ground. It is not the one most buyers will get. This guide walks through the three versions, the numbers Tesla has published, and the parts nobody has confirmed yet.
Updated October 2026. This story is moving quickly, so check the official pages linked at the end before you rely on any detail here.
1. Three versions, and only the top one flies
Tesla has described three trims. The names matter, because only one of them does the stunts you saw in the video.
- Performance. The road car. NBC News calls it road ready. It gets the suction fan, not the thrusters.
- Thrust. NBC calls this the race ready one. It adds thrusters at the rear to help it accelerate.
- Rocket. The flying one. NBC calls it air ready. It has cold gas thrusters around the edge of the car, seats one person, and is offered by invitation only.
CBS News describes the Rocket as the one with the full flight system. So if you want the Tesla Roadster flying car specifically, you cannot simply order it. You have to be invited.
2. What the thrusters actually are
A cold gas thruster sounds like science fiction. It is simpler than that. It is a tank of compressed gas and a nozzle. Open the nozzle and the gas rushes out, and the push moves the car the other way. There is no burning and no flame, which is why it is called cold.
Tesla says the thrusters refill themselves. CBS reported Musk describing ultra high pressure air tanks. SpaceX builds pressure tanks and thrusters for rockets, and Musk said the car is what happens when “the world best car company” works with “the world best rocket company.”
3. The published numbers
Here is everything with a figure attached, and who said it:
- 0 to 60 mph in 0.81 seconds, from Tesla via NBC News.
- Around 300 miles of range, from Musk via NBC News. NBC notes this is less than half what was first promised.
- 27 feet of jump height on the barrel roll, from Tesla.
- Production in 2028, from Musk, reported by both NBC and CBS.
Notice what is missing. There is no confirmed top speed, no power figure, no battery size and no final price. CBS states plainly that prices were not announced.
4. The deposit numbers do not agree
Be careful here, because this is where a lot of posts get it wrong. Two serious news organisations reported different numbers on the same day.
- NBC News reported a $50,000 deposit for the base car, and $250,000 for the Thrust version.
- CBS News reported a $5,000 deposit for a non flying model, and said the Thrust model cannot currently be reserved at all.
Both said they were reading Tesla own website. We could not check the page directly, because it blocks automated visits. So the sensible move is to open Tesla page yourself before sending anyone any money.
5. The rules have not caught up
Tesla says the Rocket version is not approved for public roads. The FAA told CBS News that the vehicle does not meet its definition of an aircraft. A senior Transportation Department official told CBS they were sceptical it would really take off, and also said there was no clear answer about who regulates it.
That leaves the car in an odd gap. It is not a normal car when it is in the air, and it is not a plane either. Our guide to whether flying cars are real explains why that gap is so hard to close.
6. The history is the best guide
This Roadster was first shown in 2017. Production was promised for 2020. It did not arrive, and Tesla kept taking reservations through the delay. The car finally appeared on stage in October 2026.
None of that makes the jump fake. It was livestreamed and the car really left the ground. It just means a 2028 date is a plan, not a promise. For the event itself and what the stunt involved, see our guide to the Tesla flying car.
What a Tesla Roadster flying car would still need
Suppose Tesla builds exactly what it showed. A few hard problems sit between that and anyone using it. None of them is impossible, and none of them is small.
- Somewhere legal to do it. If it is not approved for public roads in flying form, the obvious place is private land or a track.
- Gas supply. Thrusters use stored compressed air. Tesla says the system refills itself, but how many jumps you get between refills has not been published.
- Landing repeatably. The demonstration landings were on a prepared surface in a controlled place. Real roads are uneven, wet and busy.
- Crash protection. Musk said it is “not necessarily a safety optimized car”. Normal road cars have to pass crash tests.
Should you put money down?
That is your call, but two facts are worth weighing. Production is set for 2028, and this car has slipped before, from a 2020 promise made in 2017. Money placed as a deposit is money you cannot use for years.
If you are interested, read the terms on the reservation page itself, especially whether the deposit is refundable. Do not rely on a figure quoted in a news story, including this one, because the two major reports disagreed by a factor of ten on the day.
Common questions
Can anyone buy the Tesla Roadster flying car? No. The flying version, called Rocket, is offered by invitation only and seats one person.
What is the difference between Thrust and Rocket? Thrust adds rear thrusters to help it accelerate. Rocket has thrusters around the car and can do the airborne stunts.
How much is the deposit? Reports disagree. NBC News said $50,000 for the base car, CBS News said $5,000. Check Tesla own page before paying anything.
Does it have wings? No. It uses cold gas thrusters, which push the car using blasts of stored compressed air.
When does it come out? Musk said production begins in 2028. No release date for customers has been given.
Sources and further reading
Where the figures and rules above come from, so you can check them:
- The ramp, the five cars, the 27 foot jump and the 0.81 second sprint: NBC News
- The quotes from the event, and what the FAA said about it: CBS News
- Tesla own page for the car, where reservations are taken: Tesla, Roadster
- Where real air taxi approval has actually reached: FAA, Air Taxis
Photo credits: Tesla Roadster 2.0 (47619421652) by Steve Jurvetson from Menlo Park, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Perhentian Islands, Scuba diving tank, Diving gas cylinder, Malaysia by Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Tesla Factory, Fremont (CA, USA) (8763130149) by Maurizio Pesce from Milan, Italia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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