As Tesla Cybertrucks Slowly Arrive, Appreciate The Frunk

Since the collective about-face on 100% electric vehicles the past few months, we’ve forgotten the best feature of an engine-less vehicle: the frunk space.

A frunk is a portmanteau of “front” and “trunk” and is as helpful as it’s fun to say. It’s an overlooked spec—especially as the popularity of crossovers without a traditional back trunk hold soars. Surprisingly, some EVs (like the Nissan Ariya, BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQS) don’t even bother to use the front area as extra, secure storage space.

But one of the latest all-new EV entrants to finally make it onto the streets is Tesla’s Cybertruck, which holds 67 cubic feet of lockable storage which includes a 7.1 cubic-foot frunk. In the past month, more and more of the funky initial series pickups have been delivered (despite first-quarter Tesla deliveries trending down for the first time since the pandemic began) after its long-ago November 2019 reveal.

So how does its front storage stack up against other front-heavy contenders like the Ford F-150 Lightning?

It’s no comparison, said Cybertruck owner Joshua Rhines who posts on social media as CyberMT—one of three known owners in Montana. But that doesn’t detract from its appeal, he said in a call while on the road in his Cybertruck after responding to a post in a Facebook group dedicated to Cybertruck fans.

It’s a shallower space with about half the volume of Ford’s electric truck front volume of 14.1 cubes. But owners like Rhines still find it useful for luggage, gear and groceries. It’s a more secure space for any items that need extra safe-keeping. The 35-year-old dad finds he can keep the truck bed open and use the frunk as his primary locked space.

The Tesla front includes a power source (120 volts), but that’s nothing compared to Ford’s Lightning, which offers the aptly named “Mega Power Frunk” with four outlets. On social media, the Mega Power Frunk has earned a reputation for changing the function of the front space on an EV. The soon-to-arrive 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV pickup is expected to have an 11 cubic-foot frunk.

Other Cybertruck owners in the Facebook group dedicated to the new Tesla truck aren’t that impressed with the front storage, but that’s mostly overshadowed by the spacious interior, including over 40 inches of back legroom, and innovative cargo bed. Within the Tesla ecosystem, the Cybertruck boasts the biggest frunk (the formerly biggest Tesla, the Model X, features a frunk with 6.5 cubic feet) and it’s also the first powered opening up front. It’s a game-changer to open it from the Tesla app or center screen and something fans have been calling for the automaker to implement for years on its other EVs.

Rhines, who took delivery of his Cybertruck on March 7 near Missoula, Montana, said his Tesla Model X Plaid was his “favorite car ever until I got the Cybertruck.”

Looking at other, non-Cybertruck EV options and their use of this underrated extra space, here’s the volume (in cubic feet) of the frunks of some of the bigger all-electric trucks and full-size SUVs, from biggest to smallest:

• Ford F-150 Lightning: 14.1
• GMC Hummer EV: 11.3
• GMC Hummer EV SUV: 11.3
• Rivian R1T: 11.1
• Rivian R1S: 11
• Tesla Cybertruck: 7.1
• Ford Mustang Mach-E: 4.7
• Kia EV9: 3.2
• Genesis Electrified GV70: .77

The Cybertruck, which starts at $60,990 for the rear-wheel drive version, is only available, as of early April, as a pre-order for a 2025 expected delivery with a $250 deposit.