Police have seized a banned Tesla Cybertruck worth £77,000 that is not road legal in the UK.
Officers in Whitefield, Greater Manchester, stopped the driver and seized the three-tonne vehicle, saying there were ‘legitimate concerns’ over the safety of other road users.
The hulking motor, manufactured by Elon Musk’s firm, was released in the US in 2023. However, it is banned on British roads and cannot be purchased in the UK due to concerns over pedestrian safety.
It comes as Britain’s roads have been flooded with the $94,000 (£77,400) ‘Cyberbeast’ models, which weigh more than 3,100kg (6,800 lbs), boast a top speed of 130mph and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds.
Photographs of the seized vehicle show it adorned with a ‘Cyberbeast’ decal and Albanian numberplates.
In a social media post, Greater Manchester Police said: ‘Officers from GMP Transport Unit stopped this Tesla Cybertruck in Whitefield last night.
‘The driver was a permanent UK resident but the vehicle was registered and insured abroad which is prohibited in the UK.
‘The Tesla Cybertruck is not road legal in the UK and does not hold a certificate of conformity.
Police have seized a Tesla Cybertruck in the UK. The vehicles are currently banned from roads in the UK due to pedestrian safety laws
Youtuber Yiannimize imported three Tesla Cybertruck cars with Albanian number plates. The influencer filmed himself driving one around London
‘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 a Cybertruck.
‘The vehicle was subsequently seized under S165 of the Road Traffic Act and the driver reported.’
Greater Manchester Police confirmed that the owner of the vehicle will have to prove ownership and correct insurance in order for the car to be released.
According to the force’s website, in cases where proof has not been provided within 14 days the vehicle will be scrapped or sold at auction.
The force said it could not yet confirm what would happen to the car.
Among reasons why the car doesn’t comply with UK road safety laws is its all red indicators and brake lights.
Vehicles cleared for use on British roads must have yellow indicators and red brake lights.
Other concerns include the vehicle’s hard exterior and sheer weight which make it unsuitable for British roads.
In the UK, drivers of Category C1 HGV including ambulances and motorhomes, typically must take a four-day course
A Cybertruck parked opposite the London Eye on the Victoria Embankment in central London.
A Cybertruck exhibition in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Concerns over the vehicle’s hard exterior and lack of yellow brake lights mean it is banned in the UK and several EU countries
Online influencers have boasted importing the flashy cars into the UK.
Youtuber Yiannimize showed off a swish grey Cybertruck on his channel last month, all fitted with Albanian number plates because they can’t be registered in the UK.
In another clip, the influencer tries to make it ‘road legal’ in the UK by changing the colour of the indicator from red to yellow.
But experts have warned that the vehicle’s sharp edges make it comparable to a knife driving at speed towards pedestrians.
Developer Paul Maddison said the Cybertruck’s sharp edges ‘make it the equivalent of a 70mph two ton knife driving on the roads for pedestrians’.
Marc Nazar, who works as an electric specialist at Premier Sports Solutions told MailOnline there were several design aspects preventing the truck from being allowed on Britain’s roads without a ‘serious redesign’.
‘The main reason the cybertruck won’t be coming to the UK or Europe is because the sharp angle and solid upright front end won’t meet European crash regulations’, he said.
He added: ‘Just by looking at the car you can tell that without a serious redesign the Cybertruck will not pass those tests.’
The inside of a Tesla Cybertruck. The futuristic vehicles contain flat screen computer-like controls
The car also uses a specific charging connector only found in North America.
Campaigners claim the electric vehicle’s angular design would ‘exacerbate injury severity and death rates’ and ‘present acute dangers’ to the public.
Three Cybertrucks fitted with machine guns were deployed last September to the war in Ukraine by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
On New Year’s Day, a Cybertruck exploded in the valet area of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, killing one and leaving a further seven people injured.
