Slate Truck pricing starts at $24,950. It can also end at $46,294.39, depending entirely on how much time you spend with the online configurator and how little self-control you bring to that session.
Both of those numbers are real. The gap between them is the story.
Slate is launching its electric truck later this year with affordability as the centerpiece of its pitch — a sub-$25,000 electric vehicle with a blank-canvas approach to personalisation that lets buyers build the truck they actually want rather than paying for equipment packages they don’t. Good concept. The execution has a catch, which is that the options list is long enough and the individual prices are high enough that clicking through the configurator without a firm budget ceiling in mind produces a number that lands well outside the affordable category.
We found out firsthand.
Three Body Styles, Three Very Different Starting Points
The Slate Truck comes in three configurations, all built on the same basic platform.
The base version — what Slate calls the Blank Slate — is a straight pickup truck at $24,950. No destination fee announced yet, so that number will move slightly before anyone takes delivery. The Squareback SUV adds a bed cap and rear seating for $29,950. The Fastback SUV does the same in a different roofline profile for $31,950.
The jump from pickup to either SUV body style costs between $5,000 and $7,000 before a single option gets added. Worth noting upfront because a lot of people who see the $24,950 headline number and start building mentally will be working from the Blank Slate price — and the moment they add the bed cap for rear-seat access, they’re already $5,000 to $7,000 deeper than the figure that attracted them in the first place.
We started our configurator run with the Fastback SUV at $31,950 and went from there.
What the Slate Truck Looks Like at Its Cheapest
Standard on every Slate Truck: grey paint. One colour. Not a shade of grey you choose — just grey. The personalisation Slate is selling doesn’t extend to the factory paint, which stays identical regardless of trim or body style.
What changes the exterior appearance is wraps and decals, both of which come from the options list and both of which add cost quickly. A full custom colour wrap runs $1,599.99. That’s a meaningful number on a vehicle whose base appeal is sub-$25,000 pricing — a colour wrap alone represents more than 6 percent of the Blank Slate’s starting price.
The decal section of the configurator is genuinely entertaining in a way that most automotive options lists aren’t. Racing stripes are available, as expected. Also available: satirical business logos, including one that reads “Mulch Ado About Nothing.” Whether that’s a selling point depends entirely on the buyer, but it’s the kind of thing that suggests Slate has a personality distinct from every other EV startup currently competing for attention.
Skip everything in the wrap and decal section and the Slate Truck’s exterior stays grey and unadorned. That’s a legitimate choice. It’s also the fastest way to keep the price from moving.
Where the Slate Truck Configurator Gets Expensive Fast
The exterior options section is where the numbers start stacking up in ways that aren’t immediately obvious when you’re clicking through.
Auxiliary lighting alone covers multiple categories — X-shaped lamps, circular lamps, pixel-design options. A rooftop light bar is available. Hood-mounted light pods are available. Wider fender flares, unique grille designs, a spare tire carrier at the rear — each item is individually priced and individually tempting if you’re building a truck with a specific look in mind.
The wheel upgrade is one of the more visible line items. Moving to the 20-inch wheels costs $1,399.99. On a vehicle that starts at $24,950, that’s a 5.6 percent price increase for a wheel size change — the kind of percentage that would draw comment on a luxury vehicle and mostly gets absorbed quietly in the enthusiasm of building something custom.
Roof racks come in multiple configurations depending on intended use. Each adds cost. None are expensive individually. Several together add up faster than expected.
Inside the Slate Truck: What’s Not There By Default
The interior is where the Slate Truck’s affordability strategy becomes most visible — and most consequential for buyers who are used to standard equipment on vehicles in any price bracket.
There is no sound system included in the base Slate Truck. No speakers, no radio, no audio hardware of any kind. Adding a front centre speaker costs $249.99. Adding speakers on either side of the dashboard costs $149.99 each — so $299.98 for the pair. A dashboard-mounted tablet to actually control audio is listed as available but priced as “to be confirmed” at the time of writing.
There is also no central touchscreen in the standard configuration. The Slate Truck’s cabin is genuinely stripped at its base level in a way that isn’t common in the current market regardless of price point. That’s a deliberate choice — Slate’s entire pitch is that buyers pay for what they want and skip what they don’t — but buyers who are used to at least a basic infotainment screen being standard equipment will need to recalibrate their expectations before sitting in one.
A centre console is optional. Door armrest colours are optional. Floor mats are optional. Interior T-rail storage systems are optional. The cabin options list is nearly as long as the exterior one, and each individual item costs something.
How We Got to $46,294.39
Starting with the Fastback SUV at $31,950, the additions came quickly.
Full custom colour wrap: $1,599.99. Premium wheel upgrade: $1,399.99. Lighting packages across hood mounts, roof bar, and auxiliary positions: several hundred dollars. Exterior accessories including fender flares, grille options, spare tire carrier: more hundreds. Interior audio additions covering the front speaker and dash speakers: around $600 before the tablet. Console, floor mats, storage rails, armrest colour choices: another few hundred across the lot.
Final tally: $46,294.39 — and that’s with several items still showing as “price to be confirmed” in the configurator. The actual ceiling, once those undisclosed items get pricing assigned, is higher than the number we hit.
Forty-six thousand dollars for a Slate Truck is a real outcome that a real buyer could reach by clicking through the configurator without unusual extravagance. We didn’t add every available option. We added the ones that made the truck look and function like a reasonably equipped vehicle rather than a stripped daily driver. The result nearly doubled the base price.
Is the Slate Truck Still a Good Deal Fully Loaded
Depends entirely on what you’re comparing it to.
At $46,294 the Slate Truck is competing against conventionally equipped electric trucks and crossovers from established manufacturers — vehicles that include audio systems, touchscreens, and standard colour choices in their base pricing rather than listing them as extras. At that price point, the Slate’s value proposition shifts from “significantly cheaper than alternatives” to “roughly comparable but with more personalisation control.”
The buyers Slate is actually targeting probably aren’t the ones who click every option available. Someone who buys the Blank Slate pickup at $24,950, skips the wrap, keeps the standard wheels, adds a speaker setup and a centre console, and calls it done lands somewhere around $28,000 to $30,000 before destination fees. That version of the Slate Truck purchase genuinely is meaningfully cheaper than comparable electric vehicles with proper equipment.
The configurator math works in Slate’s favour when buyers treat it like a menu with a budget. It works against Slate’s affordability message when buyers treat it like a wishlist. The vehicle itself doesn’t change — only how much self-control the person building it brings to the session.
What to Actually Focus On Before Configuring a Slate Truck
A few things worth knowing before opening the configurator:
Every Slate Truck is grey until you pay for something different. Budget for the colour wrap if the grey doesn’t work for you — $1,599.99 isn’t optional if you want any other colour, because there are no other factory colours.
The audio system is genuinely absent in base form. Add at minimum the front speaker and the dash pair before finalising any configuration — $600 for basic audio on a vehicle you’ll drive daily is a non-negotiable addition for most buyers.
The body style choice drives the starting price more than any other single decision. The gap between $24,950 and $31,950 is the Fastback SUV bed cap and rear seats. Know which body style you actually need before getting into accessories, because $7,000 of that $46,000 total is just the roof.
Several options listed in the configurator have no confirmed price yet. The final real-world cost of a fully loaded Slate Truck is higher than $46,294, because the undisclosed items haven’t been factored in. Build accordingly.
FAQs
What is the base price of the Slate Truck?
$24,950 for the Blank Slate pickup. The Squareback SUV starts at $29,950 and the Fastback SUV at $31,950. Destination fee not yet confirmed.
How much does a fully loaded Slate Truck cost?
We hit $46,294.39 in the configurator starting from the Fastback SUV — and several items still had no listed price, so the actual ceiling is higher.
What colour does the Slate Truck come in?
Grey, standard. Changing it requires buying a wrap or decals from the options list. A full custom colour wrap costs $1,599.99.
Does the Slate Truck come with a sound system?
No. Audio is entirely optional — front centre speaker at $249.99, dash speakers at $149.99 each, and a dashboard tablet priced as TBC.
What are the three Slate Truck body styles?
Blank Slate pickup ($24,950), Squareback SUV with bed cap and rear seats ($29,950), and Fastback SUV with a different roofline ($31,950).
When does the Slate Truck go on sale?
Slate is targeting a launch later this year. Exact dates and final destination pricing haven’t been confirmed yet.
Is the Slate Truck worth buying fully optioned?
At $46,000-plus it’s competing against properly equipped electric vehicles from established brands. The value case is stronger if you stay closer to the base price and add only what you genuinely need.
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