Over the past year, I’ve tested a handful of “affordable” EVs — which are, in a relative sense, priced lower than the national average of around $50,000. Depending on who you talk to, options below $40,000 look genuinely attractive, and anything under that threshold almost feels too good to be true.
Yet, that’s exactly where the Slate Truck lands with its $24,950 starting price. For an all-electric pickup, I have to admit I’m impressed by the genuine real-world capability it delivers on paper: a rear-mounted motor pushing 181 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, a 65 kWh battery pack, 1,500 pounds of payload capacity, NACS DC fast-charging compatibility, and an estimated 205 miles of range.
While those specs might look modest next to six-figure behemoths like the Rivian R1T, Chevrolet Silverado EV, and GMC Sierra EV, you can't ignore just how accessible that price point is. But after getting up close with the Slate Truck in person, a few details caught me completely off guard. Here’s what stood out the most.
Prior to seeing the Slate Truck in person, I already knew it was scaling things back with crank windows and manual seats. Even in 2026, I still come across a handful of cars with manual seats — though that’s usually reserved strictly for the passenger side, and it's rarer still to find both seats manual.
So while manual adjustment wasn’t a shock, I was taken aback to find that the side mirrors are entirely manual, too.
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