Should You Preorder the Slate Truck on June 24?
Slate will announce final pricing and open preorders for its minimalist electric pickup on June 24. Here is what buyers should know before putting down a non-refundable deposit.
Slate’s cheap electric truck is about to move from the easy part of startup hype to the harder part: asking reservation holders for money they cannot get back.
The company says preorders open June 24, 2026, and that final pricing will be announced the same day. That matters because the Slate Truck has been one of the few genuinely different affordable-EV ideas in the market: a small, two-seat, rear-drive electric pickup built around simplicity, personalization, and a promised mid-$20,000s price story rather than luxury-screen excess.
The truck still looks interesting. The preorder process deserves a clear-eyed look.
Quick Verdict
If you already know you want Slate’s minimalist electric pickup and are comfortable buying an early startup vehicle, the June 24 preorder could be worth considering. Reservation holders get priority delivery timing, and the preorder locks in a delivery window.
If you are still cross-shopping a Ford Maverick Hybrid, used EV pickup, Chevrolet Equinox EV, Nissan LEAF, or any conventional small truck, wait. Slate has not announced final pricing yet, and the preorder deposit is non-refundable. The smart move for most buyers is to see the June 24 price, build out the accessories honestly, and decide whether the finished quote still feels cheap.
What Happens on June 24
Slate’s official preorder page says June 24 is when buyers will see pricing and preorder access. Existing reservation holders are supposed to see an assigned delivery window in their Slate account, plus a link to preorder.
The key detail is the money. Slate says a preorder requires a $300 non-refundable deposit. If you already paid the $50 refundable reservation fee, the additional preorder payment is $250. The preorder deposit applies toward the final purchase price, but Slate says it is not refundable.
Buyers get 30 days from the start of preordering to lock in their delivery timing. After that, Slate says people can still preorder, but their delivery window shifts later.
That is a reasonable structure if Slate is trying to separate serious buyers from casual reservation holders. It also changes the decision. A $50 refundable reservation is a low-stress placeholder. A non-refundable preorder is a commitment.
The Slate Truck Snapshot
| Item | What Slate has said | What buyers should check on June 24 |
|---|---|---|
| Preorder date | June 24, 2026 | Whether your delivery window is specific enough to matter |
| Preorder deposit | $300 non-refundable, or $250 more with an active $50 reservation | Whether you are comfortable risking the deposit before reviews and owner deliveries |
| Final pricing | To be announced June 24 | Base MSRP, destination charge, accessory prices, and the cost of the version you actually want |
| Base truck layout | Two-seat electric pickup produced in a simplified factory configuration | Whether two seats, basic equipment, and the bed size fit your real use |
| Range targets | 150 miles from a 52.7-kWh pack, or 240 miles with an 84.3-kWh accessory pack | Final EPA ratings, bigger-battery price, and winter range expectations |
| Charging | NACS port, up to 120-kW DC fast charging, under 30 minutes to 80 percent target | Final charging curve, home-charging equipment, and Supercharger access details |
Why the Price Reveal Matters So Much
Slate’s whole idea lives or dies on the final transaction price.
When the truck was revealed, Slate described a stripped-back EV with crank windows, physical HVAC knobs, steel wheels, a bring-your-own-screen approach, and more than 100 accessories. The company framed that simplicity as the way to get new-vehicle pricing back within reach.
The official launch release listed the important targets: a 52.7-kWh battery, 150-kW rear motor, 150-mile range target, 1,400-lb payload, 1,000-lb towing, and an optional 84.3-kWh pack targeting 240 miles. It also said the truck uses a NACS port and can DC fast-charge at up to 120 kW.
Those are useful numbers for a small second vehicle, commuter truck, campus runabout, local delivery rig, or affordable EV toy. They are not full-size pickup numbers, and they are not trying to be.
The catch is accessories. Slate’s modular pitch is clever because buyers can add what they need later: wraps, storage, tech, and even an SUV conversion kit. But optional equipment is still optional equipment. A cheap base truck can become a less-cheap build very quickly if the version in your head includes the bigger battery, SUV kit, wrap, audio, accessories, and financed installation.
That is why June 24 is the real test. Not the base price alone. The full configured price.
Who Should Consider Preordering
Slate makes the most sense for buyers who understand the trade-offs and still like the idea.
That means someone who wants a small, simple, new EV pickup and does not need five seats on day one. It also means someone with predictable daily mileage, easy home charging, and enough tolerance for the realities of an early production startup vehicle.
The base 150-mile target could be perfectly fine if the Slate is a local vehicle. A lot of trucks spend their lives doing short trips, hauling light stuff, and sitting in driveways. For that use case, a simple EV pickup could be more honest than a giant battery truck trying to pretend physics is free.
But buyers need to be honest about their own behavior. If you regularly drive long distances, tow anything substantial, need family seating now, or want a conventional dealer-service experience, the preorder is harder to justify before final details arrive.
The Startup Risk Is Real
Slate is more credible than the average EV startup because the idea is focused, the reservation count has been strong, and the company says it has funding and a late-2026 delivery target. Still, credibility is not the same thing as completed production.
The hard parts are still ahead: ramping the factory, managing quality, proving crash and safety performance, delivering parts, supporting customers, and making the service model feel normal instead of experimental.
Slate says it plans direct-to-consumer sales and a nationwide service approach. That can work, but it has to be proven. Early buyers should assume the ownership experience may feel different from buying a Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet, or Hyundai.
That does not make the Slate a bad idea. It just means the preorder should be treated like a measured bet, not a no-brainer bargain.
The Motorlinks Take
The Slate Truck is still one of the most refreshing EV ideas in years because it accepts a truth the industry keeps avoiding: affordable vehicles require visible trade-offs. Less screen. Less luxury. Less weight. Less pretending a budget EV can be every vehicle at once.
June 24 will tell us whether that discipline survives contact with real pricing.
If Slate keeps the base truck genuinely inexpensive and accessory pricing stays sane, the company could have something special. If the truck only looks affordable before the bigger battery, destination fee, accessories, delivery setup, and financing math, the pitch gets much weaker.
For most shoppers, the right answer is patience. Log in on June 24, price the build you would actually buy, read the fine print, and then decide whether locking a delivery window is worth a non-refundable deposit.
The Slate Truck does not need to be perfect to matter. It just needs to stay honest.
FAQ
When do Slate Truck preorders open?
Slate says preorders open on June 24, 2026, and that final pricing will be announced the same day.
Is the Slate Truck preorder deposit refundable?
No. Slate says the preorder deposit is $300, or $250 more for buyers with an active $50 reservation. The deposit applies to the final purchase price but is not refundable.
Should you preorder the Slate Truck?
Only if you already want Slate’s specific minimalist EV truck and are comfortable with startup risk. If you need final reviews, confirmed production timing, service certainty, or a full configured price before deciding, wait.
Is the Slate Truck a full-size pickup replacement?
No. Slate is pitching a small, simple electric pickup with a 1,400-lb payload target, 1,000-lb towing target, and 150-mile base range target. It is more local utility vehicle than full-size truck substitute.
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