Most first-time renters know the Cybertruck by its silhouette alone. Underneath the stainless panels is a genuinely unusual truck — some of it useful, some of it gimmicky, all of it worth knowing about before you're standing next to one for the first time. Here are the ten features that actually matter.
1. The stainless steel exoskeleton
The body isn't painted metal over a frame — it's 30X cold-rolled stainless steel forming the structure itself, left bare. That's why panel gaps look wider than a normal car and why the surface can pick up faint scuffs that buff out rather than chip like paint. It won't rust, and it shrugs off the kind of door-ding damage that would dent a conventional truck. It's also the single biggest reason the Cybertruck feels unlike anything else you've driven — heavier, stiffer, and noticeably different at low speed.
2. Armor Glass
The windows are marketed as impact-resistant, and in practice they're noticeably thicker and more rigid than standard automotive glass. Tesla's own demonstrations have shown the glass shrugging off thrown objects and small-caliber rounds without shattering. For a renter, the practical upside is simpler: it's considerably more chip-and-crack resistant on the highway than what you're used to.
3. Four-wheel steer-by-wire
There's no mechanical link between the steering wheel and the wheels — it's entirely electronic, and it enables genuine four-wheel steering. At low speed, the rear wheels turn opposite the fronts for a dramatically tighter turning circle than a truck this size has any right to have; some drivers call the effect "crab mode." At higher speeds, the rear wheels turn with the fronts instead, adding stability. It's the feature most renters comment on in the first ten minutes, and the one that takes the most getting used to in a parking lot.
4. Adaptive air suspension
Ride height adjusts electronically, from a lowered stance for aerodynamics and easy loading up to roughly 16 inches of ground clearance for rougher terrain. The system self-levels for uneven loads too, which matters if you're using the bed for anything heavier on one side than the other. It's a genuinely useful feature if your trip includes any unpaved roads, and mostly invisible if it doesn't.
5. Power and acceleration
The current lineup runs two trims: a dual-motor all-wheel-drive version making around 600 horsepower with a 0-60 time near 4.1 seconds, and the tri-motor Cyberbeast, which pushes past 800 horsepower and cuts that to roughly 2.6 seconds. Either is far quicker than the truck's size suggests. If you've booked a Cyberbeast specifically, know that the acceleration is genuinely startling the first time you use it.
6. Range and 800-volt charging
Both trims share a 123 kWh structural battery pack, rated at roughly 325 miles of range under ideal conditions — expect meaningfully less with a full load, a trailer, or highway speeds in cold weather. The 800-volt electrical architecture is built for fast DC charging, so a Supercharger stop recovers range quickly, which matters for anyone planning a longer road trip rather than a city day-rental.
7. Towing and payload
Both trims are rated to tow up to 11,000 pounds, with payload capacity over 2,500 pounds depending on configuration. That's genuinely competitive with full-size gas trucks, not just "good for an EV." If your rental plans include a trailer, this is one of the Cybertruck's strongest, least gimmicky selling points — just confirm your specific host's listing supports towing, since not every rental includes a hitch or trailer wiring.
8. The vault bed and powered tonneau cover
The truck bed — Tesla calls it the "vault" — is a rigid composite that doesn't need a liner, with a motorized retractable cover strong enough to walk on. It locks, which is a real advantage for securing gear overnight, and it opens and closes on command from the touchscreen or app. There's additional lockable storage under the hood (the frunk) and in compartments built into the rear roof buttresses.
9. Onboard power outlets
Between the cabin and the bed, the Cybertruck offers a mix of 120V and 240V outlets capable of supplying close to 9.6 kW combined. In practice, that's enough to run power tools, camping gear, or even back up a small appliance during an outage. For renters using the truck for work or an overlanding-style trip rather than just city driving, this is one of the more genuinely useful features rather than a novelty.
10. The touchscreen and driver-assist tech
A large central touchscreen (17 to 18.5 inches depending on model year) controls almost everything — climate, navigation, media, and vehicle settings — paired with Tesla's driver-assist systems for adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping, and automated parking assistance. Software updates arrive over the air, meaning the truck you rent today may behave slightly differently from one rented a few months ago. Worth a few minutes with your host at pickup to get oriented, since very little on the dashboard works the way a traditional truck does.