New car prices are too damn high. That’s not the official slogan for EV upstart Slate Auto, but it was certainly implied when the company made its surprise debut in April 2025. Back then, its hook was being a simple, functional new vehicle with a starting price under $20,000. Unfortunately for Slate, that promise required the federal $7,500 tax credit, which is long gone. Now, the starting price is in the “mid-twenties,” which by definition puts it somewhere between $24,000 and $26,999 dollars.
2027 Slate Truck EV and SUV Slate
It’s been nearly 10 months since the Slate debuted, and four months since the $7,500 credit went away. Slate still doesn’t have a starting price in mind for its small truck. Should those who plunked down a $50 deposit be worried? That, it seems, is the $50 question of the moment.
Lots Of Variables Still In Play
LA Auto ShowGabrielle Schmauderer/CarBuzz/Valnet
Speaking recently to InsideEVs, Slate CEO Chris Barman explained why pricing still isn’t pinned down. Without going into detail, she revealed the company is turning over every stone to find some spare change.
“We’re still working really closely with our suppliers to see what opportunities we have to continue to bring costs down, to see what we can do to pass along to the customer before we announce final pricing.”
This could be interpreted one of two ways. The best-case scenario would be Slate pushing hard to meet its initial promise of a new vehicle starting under $20,000. That would really be good news, especially with a fantastic new Nissan Leaf starting just under $30,000 and Ford promising a $30,000 electric truck of its own. It would give Slate some proper breathing room to separate itself price-wise from major competition.
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The other interpretation is Slate struggling to meet the aforementioned “mid-twenties” promise. That, frankly, could be a death knell for the ambitious little truck. If a barebones Slate is just a couple of thousand less than a far better equipped Ford or Nissan, why would buyers take a chance on an untested vehicle with no features from a new company?
Barebones Really Means Bare At Slate
Slate Truck Reveal 2025Ian Wright/CarBuzz/Valnet
In addition to price, part of Slate’s hook is offering a vehicle largely devoid of bloatware that fills even the most basic models from other automakers. An entry-level $29,990 Nissan Leaf, for example, has power windows, dual displays in the dash, wireless CarPlay or Android Auto for the stereo, and seating for five.
By comparison, an entry-level Slate has none of that, nor carpeting for that matter. You can get power windows and carpet mats for the floor, but there’s no provision for any kind of infotainment system. You can add the SUV bolt-on upgrade for extra seating, but that’s a $5,000 option. And if you want any sort of color besides the gray body panels, you’ll need to get a body wrap. Slate can do that, but as with pretty much everything, it’s extra.
2027 Slate SUV exteriorSlate Auto
What do you get with a basic Slate? Right now, there are power door locks, cruise control, air conditioning, and that’s about it. The standard battery is good for 150 miles of range, which certainly falls on the low side considering the Leaf comes out of the gate with twice the distance. The more we look at other cheap EVs – never mind cheap combustion cars like the Chevrolet Trax that starts around $21,700 before destination – the less appealing the Slate becomes.
We can’t help thinking Barman and the leadership at Slate have the same concerns. There’s certainly something appealing about a basic, functional vehicle offered in the classic truck formula of two seats in front and a usable bed in the back. But here we are into February 2026, and we’ve heard very little on Slate’s progress. Reservation holders recently learned that manufacturing equipment has arrived at Slate’s factory in Indiana, but it all still needs to be installed and dialed in. That doesn’t bode well for a target production date of late 2026.
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Slate’s truck looks cool, and the idea of a cheap, simple vehicle is appealing to many buyers. But if cheap ends up being nearly as much as an EV with carpeting and double the range, never mind the combustion models costing thousands less, this little truck could fail before it even has a chance to live.
Source: InsideEVs
