I’ve driven a Slate Truck – there’s more to an electric vehicle than simplicity

With its new pickup truck, Slate Auto is making a simple bet: Price matters more than almost anything else. The company announced today that the American-made electric truck will start at $24,950, putting it squarely in the mid-$20,000 price range. I originally promised And make it the cheapest pickup truck and electric vehicle available today. At a time when the average new car costs nearly twice that amount, Slate is touting something that’s becoming increasingly rare in the modern car market: a truly basic new car that doesn’t look that way.

To reach this price point, Slate has stripped away features that many drivers now take for granted. The truck doesn’t come with a touch screen, stereo, or even speakers. Instead, it includes a dashboard holder for your phone. Windows use manual cranks. Unlike many new vehicles that are marketed around increasingly self-driving features, the Slate requires you to do all the driving yourself.

The timing may be right. The average new car sold for $49,220 in May, according to data from Cox Automotive – Price that was trending up. Small and midsize pickups averaged $43,044, while new electric vehicles averaged $54,532. The Slate truck is cheaper than the average used car $26,918. Its closest competitor, the Ford Maverick, starts at about an hour $30,000while the Chevrolet Bolt EV starts up approx $29,000.

For decades, automakers have competed to add more features, larger screens, and increasingly sophisticated software. Slate does the opposite. The company believes at least some buyers would prefer a cheaper truck with a premium sound system, a huge infotainment screen, or a host of driver-assistance technology. I recently drove the truck in Southern California. While its lack of a touchscreen and roll-up windows attract the most attention, the most surprising part is how natural the car feels on the road.

The vehicle bucks a broader trend in the auto industry sometimes referred to as “inflation” — the push to increase margins by bundling vehicles with more technology and luxury features. As infotainment systems grow larger and software becomes a bigger selling point, basic vehicles are becoming increasingly difficult to find.

In some ways, Slate is reviving a segment of the market that has largely disappeared. For decades, compact pickups like the Toyota Pickup, Ford Ranger, and Nissan Hardbody have been utilitarian, inexpensive vehicles for young buyers, dealers, and anyone who simply needs a truck. But as automakers seek higher margins, Minivans are becoming larger, more luxurious, and much more expensive. Today, even many entry-level trucks come loaded with luxuries. Slate is betting there’s still demand for a truck that prioritizes affordability over amenities.

This doesn’t mean buyers can’t customize the car. Slate offers more than 200 accessories, from speakers and seat covers to roof racks and trailer hitches. Eighty percent of them cost less than $500. For about $5,000, owners can convert the two-seat truck into a five-seat SUV. A variety of accessories makes it possible for one palette to look noticeably different from another.

Slate wants to sell a simple, basic product and let customers decide which upgrades are worth paying for. The company also encourages a do-it-yourself approach as a way to cut costs. Customers can install wraps, interior accents, lighting upgrades and other accessories themselves using Slate U’s branded online video tutorials, or have many upgrades installed for themselves through a network of more than 3,000 RepairPal stores. The vehicle is sold directly to the consumer, at a fixed price set by the manufacturer rather than a price negotiated by the dealer.

For about $500, buyers can add one of the company’s vinyl wraps, dramatically changing the look of the car without the cost of a custom paint job. Other accessories, including headlight covers, interior trim pieces and trailer hitches, are priced closer to what consumers might expect to pay for aftermarket upgrades than factory-installed options.

Nuts and bolts are also present. The Slate’s battery and powertrain warranty extends for 10 years or 110,000 miles, putting it at the top of the industry standard. They are designed to receive a five-star safety rating and a top safety pick. The truck also includes air conditioning, power locks, old-fashioned cruise control, and a backup camera, suggesting that not everything was cut short in the pursuit of affordability. It also has a bin with a drain on the front for extra storage or a makeshift cooler just because.

The success of Slate’s strategy depends on a simple question: Have automakers spent years adding features that consumers don’t value as much as lower prices? The indicators are encouraging.

according to Deloitte 2026 Global Auto Consumer StudyThe top factors that influence Americans’ choice of a new car brand are quality (58 percent), performance (51 percent), and price (46 percent). Other considerations, including brand familiarity and feature sets, rank much lower. And when it comes to the purchase itself, consumers are more focused on value, with nearly two-thirds saying getting a good deal is a top priority.

Slate’s philosophy is reflected in who it believes will be its customer.

Chris Barman, head of vehicles at Slate, described the target buyer as an “average American” looking for value rather than luxury. She said many potential customers keep driving old cars not because they hate new cars, but because they are out of market prices. Others already rely on their smartphones for navigation, music, and communications, making the absence of a built-in infotainment system less of a sacrifice than it might have seemed a decade ago. “It’s an ecosystem they already know, so they don’t have to learn anything new,” she said. “Why would we pay for a second screen built into the car?”

The truck itself feels surprisingly put together once you spend some time around it. Instead of feeling cheap, it feels intentionally minimal. In both pickup and SUV configurations, its boxy proportions and simple lines evoke the pickup trucks and utility vehicles that were common on American roads before pickup trucks ballooned in size and price.

I drove the truck with Barman in the passenger seat around Gardena, California, near the company’s new design studio. On the road, it looked more like a compact crossover than a traditional pickup truck. In other words, it was closer to my new Honda CR-V hybrid than my old Toyota Tundra.

Part of that comes from the car’s electrical engineering. Even though it’s rear-wheel drive, the battery pack helps distribute weight more evenly than heavy front-wheel drive gas trucks. The result is a car that feels planted and predictable rather than cumbersome.

The performance won’t challenge a Tesla, but it doesn’t need to. The truck accelerates from 0 to 30 mph in about three seconds and reaches 60 mph in about eight seconds. For someone accustomed to gas-powered cars, it seems exceptionally peppy. Its turning radius was tight, visibility was good, and the relatively short wheelbase made it easy to maneuver. Parallel parking wasn’t as much of a logistical exercise as it can be in many larger, modern vans.

Transport capabilities were also ahead of the company’s previous expectations. The truck can carry up to 1,550 pounds of payload and tow up to 2,000 pounds. That’s enough for landscaping materials, furniture, motorcycles, small trailers, or a modest fishing boat. It won’t replace a heavy work truck, but Slate isn’t trying to compete for those customers.

The vehicle’s estimated range is 205 miles, an improvement over the company’s initial target of 150 miles but still less than what buyers will find in many high-end electric vehicles. Charging can be done through a standard household outlet, a Level 2 charger, or a fast DC charger capable of adding significant range in about 30 minutes.

So far, consumers seem interested in the experience. Slate says it has collected nearly 180,000 reservations ahead of production, which is scheduled to begin at the company’s factory in Warsaw, Indiana, before customer deliveries begin in the fourth quarter. The company expects annual production to reach 150,000 cars by the end of 2027.

It remains to be seen whether these reservations will eventually translate into sales. But as new car prices approach $50,000 and automakers continue to load their cars with displays, sensors, subscriptions and software, Slate is testing a surprisingly simple idea: Maybe what many Americans want most isn’t more technology. Maybe it’s a new car they can actually afford.

Photography by Rani Mola