Tesla’s $250,000 Roadster reservation comes with a catch: you may never get the car

Tesla has started accepting reservations for its long-delayed second-generation Roadster. But the reservation agreement says the company cannot guarantee when — or even whether — the vehicle will be delivered.

The warning appears in Tesla’s online reservation agreement, which says the Roadster is still under development. Customers who pay a deposit receive only an approximate place in line if the car enters production, rather than a confirmed build slot. The agreement also says the Roadster’s final price, features, and hardware may change before production.

Tesla showed the second-generation Roadster again this week, nearly a decade after first presenting it in 2017. The company currently estimates production will begin in 2028, but it has repeatedly delayed new products. Tesla says the exact price will be confirmed when customers are invited to configure their vehicles.

The reservation terms also leave room for changes to the car’s hardware and capabilities before production. That matters given the ambitious promises made by CEO Elon Musk during the latest presentation, including acceleration from zero to 60 mph in 0.81 seconds and the use of rocket-style thrusters.

The arrangement echoes the history of the previous second-generation Roadster reservation program. Tesla previously accepted deposits for the car, including payments of up to $250,000 for the planned Roadster 2 Founders Series, but never brought that version into production. The latest unveiling does little to ease uncertainty for customers who have already waited years for the electric supercar.

There is at least one important safeguard for new reservation holders: Tesla says reservations are fully refundable. They are non-transferable, but unlike some earlier Tesla launch editions, the document does not include a no-resale clause.