The Slate Auto modular pickup truck was unveiled back in November 2025 and Ginny took a trip to the United States to get up close and personal with the affordably positioned, customisable work vehicle.
Since then, the Bezos-backed carmaker has gone rather quiet except for quietly leaking the price a few days ago. So, with only a couple days left until we get the full spec reveal and official pricing for the Slate pickup, here’s everything we know about it so far.
Where did Slate come from?
Slate is an American EV startup backed by Jeff Bezos, ex-richest man in the world and ex-CEO of Amazon. The company was set up with the expressed purpose of making EVs a more affordable proposition for tradespeople and normal consumers alike.
Slate’s first product is set to be a small pickup truck (by American standards). It’s expected to be just 4.4m long, about the same size as a Ford Ranger, with a 660kg maximum payload and a focus on lifestyle over heavy duty work.
It aims to achieve that affordability goal through a mix of cheap materials, simple production and a barebones, DIY approach to customisation.
How much will it cost?
We were expecting to have to wait until June 24th before we would hear any more information about the Slate’s specs and pricing but just a few days ago, we heard that the Slate pickup will cost from $24,950 (£18,830).
That’s £2,600 less than a Renault 5 and that includes the UK government's electric car grant subsidy.
Optional body styling conversion kits to make the Slate into an SUV or a “fastback” are expected to cost from £5,000 but those and a larger battery are the only optional extras you can get.
Will it have a long range?
For the price, yes. The base battery measures in at 53kWh and we predict that to give it a range of up to 150 miles of real-world range. That’s good enough for hauling things around town or within a city but there’s also a larger 84kWh battery on offer.
That unit, we predict to get a real-world range of around 240 miles, great for those who need to explore a little further beyond city limits. DC rapid charging capability of up to 120kW should make adding range a simple affair too.
Will it be fast and luxurious?
Of course not! This is, of course, a sub-£20,000 pickup truck we’re talking about. Power is delivered to the rear wheels only by a 200hp electric motor. That’s still enough for it to get going pretty quickly though, 0-60mph is expected to take around 8.0 seconds.
As for luxury, the interior is expected to be incredibly minimalistic with a focus on simplicity. That means no central infotainment screen (a bonus for some) instead, customers are to use their own phone for navigation with a built-in phone mount similar to what you’ll find in a VW e-Up. There is also an optional tablet mount available for those who prefer a larger screen.
When can I buy it?
There’s a slight catch there, Slate has no plans to sell its pickup in the UK or Europe. However, if you’re a US resident, pre-orders are set to open on 24 June 2026 and full specs will be released on that day too.
Meanwhile, production is set to begin in autumn 2026 at a plant in Indiana with deliveries set to begin in 'late 2026'.
At the preview, Ginny gave the Slate pickup a 9/10! Will it live up to our high expectations? Watch this space and we’ll give you a full review as soon as we’ve driven it.
