Imported Tesla Cybertruck is seized by police in the UK, deemed dangerous and not legal

Police have seized an imported Tesla Cybertruck in the UK as it is not road-legal in the country and deemed dangerous for pedestrians.

Tesla has always known that its Cybertruck design would be complicated to get homologated in other markets than North America, where the rules are similar between the US, Canada, and Mexico. The company admitted that it might limit the markets where Cybertruck would be sold, which is why Tesla doesn’t plan to expand beyond current markets.

However, it hasn’t stopped people from privately importing Cybertrucks to their home markets.

We have seen two Cybertrucks traveling through Europe, and they were stopped at Lithuanian customs due to suspicions that they were going to Russia.

Sure enough, Russian warlord and Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov took delivery of Cybertrucks and outfitted them with machine guns a few months later and then claimed that they joined the war effort in Ukraine.

Other Cybertrucks made their way to other markets like China.

Now, we learn that one has made it to the UK, but it didn’t last long.

The Greater Manchester Police (GMP) announced that the seized the Cybertruck pictured above that was roaming the streets in the UK illegally. They wrote on social media:

Whilst this may seem trivial to some, legitimate concerns exist around the safety of other road users or pedestrians if they were involved in a collision with the Cybertruck.

Tesla had brought the vehicle in the UK, but only for demonstration. It never tried to make it legal in the country.

The police added:

The Tesla Cybertruck is not road-legal in the UK and does not hold a certificate of conformity.

The authorities said that the Cybertruck was registered and insured abroad, but the driver was a UK resident. They will have to show prove of ownership and insurance to release the vehicle.

Electrek’s Take

The authorities are clearly right here since the vehicle is not road-legal currently, but could it be road-legal? It’s hard to say.

The police here repeat claims that the Cybertruck might be dangerous for pedestrians in crashes. That has been a concern that has often been raised since the truck launched in 2023.

It looks obvious based on the design of the Cybertruck. However, we haven’t seen third-party crash testing of the Cybertruck yet, and it might take a while before we do.