Tesla Roadster Is 'Very Soon' Again — Here's What EV Owners Should Actually Plan For

If you've been waiting on the next-generation Tesla Roadster, you've heard this one before. Tesla's chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, appeared on an episode of Jay Leno's Garage and — twice — assured Leno that the production Roadster would debut "very soon." Leno, for his part, gave Tesla the ribbing it has earned, noting the car has now been dragged out for "just shy of 10 years."

According to InsideEVs, the unveiling is once again slated for this month. Whether that holds is another question entirely.

A Quick Refresher On What Was Promised

Tesla revealed the next-gen Roadster in 2017 as an Apple-style "one more thing" moment at the end of the Tesla Semi reveal. The numbers that got the room roaring:

• Zero to 60 mph in under two seconds — half a second quicker than the then-flagship P100D
• A 250 mph top speed, unheard of for an electric car at the time
• 620 miles of claimed range
• A release date "some time in 2020"

Reservation holders put down as much as $250,000 to lock in a founders-series car. That money has been sitting on Tesla's books for the better part of a decade — which, as InsideEVs bluntly points out, is a long time to not be in an index fund.

The Timeline, Kicked Down The Road

2020 became 2022. 2022 became 2024. Now it's 2026, and even the widely reported April Fools' Day reveal date came and went with nothing. Elon Musk told investors in June that the reveal was "a month or so" away — which brings us, conveniently, to August.

One known holdup: the so-called SpaceX package. That's the claimed cold-air thruster tech Tesla wants to bake into the car for wild performance (and, per the hype, something close to flight). Tesla missed its promised "most epic demo ever" in 2025, and it's not clear where the two Musk companies actually stand on finalizing that collaboration. If von Holzhausen's "very soon" is real, the bugs may finally be close to worked out. Assuming, of course, this is a real thing that's happening.

Why This Car Matters, Even If You'll Never Buy One

Tesla's Lars Moravy has described the Roadster as the company's swan song — the "last, best driver's car" Tesla will build as it pivots toward steering-wheel-less robotaxis.

The Roadster isn't just a halo car. It's being framed as the end of an era for Tesla enthusiast driving — which makes the reveal worth watching even if a quarter-million-dollar sports car isn't in your driveway plans.

That framing matters for the rest of us because halo cars set the design language. Charge port placement, interior materials, trunk and frunk geometry, wheel and aero choices — the details that trickle down into the Model 3, Model Y, and whatever comes next are usually previewed here first.

What This Means For Your Current EV

Here's our honest take: don't restructure your garage around a car that has slipped six years and counting. The far more useful move is to make sure the EV you actually drive today is dialed in.

• Charging first. A reveal event doesn't add a single mile to your range. A properly specced home charger, a quality Level 2 cable, and the right adapters for the networks you use do.
• Adapters age better than hype. As connector standards continue to consolidate, a small kit of the right adapters keeps your current car compatible with more chargers — no reservation deposit required.
• Interior wear is real. If you're driving a Model 3 Highland or Model Y Juniper daily, screen protection, floor liners, and center console organization pay off over the years you'll own the car — not the years you'll spend waiting on another one.
• Roadside gear is the boring hero. Tire repair kits, jump packs, and emergency charging accessories are the accessories owners are genuinely glad they bought.

The Bottom Line

Will the Roadster show up this month? Maybe. Von Holzhausen said "very soon," and Musk pointed at August. But nine years of moved goalposts have earned a healthy dose of skepticism, and there's no shame in waiting to see the car before you get excited about it.

If it does land, expect the specs to be loud and the delivery timeline to be quiet. And if it doesn't — well, you've heard "soon" before. In the meantime, the accessories that make your Model 3, Model Y, or Cybertruck better are available right now, with a delivery date you can actually count on.