If anyone could make a heptagon roll smoothly, the Tesla Cybertruck would probably have seven-sided tires to match its wheel covers. Tesla, unlike any other automaker, is so quick to question the status quo that we wouldn’t be surprised if the company tried to literally reinvent the wheel.
In a way, Cybertruck engineers did exactly that with their steer-by-wire system, our 2025 MotorTrend Best Tech winner for chassis technology. By completely removing the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the front tires, Tesla fundamentally reimagined the rack-and-pinion steering the auto industry has spent nearly 100 years refining. That change unlocks real, tangible benefits. Thanks to steer-by-wire, Tesla’s 6,900-pound stainless-steel megalith moves with uncanny agility.
You pilot the Cybertruck with a yoke that sweeps through its full range of motion in just 340 degrees—less than one complete turn. That’s possible because the relationship between the driver’s input and the resulting angle at the front wheels is written in code, with all the infinite possibilities that implies. Tesla uses that flexibility to give the Cybertruck the quickest steering of any production vehicle at parking lot speeds and more relaxed responses at highway speeds for smooth, steady control.
Tesla wasn’t the first to put steer-by-wire in a car, but it was the first to realize the technology’s full potential and bring it to U.S. roads. The steering ratio adjusts over a huge spread, from an unheard of 5:1 at a crawl to 12:1 at the top end. If those numbers mean nothing to you, just know this: The Cybertruck’s steering at its slowest is more responsive than the Porsche 911’s variable-ratio rack at its quickest.
The yoke also steers the rear wheels up to 10 degrees to tighten the Tesla’s turning circle at low speeds and stabilize its handling in high-speed maneuvers. Put it all together, and the Cybertruck turns in like a spaniel picking up the scent of a squirrel. The crisp and quick steering response stands in stark contrast to the slow, ponderous steering that afflicts every other big pickup. But don’t think all this effort was expended just to make a truck drive like a sport sedan. The biggest payoff happens at the slowest speeds when parallel parking, reversing with a trailer, or negotiating a Costco parking lot on a Sunday afternoon.
The Chevrolet Silverado EV, which has rear-wheel steering and a conventional rack-and-pinion system up front, serves as the perfect foil. Despite riding on a longer wheelbase than the Tesla, the Chevy traces a smaller turning diameter at 42.2 feet compared to 43.5 feet, yet it drives like a bulkier, more cumbersome truck because the steering covers an old-school 3.2 turns from lock to lock. To parallel park the Tesla, you roll your wrists right then flick them to the left, never removing your hands from the yoke. The same maneuver in the Chevy requires furiously cranking at the steering wheel to swing the nose toward the curb.
Like you, much of the MotorTrend staff was initially suspicious of variable-ratio, computer-controlled steering. Surely it could never feel as intuitive as the mechanical cars we’ve known and loved, right? But several of those skeptics didn’t even make it out of the parking lot without becoming believers. In our experience, it takes just three steering inputs to recalibrate your hands and brain to the Cybertruck. Your first move is usually too large and abrupt because you’re expecting the Tesla to steer like every other vehicle on the road. The next input will be too shallow, requiring a slight correction to dial in more steering. And the third turn will confirm that your gray matter has successfully loaded its latest firmware update. After that, steer-by-wire feels as natural as riding a bicycle.
With experience and knowledge of the underlying engineering, we’ve come to trust the system, too. The front wheels are steered by two motors working in tandem, but you only need one motor to get the truck off the road to a safe spot in the event of a fault. To minimize the possibility of both motors failing at the same time, one draws power from the high-voltage powertrain battery (through a voltage converter) and the other from the 48-volt accessory battery. The angles for the steering wheel and the front wheels are both measured with triple redundancy so that if two sensors ever disagree, the third delivers the tie-breaking vote (and triggers a warning to pull over and have the vehicle serviced).
The Cybertruck’s steer-by-wire is yet another example of Tesla taking chances the risk-averse establishment won’t. Legacy automakers were teasing steer-by-wire concept cars long before Tesla ever existed, yet the only evidence of that forward thinking on U.S. roads is a halfhearted effort from Infiniti.
The phrase “reinventing the wheel” suggests time is being wasted on a problem that’s already solved. Sometimes, though, a fresh look at an old idea reveals there is a better way forward. That’s what happened when Tesla bolted 6,831 laptop battery cells into a reskinned Lotus Elise and rebooted the perception of what an electric car could be. We suspect steer-by-wire will influence Tesla’s competitors to follow its lead in a similar way. When Cybertruck engineers replaced the intermediate shaft with a ribbon cable, they proved they know what it takes to steer a truck and an entire industry.
2025 MotorTrend Best Tech Chassis Finalists
Divergent 3D chassis components: When Kevin Czinger’s robots aren’t making parts for his eponymous hypercar, they’re printing aluminum and titanium subframes, suspension links, and uprights for Aston Martin, McLaren, and others. The components, which look like sculptural art, are designed to place the material exactly and only where it’s needed, which makes them lighter, stiffer, and stronger than conventional alternatives. Until this tech reaches more attainable price points, though, it’ll struggle to achieve the broad impact our Best Tech awards celebrate.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N: While the Ioniq 5 N’s electric powertrain imitates a combustion-car experience, the chassis doesn’t need to fake anything. The neutral handling balance and easily controlled drifts are the stuff of a sports car (or an SUV in this case) that’s been properly set up by someone with taste and talent. The 5 N is also an incredible value at $67,595 considering the hardware includes an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, adaptive dampers, and forged wheels.
Lucid Air Sapphire: The story of the Sapphire’s suspension isn’t about technology as much as it is the humans behind it. Using steel springs, common adaptive dampers, and the torque-vectoring heroics of the three-motor powertrain, Lucid engineers have created a car with a plush ride and surgically precise handling. Our enthusiasm dimmed ever so slightly, though, when we put Lucid’s crown jewel on track and quickly overheated the brakes (and the powertrain).
Porsche Active Ride: An active suspension improves on basic electronically adjustable dampers by pushing and pulling at the wheels to minimize disturbances and control body motions. In the Taycan GTS we sampled, that translates to remarkably flat cornering, braking, and launches as well as a perfectly placid highway ride, all without ever feeling unnatural. The only problem is that the standard suspension is so similarly well balanced that it makes the $7,140 upgrade a hard sell.
More 2025 MotorTrend Best Tech Winners
Infotainment • Driver Assistance
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