Here's Proof Tesla Misled You With Its Cybertruck Towing a 911 Drag Race

A new test reveals that Tesla wasn't honest about the results of its Cybertruck towing drag race against a Porsche 911.

May 16, 2024 at 10:45am ET

Tesla made headlines late last year when it launched the Cybertruck. The automaker touted the pickup's performance chops, with CEO Elon Musk claiming that a Cybertruck towing a Porsche 911 was quicker in a quarter-mile drag race than an actual 911. The company released a video allegedly verifying the claim, but new proof reveals that Tesla wasn't candid about the results.

MotorTrend got a privately owned Cybertruck and a Porsche 911 Carrera T to recreate the race. Tesla never revealed the specific 911 it used, so MT took a very educated guess to be as accurate as possible. The publication also considered the cars' gearboxes and the drivers' weight before putting the pair through six drag races.

Each one ended with the Porsche winning. The first race was the closest, with just 0.2 seconds separating the pair, but a 0.7-second gap would emerge by the final race when the 911 won with a 12.2-second time at 116.4 miles per hour—its best. It took the Cybertruck 12.9 seconds at 104.6 mph to finish the sixth race. The Tesla achieved its best quarter-mile time in the first and fourth runs—12.7 seconds.

The video Tesla published showing the race was heavily scrutinized, with eagle-eyed internet users quickly revealing the video showed an eighth-mile race. The truck's lead engineer would then reveal that Tesla never attempted a quarter-mile race between the two.

Even here, Tesla might have fibbed a bit, but the results are much closer. The first rematch race between the two resulted in the Cybertruck reaching the eighth-mile mark first in 8.1 seconds. It took the 911 8.2 seconds, but it wasn't MT's quickest run with the Porsche. That came in the last race with the 911's 7.9-second time. The Cybertruck needed 8.3 seconds.

Musk isn't known for making the most accurate statements on stage, and his claim about the Cybertruck beating a 911 was a whiff. However, the truck's performance capability is still impressive, even while towing another vehicle.

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