Elon Musk: New Tesla Roadster set for April 2026 arrival… apparently
Elon Musk has once again promised the arrival of a new Tesla Roadster. Yes. Again.
In reference to an April 2026 debut, the controversial billionaire and Tesla owner wrote on X: “New Roadster unveil hopefully next month. It will be a banger next-level.”
This isn’t the first time Musk has promised a second-generation version of one of the world’s landmark EVs. When it launched in 2008, the Tesla Roadster showed the world that EVs could be accessible and entertaining to drive.
The prototype for the new Tesla Roadster was unveiled in 2017, with a promised 2020 production date.
The start of manufacturing was then moved to 2022, then 2023, 2024, and most recently, 2025. Despite the setbacks, Tesla has still managed to attract multiple deposits for the new Roadster, ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 for the Founders’ Series cars.
Those who put money down have reportedly grown frustrated with Tesla’s delays and have encountered a raft of difficulties in getting their money refunded after almost a decade of waiting.
Musk has long promised a vehicle with a sub-60mph time, and it is expected that the next-gen Tesla Roadster will be this car. After recently patenting “fan car” technology, rumours have suggested that the Roadster 2.0 could also benefit from this aerodynamic system, which sucks the car to the road and was banned by Formula 1 in 1978 due to safety concerns.
Providing hope to buyers who have placed deposits, Tesla recently filed two new trademarks specifically for the Roadster, and revealed a glimpse of a megacasted seat optimised to handle the car’s G-forces.
Should it arrive, a new Roadster would provide a much-needed shot in the arm for Tesla, which has endured a bruising 2026. In addition to losing EV market share to Chinese newcomers BYD and BMW, it has stopped production of its Model S and Model X to focus on its Optimus robots.
This leaves the best-selling Model 3 and Model Y as the only models in Tesla’s ageing line-up. Despite being heavily revised for the 2024 model year, the Model 3 arrived in 2017, with its bigger brother debuting five years later. UK order books are open for the new Tesla Roadster, and require a £4,000 down payment.
