Tesla Roadster Performance vs Thrust vs Rocket comes down to one question: how much thrust you want, and how many seats you’re willing to give up for it. Performance is a two-seat road car with a $50,000 deposit. Thrust adds a pressure tank and four rear thrusters for a $250,000 deposit. Rocket is a one-seat, invite-only car with ten thrusters that Tesla says isn’t approved for public roads. Underneath, all three share the same motors, chassis, aero and over 300 miles (483 km) of EPA range.
Last updated: October 25, 2026. We keep this page current as Tesla changes Roadster figures, so check the update log at the bottom for what changed.
The per-trim numbers come from the spec sheets Tesla gave media on October 14, which reporters Ryan Zohoury and Sawyer Merritt published this week. They’re Tesla’s targets for a car that doesn’t start production until 2028, so any of them can change. Deposits come from Tesla’s reservation page. If you want the stunts, the stage show and the design story, start with what happened on reveal night.
Roadster specs by trim
| Spec | Performance | Thrust | Rocket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla’s label | Road Ready | Race Ready | Air Ready |
| 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) | Under 1.6 s | Under 0.9 s | Under 0.59 s |
| Peak acceleration | Over 1.5 g | Over 5 g | Over 5 g |
| Top speed | Over 210 mph (338 km/h) | Over 230 mph (370 km/h) | Over 230 mph (370 km/h) |
| Peak power | Over 1 MW | Over 1 MW | Over 1 MW |
| Peak motor torque | Over 1,400 Nm | Over 1,400 Nm | Over 1,400 Nm |
| Thruster force | None | Over 80 kN | Over 80 kN |
| Pressure tanks | None | 1 | 2 |
| Thrusters | None | 4 rear | 10 (4 rear, 4 down, 2 side) |
| EPA range | Over 300 miles (483 km) | Over 300 miles (483 km) | Over 300 miles (483 km) |
| Seats | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Deposit | $50,000 | $250,000 | Invite only |
Tesla lists the same peak power, motor torque and range for every trim, so Performance isn’t a detuned version of the others. What buys the extra speed is thrust. Tires can only push so hard against the road, and the thrusters add force the tires don’t have to supply. That’s why peak acceleration jumps from about 1.5 g to over 5 g once a tank is on board.
One wrinkle: Tesla’s public Roadster page still lists Thrust only as “under 1 second” to 60 mph, and a separate sheet in the media kit uses that same wording for Thrust and Rocket. The sharper figures in the table come from the kit’s main spec sheet. For scale, the car ran the live 0.81 second run on a shortened run-up, and Tesla hasn’t said which trim that was.
Performance: the one most people will buy
Performance is the Roadster Tesla expects you to drive on the road. It seats two, has no pressure tank and no thrusters, and still targets under 1.6 seconds to 60 mph and over 210 mph (338 km/h). That alone beats the 1.9 seconds Tesla promised for the whole car back in 2017.
It doesn’t skimp on the hardware that makes the car feel special. Performance gets the yoke and steer-by-wire, the dihedral doors with removable roof panels, the active rear wing and barge boards, and the fan and skirt suction system that pulls the car down onto the road. It also gets Active Track Mode, carbon-ceramic brakes, brake-by-wire with each corner controlled separately, and the dual ride height setup. In track mode the suspension gets more than three times stiffer and the car drops by up to 40 mm.
What it doesn’t get is the visual extras. Tesla says every car on its Roadster product page is a Thrust or Rocket, so a Performance car won’t have the gold-tinted glass or the white Supersonic cabin you’ve seen in the photos.
Thrust: the track car
Thrust is where the thruster hardware starts. Tesla developed the Roadster in collaboration with SpaceX, and on this trim that shows up as one carbon-wrapped pressure tank feeding four rear thrusters, all run by electric actuators from Tesla’s Optimus robot program. Together they push with over 80 kN, and Tesla targets under 0.9 seconds to 60 mph and over 230 mph (370 km/h).
What goes into the tank is still an open question. Musk described it as air on stage, while Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering, told reviewers it’s filled from a nitrogen system. Our explainer on how the thrusters and fans work covers the hardware in detail.
Thrust also adds two looks the Performance car lacks. The gold-tinted glass is meant to mimic copper with subtle titanium accents. The Supersonic interior is an ultrawhite cabin with gray microsuede, microsuede seat bolsters for grip, and a center touchscreen backed by two smaller forward displays.
Rocket: the one that tries to fly
Rocket takes the passenger seat out and puts a second pressure tank in its place. It has ten thrusters in all: the same four rear thrusters for acceleration, four pointing down around the edge of the car for lift, and two on the sides to turn the car. Tesla calls it Air Ready and targets under 0.59 seconds to 60 mph. Tesla’s Roadster page lists it as invite only, not approved for public road use and not available in all regions, so think of it as a showpiece, not a car you’ll drive to work.
Rocket is also the only trim with Ano White paint. Tesla says the finish protects against UV light and extreme cold, dissipates static and resists corrosion.
What every trim shares, and what costs extra
| Feature | Performance | Thrust | Rocket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yoke and steer-by-wire | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dihedral doors, removable roof panels | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rear wing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Active aero (wings and barge boards) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fan and skirt suction, ground sealing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hidden headlights, full-length taillight | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Active Track Mode | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Carbon-ceramic brakes, brake-by-wire | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dual ride height, adaptive dampers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fixed seat, adjustable recline and pedals | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lightweight thin-spoke wheels | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pressure tanks | None | 1 | 2 |
| Rear thrusters | No | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lift and yaw thrusters | No | No | ✓ |
| Gold-tinted glass | No | ✓ | ✓ |
| Supersonic interior | No | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ano White paint | No | No | ✓ |
| Passenger seat | ✓ | ✓ | No |
Other numbers Tesla executives have given
The media kit doesn’t cover everything. In interviews before the reveal and posts since, Tesla’s engineers and Musk filled in more. Treat these as goals, not specs.
| Item | What was said | Who said it |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | About 115 kWh in every version, still being finalized | Franz von Holzhausen, Lars Moravy |
| Fast charging | Over 500 kW on Gen 4 Superchargers, about 10 minutes for most of a charge | Moravy |
| Weight | Just under 1,700 kg (about 3,700 lb), not final | Moravy, von Holzhausen |
| Top speed goal | 330 mph (531 km/h) for the versions with a pressure tank | von Holzhausen, Moravy |
| Top speed hope | “~400 mph” | Musk on X |
| Thrust per fill | About five seconds of thrust, one run per fill | Moravy |
| Where it’s built | Roadster Factory Texas, at Giga Texas | Moravy |
Our Roadster reviews roundup has the full interviews these came from.
Deposits and how to reserve
Tesla hasn’t announced final prices. What it has published is the deposit for each trim.
| Trim | Due at order | Due within 10 days | Total deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | $5,000, fully refundable | $45,000 | $50,000 |
| Thrust | $5,000 | $245,000 | $250,000 |
| Rocket | Invite only | Not listed | Not listed |
Tesla’s reservation page says reservations aren’t final until payment is received, can be canceled if the balance isn’t paid within 10 days, and that refunds for modifications won’t be issued. We rechecked the Performance deposit on October 25. The Thrust figure was last confirmed on October 23, because the reservation page only shows it after you pick that trim. Deposits are listed in US dollars, and Tesla hasn’t published amounts for other markets yet.
What Tesla still hasn’t said
The media kit answers the big spec questions, but a few things that matter to buyers are still open.
Final prices. The deposits are not prices. The 2017 car’s $50,000 reservation sat against a $200,000 base price, but Tesla hasn’t said how the new deposits relate to what each trim will cost. Our look at how the 2026 car stacks up against the 2017 promise covers the old prices and timeline.
Refilling the tanks. Thrust and Rocket owners will need to refill their pressure tanks. Musk’s description on stage suggests the car could top itself up with air, while Moravy described an outside nitrogen system. How often a tank needs filling, and where, will matter to anyone planning track days.
Upgrades. Tesla’s Roadster page describes the thruster features as an optional upgrade, but Tesla hasn’t said whether a Performance reservation can later move up to Thrust, or what that would cost.
Markets. Tesla hasn’t named the countries that get the Roadster first, or said where the thruster trims will be road legal.
Which Roadster makes sense
For almost everyone with the money, Performance is the Roadster to reserve. It has the same power, torque, range, chassis and aero as the other two, and a sub-1.6 second target that would make it one of the quickest road cars ever sold. It’s also the only one built purely for the road, with no tank to refill.
Thrust is for buyers who want the fastest version that still seats two, and who plan to use it on track. The $200,000 jump in deposit buys the thrusters, the gold glass and the Supersonic cabin. You’ll also want to know how and where the tank gets refilled before you commit, which Tesla hasn’t fully explained yet.
Rocket isn’t really a choice. It’s invite only, seats one and isn’t approved for public roads. It’s the version that shows how far Tesla can push the idea.
All of this is still on paper until 2028. Tesla plans a bigger prototype build early next year, and final prices, options and delivery regions should come with it. If a $50,000 deposit is out of reach, we’ve made the case for a driver’s car the rest of us can afford.
Update log
- October 25, 2026: Page published with Tesla’s per-trim media specs, feature lists and deposits. Performance deposit rechecked on Tesla’s reservation page.