Tesla finally launched its new Cybercab on September 3rd, 2026. The autonomous taxi took to the streets of Austin at an exclusive event, nearly two years after the company first revealed the car. Tesla has continued to lean heavily into autonomous driving.
The design of the new Cybercab is very much in keeping with Tesla’s other vehicles. It has a smooth, clean exterior and a smooth front fascia, and some particularly wild doors. The wheels also look quite remarkable, but the doors have gained attention recently.
There has been some discussion about whether the way the EV doors open is safe. The doors swing out and upwards, not quite in a gullwing manner, but it’s with the typical flair that you’d expect from Tesla. What you probably wouldn’t expect is for the doors to bump into you.
A clip from X posted by Abhimanyu Yadav shows the doors opening on the Cybercab, but there is an issue if you happen to stand in the car’s blind spot. If you are standing there, the doors may open into you and give you a little bump.
Be Careful Standing Next to the Tesla Cybercab
Cybercab door will bump you if you stand in the blind spot. But it is just a love tap. I don’t want to make this video to dunk on the Cybercab. In fact I want everyone to know that these are just taps and you don’t really feel anything. So the Cybercab doors are definitely safe… pic.twitter.com/DdXZWlVAis
— Abhimanyu Yadav (@WorldlyReviewer) September 20, 2026
In the video, we see Yadav press the button on the Cybercab to open its doors. He makes sure he stands in the car’s blind spot to prove his point. When he first presses the button, the door swings right open and then bumps into him, before stopping after it does so.
Yadav then goes to shut the door, then stands a bit closer to the car. This time, the door swings up and bumps into his face. However, it doesn’t stop this time, and keeps going and pushes him out of the way before it is fully open. It is important to stress that the door doesn’t hit him hard or smack into him. It just gently nudges him out of the way of the Cybercab.
But it is still concerning to see that the door could do that. It is an electronically operated door, so when the driver presses the button, it will just attempt to fully swing open. There are no manual door handles on Teslas, so this is very much in keeping with what the company does on its regular vehicles. The doors don’t detract from the launch of the autonomous taxi, with the Cybercab recently commencing operations in Austin, Texas.
What Tesla Has Said About the Cybercab
There are some interesting fine print details to note about the Cybercab. For example, Tesla has said it won’t allow minors under 13 to ride in the car at this time. Yet those between the ages of 8 and 17 can ride in the Robotaxi Model Y SUVs that Tesla also operates. If a child is entering the Cybercab and is under 18, they must be accompanied by an adult; the same applies to the Robotaxi.
Speaking of doors, Tesla has also given the Cybercab a much easier-to-spot manual release. This reduces confusion when passengers reach their destination and makes it easier to find in an emergency. Another odd point is that the Cybercab’s windows do not fully open. Yet the EV manufacturer hasn’t explained why this is the case either at the car’s launch event or in any of its documentation.