by Brad Anderson
- Cybertruck denied German approval due to sharp stainless steel body concerns.
- A US Army Customs Agency release confirmed soldiers cannot import the vehicle.
- Military members importing the truck risk paying to ship it back to America.
If you want to get behind the wheel of a Tesla Cybertruck in Germany, you’re out of luck. Not only is the electric pickup not directly sold by Tesla in the country, but it also fails to comply with European Union safety regulations. And based on a recent document shared online, it seems that not even US military personnel will be permitted to drive the Cybertruck on German roads.
The guidance, shared this week by the U.S. Army Customs Agency, sets out the reasons the Cybertruck is officially barred in Germany.
Rules For Imported Vehicles
Under an agreement between the US military and the German Federal Ministry of Transport (FMoT), American service members can bring in personal vehicles from the US and drive them locally without having to meet all European safety standards. That arrangement, however, doesn’t stretch to the Cybertruck.
Watch: Even With Rubber Edges, Critics Want Tesla’s Cybertruck Off Europe’s Roads
According to the agency’s letter, US Forces had asked the FMoT whether military personnel would be allowed to import the truck. The answer was a firm no.
The rejection centers on “significant passive safety concerns.” The Cybertruck lacks EU type-approval because its sharp-edged stainless steel bodywork doesn’t comply with safety standards designed to protect pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. The agency states the truck “deviates significantly” from EU legal requirements and that “safe operation in German public road traffic…is not ensured.”
Attention Not Welcome
Beyond the safety issues, the document also highlights that the Cybertruck would inevitably attract unwanted attention in traffic, which conflicts with the purpose of USAREUR-AF cover plates intended for force protection. As the Customs Agency explained, “For the above reasons, U.S. Army Customs Agency will not issue import certificates for Tesla Cybertrucks.”
The US Army Customs Agency added that any military personnel who do personally import a Cybertruck to Germany risk having to ship it back to the United States at their own expense.