Slate Auto’s first pickup is built around a straightforward idea: keeping the sticker price low may matter more than almost any feature list. The company said today that its U.S.-built electric truck will open at $24,950, landing in the mid-$20,000 range it previously targeted and undercutting every pickup and EV currently on sale. With the typical new vehicle now priced at nearly double that, Slate is trying to sell something increasingly uncommon in today’s car market: a truly stripped-down new vehicle that still manages to look modern.
Reaching that figure required Slate to leave out plenty of equipment many shoppers now expect as standard. There is no built-in touchscreen, stereo system, or speakers. In their place is a dashboard mount intended for a smartphone. The windows are operated by hand cranks. And while many new vehicles are being promoted with ever-expanding automated-driving features, the Slate puts the driver fully in charge.
The launch comes as affordability has become a growing pain point for car buyers. In May, the average new vehicle sold for $49,220, according to Cox Automotive, continuing a long climb in prices. Small and midsize pickups averaged $43,044, and new electric vehicles averaged $54,532. Slate’s truck even comes in below the average used vehicle price of $26,918. By comparison, the Ford Maverick, its nearest pickup rival, starts at about $30,000, while the Chevrolet Bolt EV begins around $29,000.
For years, automakers have tried to outdo one another with more equipment, larger screens, and increasingly complex software. Slate is moving in the other direction. The company is wagering that some customers would prefer a lower monthly payment to a high-end audio setup, a giant infotainment display, or an extensive package of driver-assistance systems. I recently spent time behind the wheel of the truck in Southern California, and while the absence of a touchscreen and the manual windows are obvious conversation starters, what stands out most is how conventional it feels to drive.
The truck also pushes back against a wider industry pattern often described as “trimflation,” where automakers boost profits by packaging vehicles with more technology, comfort features, and upscale materials. As infotainment screens have expanded and software has become central to marketing, genuinely no-frills vehicles have become much harder to find.
With the average new vehicle now costing nearly twice as much, Slate is offering a rare proposition in the modern auto business: a basic new vehicle that does not immediately read as cheap.
In that sense, Slate is attempting to bring back a portion of the market that has largely faded away. Compact pickups like the Toyota Pickup, Ford Ranger, and Nissan Hardbody once served as affordable, practical transportation for younger drivers, tradespeople, and buyers who simply needed a truck. Over time, however, manufacturers pursued higher margins, and pickups became bigger, more refined, and far more costly. Even many so-called entry-level trucks now arrive with premium touches. Slate is betting there are still shoppers who value price and utility more than creature comforts.
That does not mean owners are stuck with a one-size-fits-all vehicle. Slate plans to offer more than 200 accessories, including speakers, seat covers, roof racks, and trailer hitches. About 80 percent of those add-ons are priced below $500. For around $5,000, buyers can also transform the two-seat pickup into a five-seat SUV. With that catalog, one Slate could end up looking very different from another.
Slate wants to sell a simple base product and let customers decide which upgrades are worth paying for. The company is also encouraging a do-it-yourself approach as a way to keep costs down. Customers can install wraps, interior accents, lighting upgrades, and other accessories themselves using online video tutorials it’s branding as “Slate U,” or have many upgrades installed for them through a network of more than 3,000 RepairPal-affiliated shops. The car is sold direct-to-consumer, with a fixed manufacturer-set price rather than dealer-negotiated pricing.
For around $500, buyers can add one of the company’s vinyl wraps, dramatically changing the appearance of the vehicle without the cost of a custom paint job. Other accessories, including headlight covers, interior trim pieces, and trailer hitches, are priced closer to what consumers might expect to pay for aftermarket upgrades than factory-installed options.
The nuts and bolts are there, too. Slate’s battery and powertrain warranty runs 10 years or 110,000 miles, putting it at the higher end of the industry standard. It’s engineered for a five-star safety rating and Top Safety Pick. The truck also includes air conditioning, power locks, old-school cruise control, and a back-up camera, suggesting not everything was deemed expendable in the pursuit of affordability. It also has a frunk with a drain in the front for added storage or a makeshift cooler just because.
Whether Slate’s strategy succeeds depends on a simple question: Have automakers spent years adding features consumers don’t value as much as they value lower prices? The signs are encouraging.
According to Deloitte’s 2026 Global Automotive Consumer Study, the most important factors influencing Americans’ choice of a new vehicle brand are quality (58 percent), performance (51 percent), and price (46 percent). Other considerations, including brand familiarity and feature sets, rank much lower. When it comes to the purchase process itself, consumers place an even greater emphasis on value, with nearly two-thirds saying getting a good deal is a top priority.
Slate’s philosophy is reflected in who it believes its customer will be.
Chris Barman, Slate’s President of Vehicles, described the target buyer to me as an “everyday American” looking for value rather than luxury. Many prospective customers, she said, have continued driving older vehicles not because they dislike new cars, but because they have been priced out of the market. Others already rely on their smartphones for navigation, music, and communication, making the absence of a built-in infotainment system less of a sacrifice than it might have seemed a decade ago. “It’s an ecosystem they already know, so they don’t have to learn anything new,” she said. “Why pay for a second screen that’s embedded in the car?”
The truck itself feels surprisingly coherent once you spend time around it. Rather than feeling cheap, it feels intentionally minimal. In both pickup and SUV configurations, its boxy proportions and simple lines evoke the compact trucks and utility vehicles that were common on American roads before pickups ballooned in size and price.
I drove the truck with Barman in the passenger seat around Gardena, California, near the company’s new design studio. On the road, it felt much more like a compact crossover than a traditional pickup truck. In other words, it was closer to my new hybrid Honda CR-V than my aging Toyota Tundra.
Part of that comes from the vehicle’s electric architecture. Despite being rear-wheel drive, the battery pack helps distribute weight more evenly than in front-heavy gas trucks. The result is a vehicle that feels planted and predictable rather than cumbersome.
The performance won’t challenge a Tesla, but it doesn’t need to. The truck accelerates from 0 to 30 mph in about three seconds and reaches 60 mph in roughly eight. For someone used to gas cars, it feels exceptionally peppy. Its turning radius felt tight, visibility was good, and the relatively short wheelbase made it easy to maneuver. Parallel parking didn’t feel like the logistical exercise it can be in many larger, modern pickups.
The performance won’t challenge a Tesla, but it doesn’t need to.
The hauling capabilities also came in ahead of the company’s earlier projections. The truck can carry up to 1,550 pounds of payload and tow as much as 2,000 pounds. That’s enough for landscaping materials, furniture runs, motorcycles, small utility trailers, or a modest fishing boat. It won’t replace a heavy-duty work truck, but Slate isn’t trying to compete for those customers.
The vehicle’s estimated range is 205 miles, an improvement over the company’s initial 150-mile target but still below what buyers will find in many higher-end EVs. Charging can be done through a standard household outlet, a Level 2 charger, or a DC fast charger capable of adding substantial range in about 30 minutes.
So far, consumers appear interested in the experiment. Slate says it has accumulated roughly 180,000 reservations ahead of production, which is scheduled to begin at the company’s Warsaw, Indiana, factory before customer deliveries start in the fourth quarter. The company expects annual production to reach 150,000 vehicles by the end of 2027.
Whether those reservations ultimately turn into sales remains to be seen. But with new vehicle prices hovering near $50,000 and automakers continuing to load cars with screens, sensors, subscriptions, and software, Slate is testing a surprisingly simple idea: maybe what many Americans want most isn’t more technology. Maybe it’s a new vehicle they can actually afford.
Photography by Rani Molla
