We clicked too much.
It’s easy to do. The configurator is designed for it. By the time we stopped our thumbs from itching, the Slate Truck we had built was priced at $46,294.
That feels wrong. Slate wants you to believe their electric pickup is for everyone. Affordable. Simple.
It isn’t. Not really.
The base “Blank Slate” starts at $24,950. But that is a truck with a hole where a bed should be. Add the bed cap to get the Fastback SUV shape? The price jumps to $31,950 right out of the gate. You haven’t even picked a color yet.
Slate promises customization. They promise affordability. Those are two different things. They rarely hug in the wild.
Getting Click-Happy
We started with the Fastback. Just the shape. No extras. Then we looked at the paint.
Slate trucks come grey. Always grey. If you hate grey, you need a wrap. A full custom wrap costs $1,599.99. We didn’t buy it, but we looked at the decals.
There is a racing stripe. There is a satirical logo that reads “Mulch Ado About Nothing”.
You can also spend money on light. And light, and more light.
Auxiliary lamps shaped like Xs. Circular LEDs. Pixel art patterns. We added a rooftop light bar. Hood-mounted pods too. The configurator lets you do this without showing you the visual result until the end. It’s a gamble. Are these lights cool or chaotic? Who knows.
The 20-inch wheels were nice. They cost another $1,399.99.
“Customizability” often just means “more line items on an invoice.”
Inside the Box
The cabin is sparse by default. No stereo. No touchscreen. Just switches and seats.
But you can build it up.
Add a center console. Color-code the door armrests. Buy floor mats. T-rail storage.
The audio setup is an a la carte affair. Want a front center speaker? $249.99. Dash-mounted side speakers? $149.99. You also need to buy a tablet mount to control the music since the dash itself doesn’t come with a screen. That price? Still TBD.
The Bill
When we totaled it all up—the Fastback body, the lights, the wheels, the interior upgrades, the speakers—the damage was clear.
$46,294.
There are still unpriced options hiding in the menu. A spare tire carrier. Various roof racks. We stopped clicking there because we were tired.
Would most buyers go this deep? Probably not. The sheer volume of choices is dizzying. Pasting a dozen different decals onto one car looks bad, frankly. It looks cluttered.
But the trap is there. The low base price is a lure. It gets you to the door. Once you’re in the configurator, the exit strategy requires discipline.
If you can’t say no to a light bar, don’t look at the base MSRP.
Look at what you actually need. Because right now? The Slate costs as much as a used Tesla Y if you’re not careful.
