A Tesla Cybertruck Owner Breaks Down a Year of Charging Costs and Saves Over $4,000, Adds, “It’s Going to Be Hard to Go Back to a Gas or Diesel Truck”

For decades, buying a full-size pickup truck has been understood to include one important caveat: you pay higher prices for fuel in order to have greater capability, more convenient use, and greater versatility. Whether that means hauling your gear, using your truck to commute, or whether you need to get out to your weekend project, you just expect to spend money on gasoline/diesel. The vast majority of people who buy trucks don't bother to calculate what that cost is going to add up to at the end of each year because they already know it's not going to be good.

That long-standing assumption starts to feel less solid when real ownership data challenges it, though. This evening, I was scrolling through the “Cybertruck Owners Only” group on Facebook and came across a post by Ty Alexander. Ty shared a screenshot from the Tesla app showing that after charging more than 10,700 kWh over the past year, the total electricity cost came out to just $404, with the app estimating over $4,000 in fuel savings compared to a gas or diesel truck. 

As Ty put it plainly, “It’s going to be hard to go back to a gas or diesel truck.”

A Full Year of Numbers Changes the Conversation

It's the time frame, as much as the actual dollar amount, that makes Ty's post so notable. It's not a 1-month test nor a week-long road trip. This is 12 months of real-world ownership boiled down to a single screenshot. Over that span, the Tesla App estimated that a comparable gas/diesel truck would consume over $4,400 in fuel to travel the exact same miles, while the Cybertruck used slightly more than $400 in electricity.

This type of gap changes the way we think about electric trucks. We're no longer projecting an abstract idea about electric trucks, nor making overly optimistic assumptions. Ty has shown us what happens when you actually own one for a long enough period of time to allow the savings to build up quietly in the background. The cost difference is now impossible to ignore because it is no longer hypothetical.

Home Charging Is the Quiet Advantage

Digging a bit deeper into the data reveals another important detail. Nearly all of Ty's charges came from his home, and only a small amount was done via Supercharger. The fact that nearly all of Ty's charges were from home is important as this represents how most people will live their daily life with an electric vehicle. Home plug-ins make energy costs a predictable one. They help make energy costs almost invisible versus being an ongoing source of annoyance for someone who has to go to a public charging station and spend more money.

This pattern mirrors what many owners have described when talking about how the Cybertruck fits into daily life, including one owner who said it became the most enjoyable vehicle they have owned after years of driving different cars and pickups across a wide range of real-world ownership experiences.

A Truck Story, Not Just an EV Story

It's also worth emphasizing that this is not a compact sedan or a lightweight crossover. The Cybertruck is a full-size electric pickup with the mass, power, and presence that traditionally come with higher operating costs. Seeing those expectations flipped on their head is why posts like Ty’s resonate beyond the EV community.

For truck owners who rely on towing or hauling, questions naturally follow. Can an electric truck still deliver when put to work? We have already seen examples of owners putting the Cybertruck through real towing scenarios, including a detailed account of towing a Cybertruck 350 miles between Los Angeles and Lake Havasu without drama. It shows how the truck behaves when it is actually doing the job it was designed to do rather than simply commuting.

Community Reactions Add Perspective

Ty’s post sparked a wave of comments from other owners, many of whom shared their own experiences to add context to the numbers.

Paul Sy chimed in by posting his own charging stats, showing a total cost of just $31 for 5,458 kWh over the same period.

As with every person's situation, a lot of the specific cost will depend on what the electricity rates are and how much the owner drives. But Paul’s numbers are also very consistent in their message. The overall savings from home charging make it seem as though you're paying pennies for each mile of driving on your car when comparing those costs to using gasoline. Seeing multiple people come to the same conclusion can be far more persuasive than any one image or number.

Another commenter, Wyo DP, took a slightly different angle, writing, “If I could get by with only a Cybertruck, I would buy one tomorrow.”

That statement introduces an important point of balance. The Cybertruck clearly works extremely well for some lifestyles, but not every truck owner lives the same way.

The Cybertruck Is Not a Universal Replacement Yet

I believe Wyo DP's post was one of the most realistic posts on this forum. While the Cybertruck is very efficient, performs well, and has lower operating costs than a typical truck, it does not provide a "one size fits all" solution to heavy-duty towing, remote work sites, or extended time spent working or camping in off-grid locations as would be best accomplished with diesel trucks.

The fact that the Cybertruck can't do everything doesn’t negate the significance of the Cybertruck as an example of the current state of electric truck technology, though. It actually shows how much farther electric truck technology has to go to achieve the same sustained work output as a traditional diesel truck. The technology for improving battery energy density, building out charging infrastructure, and managing heat continues to advance; however, sustaining the continuous use of a diesel truck has been difficult to duplicate. This is also perfectly fine. All progress does not have to be in the form of replacing every single vehicle on the road today.

Plus, we can see that trade off from other owner stories. Those who regularly tow boats or trailers have shared their decision-making process when comparing traditional trucks to electric alternatives, weighing real-world performance, range, and practicality before deciding what best fits their needs when choosing between other trucks or a Tesla Cybertruck after real-world use.

Why This Shift Matters More Than the Dollar Amount

What stands out about Ty's post, though, isn't the savings figure itself but the total mindset shift he illustrates. When you buy a truck, there are always tradeoffs. For instance, you have to pay for fuel, which means you also get the advantage of capability. You give up some comfort because you have to accommodate your truck's size. What electric trucks like the Cybertruck are doing is gradually taking away a few of those compromises from a growing segment of truck buyers.

That is why "it is hard to go back" seems to be a very sincere statement to me. Once you've experienced a full year of truck ownership with basically no measurable expense for energy, it will completely alter how you assess all other aspects of owning a vehicle. They won't disappear overnight, but they will begin to create "mental math" problems for owners who need to use a gas or diesel truck when an electric truck meets their needs. I believe this kind of long-term data is far more persuasive than spec sheets or marketing claims, as it shows how technology reshapes expectations slowly, one year at a time, without fanfare.

Key Takeaways for Truck Shoppers

• Long-term data matters more than short tests: A full year of ownership reveals patterns that short drives never will.
   
• Home charging is a game changer: Predictable electricity costs fundamentally alter operating expenses.
   
• Electric trucks are not all-or-nothing: They excel in many roles but are not yet ideal for every heavy-duty use case.
   
• Mindsets evolve with experience: Once savings become routine, it's difficult to ignore their impact on ownership decisions.

Your Turn to Share

If you own a truck, have you ever totaled what you actually spend on fuel for over a full year? Did it change how you think about ownership?

And for those considering an electric truck, what would it realistically take for you to say, "it would be hard to go back to gas or diesel?" 

I'd love to hear your opinions in our comments section below.

Aram Krajekian is a young automotive journalist bringing a fresh perspective to his coverage of the evolving automotive landscape. Follow Aram on X and LinkedIn for daily news coverage about cars.

Image sources: The “Cybertruck Owners Only” Facebook group and Tesla’s gallery.