REO Industries has opened reservations for its upcoming Runabout lineup, giving prospective buyers a chance to put their name down for just $25. The deposit is fully refundable, and REO says reservation position is determined by when the payment is received, meaning earlier reservations should get earlier access to configure and claim a build slot when ordering begins. The upcoming REO truck lineup reportedly will include the two-door T4X pickup, four-door T4C pickup and S4C SUV, with the entry-level T4X still carrying a targeted starting price of $21,500.
But this is not the same thing as ordering a vehicle. REO’s own reservation agreement is unusually explicit: the $25 does not guarantee a truck, lock in the $21,500 price, secure a specific configuration or promise a delivery date. The vehicles are still under development, and REO can change the specifications, pricing and timing before the order book opens. The company also states that reservation money is not held in escrow and may be used for general operations and vehicle development, although customers retain the right to request a full refund before signing a vehicle purchase agreement.
That distinction matters because the Runabout is still years away from customer deliveries. REO currently targets a Q4 2026 production-design reveal, followed by pilot builds and validation in 2027, an order book and configurator in 2028, and first deliveries in late 2028 or 2029. REO also cautions that the renderings currently circulating online are not final production designs.
Early Reservations Come With One Interesting Perk
There is at least one reason enthusiasts interested in the Runabout might want to reserve sooner rather than later. REO has created a Founders Series program for the first 25,000 reservation numbers. If one of those early reservation holders keeps the reservation active and ultimately purchases and takes delivery of a REO, the vehicle is slated to receive a Founders Series interior badge, while the owner gets a Founders designation through REO’s account/community system plus branded merchandise. REO, like Slate Auto, truly believes that small trucks are back.
The reservation also gives REO something arguably more valuable than $25: evidence of demand. Founder and CEO Zach De Bernardi has acknowledged that early reservations help demonstrate interest to the suppliers, engineers, investors and other partners needed to turn the Runabout into an actual production automobile. That is particularly important for REO because, unlike Ford or even better-funded startup Slate, it is attempting to establish a new automaker essentially from scratch. The company’s pitch is that enough enthusiasm for a genuinely inexpensive, basic truck can help make the business case for building one.
That also puts the reservation campaign in perspective. A $25 refundable deposit represents very little financial risk to an individual enthusiast, but thousands of reservations could become a meaningful signal for a startup trying to convince the automotive supply chain that its proposed truck has an audience. Slate Auto operated in a similar fashion and is moving toward production.
The $21,500 Question Still Hasn’t Been Answered
The reason the REO Runabout has generated so much attention is not simply that another pickup truck may be coming. It is the promise of something the American market largely stopped offering: a small, simple, gasoline-powered truck starting around $21,500. REO says the Runabout will use body-on-frame construction, mechanical four-wheel drive, an inline-four gasoline engine and either manual or automatic transmissions. The company has also discussed minimizing screens and unnecessary luxury equipment in favor of physical controls and straightforward mechanical components.
Those plans sound appealing in a market where even relatively affordable pickups have climbed considerably in price, but the biggest questions remain unanswered. Final engine specifications, towing and payload ratings, fuel economy, dimensions, production design and final pricing have not yet been released. REO itself labels the current numbers as targets subject to engineering, validation and certification. The startup must still move from renderings and engineering plans to prototypes, federal certification, manufacturing and ultimately thousands of finished vehicles coming off a Texas production line.
So should someone interested in a Runabout spend the $25? For buyers who understand exactly what they are getting, the proposition is fairly straightforward: the money is refundable, and reserving early establishes a position in line if REO succeeds in bringing the truck to market. Just don’t mistake that reservation number for a purchase contract. The most important milestone now comes later this year. REO says it plans to reveal the actual production design in the fourth quarter of 2026. At that point, enthusiasts who have spent months looking at early renderings should finally get their first real look at the truck they have been reserving.
