I drove the Slate Truck — there’s more to it than EV minimalism

With its caller pickup, Slate Auto is making a elemental bet: value matters much than almost thing else. The institution announced coming that the American-made electrical motortruck will commencement astatine $24,950, placing it squarely successful the mid-$20,000 value scope it had primitively promised and making it the slightest costly pickup motortruck and EV disposable today. At a clip erstwhile the mean caller conveyance costs astir doubly that amount, Slate is pitching thing that has go progressively uncommon successful the modern car market: a genuinely basal caller conveyance that doesn’t look that way.

To deed that value point, Slate stripped distant features galore drivers now return for granted. The motortruck doesn’t travel pinch a touchscreen, stereo, aliases moreover speakers. Instead, it includes a dash equine for your phone. The windows usage manual manus cranks. And dissimilar galore caller vehicles marketed astir progressively autonomous features, a Slate requires you to do each the driving yourself.

The timing whitethorn beryllium right. The mean caller conveyance sold for $49,220 successful May, according to information from Cox Automotive — a value that’s been heading ever upward. Small and midsize pickups averaged $43,044, while caller EVs averaged $54,532. Slate’s motortruck is moreover cheaper than the mean utilized vehicle, which goes for $26,918. Its closest pickup competitor, the Ford Maverick, starts astatine astir $30,000, while the Chevrolet Bolt EV originates astatine astir $29,000.

For decades, automakers person competed to adhd much features, bigger screens, and progressively blase software. Slate is doing the opposite. The institution believes astatine slightest immoderate buyers would alternatively person a cheaper motortruck than a premium sound system, monolithic infotainment display, aliases suite of driver-assistance technologies. I precocious drove the motortruck successful Southern California. While its deficiency of a touchscreen and roll-up windows pull the astir attention, the much astonishing portion is really normal the conveyance feels connected the road.

The conveyance runs antagonistic to a broader inclination successful the car manufacture sometimes referred to arsenic “trimflation” — the push to summation margins by bundling vehicles pinch much exertion and luxury features. As infotainment systems person grown larger and package has go a bigger trading point, genuinely bare-bones vehicles person go progressively difficult to find.

In immoderate ways, Slate is reviving a conception of the marketplace that mostly disappeared. For decades, compact pickups specified arsenic the Toyota Pickup, Ford Ranger, and Nissan Hardbody served arsenic inexpensive, utilitarian vehicles for young buyers, tradespeople, and anyone who simply needed a truck. But arsenic automakers chased higher margins, pickups grew larger, much luxurious, and substantially much expensive. Today, moreover galore entry-level trucks travel loaded pinch luxuries. Slate is betting location is still request for a motortruck that prioritizes affordability complete amenities.

That’s not to opportunity buyers can’t customize the vehicle. Slate offers much than 200 accessories, ranging from speakers and spot covers to tile racks and trailer hitches. Eighty percent of them costs nether $500. For astir $5,000, owners tin moreover person the two-seat pickup into a five-seat SUV. The assortment of accessories makes it imaginable for 1 Slate to look markedly different from the next.

Slate wants to waste a elemental guidelines merchandise and fto customers determine which upgrades are worthy paying for. The institution is besides encouraging a do-it-yourself attack arsenic a measurement to support costs down. Customers tin instal wraps, interior accents, lighting upgrades, and different accessories themselves utilizing online video tutorials it’s branding arsenic “Slate U,” aliases person galore upgrades installed for them done a web of much than 3,000 RepairPal-affiliated shops. The car is sold direct-to-consumer, pinch a fixed manufacturer-set value alternatively than dealer-negotiated pricing.

For astir $500, buyers tin adhd 1 of the company’s vinyl wraps, dramatically changing the quality of the conveyance without the costs of a civilization overgarment job. Other accessories, including headlight covers, interior trim pieces, and trailer hitches, are priced person to what consumers mightiness expect to salary for aftermarket upgrades than factory-installed options.

The nuts and bolts are there, too. Slate’s artillery and powertrain warranty runs 10 years aliases 110,000 miles, putting it astatine the higher extremity of the manufacture standard. It’s engineered for a five-star information standing and Top Safety Pick. The motortruck besides includes aerial conditioning, powerfulness locks, old-school cruise control, and a back-up camera, suggesting not everything was deemed expendable successful the pursuit of affordability. It besides has a frunk pinch a drain successful the beforehand for added retention aliases a makeshift cooler conscionable because.

Whether Slate’s strategy succeeds depends connected a elemental question: Have automakers spent years adding features consumers don’t worth arsenic overmuch arsenic they worth little prices? The signs are encouraging.

According to Deloitte’s 2026 Global Automotive Consumer Study, the astir important factors influencing Americans’ prime of a caller conveyance marque are value (58 percent), capacity (51 percent), and value (46 percent). Other considerations, including marque familiarity and characteristic sets, rank overmuch lower. When it comes to the acquisition process itself, consumers spot an moreover greater accent connected value, pinch astir two-thirds saying getting a bully woody is simply a apical priority.

Slate’s accuracy is reflected successful who it believes its customer will be.

Chris Barman, Slate’s President of Vehicles, described the target purchaser to maine arsenic an “everyday American” looking for worth alternatively than luxury. Many prospective customers, she said, person continued driving older vehicles not because they dislike caller cars, but because they person been priced retired of the market. Others already trust connected their smartphones for navigation, music, and communication, making the absence of a built-in infotainment strategy little of a sacrifice than it mightiness person seemed a decade ago. “It’s an ecosystem they already know, truthful they don’t person to study thing new,” she said. “Why salary for a 2nd surface that’s embedded successful the car?”

The motortruck itself feels amazingly coherent erstwhile you walk clip astir it. Rather than emotion cheap, it feels intentionally minimal. In some pickup and SUV configurations, its boxy proportions and elemental lines evoke the compact trucks and inferior vehicles that were communal connected American roads earlier pickups ballooned successful size and price.

I drove the motortruck pinch Barman successful the rider spot astir Gardena, California, adjacent the company’s caller creation studio. On the road, it felt overmuch much for illustration a compact crossover than a accepted pickup truck. In different words, it was person to my caller hybrid Honda CR-V than my aging Toyota Tundra.

Part of that comes from the vehicle’s electrical architecture. Despite being rear-wheel drive, the artillery battalion helps administer weight much evenly than successful front-heavy state trucks. The consequence is simply a conveyance that feels planted and predictable alternatively than cumbersome.

The capacity won’t situation a Tesla, but it doesn’t request to. The motortruck accelerates from 0 to 30 mph successful astir 3 seconds and reaches 60 mph successful astir eight. For personification utilized to state cars, it feels exceptionally peppy. Its turning radius felt tight, visibility was good, and the comparatively short wheelbase made it easy to maneuver. Parallel parking didn’t consciousness for illustration the logistical workout it tin beryllium successful galore larger, modern pickups.

The hauling capabilities besides came successful up of the company’s earlier projections. The motortruck tin transportation up to 1,550 pounds of payload and tow arsenic overmuch arsenic 2,000 pounds. That’s capable for landscaping materials, furnishings runs, motorcycles, mini inferior trailers, aliases a humble sportfishing boat. It won’t switch a heavy-duty activity truck, but Slate isn’t trying to compete for those customers.

The vehicle’s estimated scope is 205 miles, an betterment complete the company’s first 150-mile target but still beneath what buyers will find successful galore higher-end EVs. Charging tin beryllium done done a modular family outlet, a Level 2 charger, aliases a DC accelerated charger tin of adding important scope successful astir 30 minutes.

So far, consumers look willing successful the experiment. Slate says it has accumulated astir 180,000 reservations up of production, which is scheduled to statesman astatine the company’s Warsaw, Indiana, mill earlier customer deliveries commencement successful the 4th quarter. The institution expects yearly accumulation to scope 150,000 vehicles by the extremity of 2027.

Whether those reservations yet move into income remains to beryllium seen. But pinch caller conveyance prices hovering adjacent $50,000 and automakers continuing to load cars pinch screens, sensors, subscriptions, and software, Slate is testing a amazingly elemental idea: possibly what galore Americans want astir isn’t much technology. Maybe it’s a caller conveyance they tin really afford.

Photography by Rani Molla