The Slate is built around a bring-your-own-device cabin rather than a factory infotainment head unit, so audio is something you add. Slate's configurator lists a Front Center Integrated Speaker at $249.99, Front Left + Right Integrated Speakers at $149.99, plus a Hands Free Bluetooth Controller and Universal Speaker Mount with pricing still pending.
Does the Slate truck have a radio?
The Slate is built around the phone in your pocket, not a factory infotainment head unit — which is exactly why Slate sells speakers as accessories. That’s the design premise the whole truck runs on: a deliberately minimal cabin, one-pedal driving, no drive modes, and no big center screen running a proprietary media stack. You bring the source; the truck gives you a place to put it.
What we won’t do is overstate it. Slate has not published a line-item standard-equipment audio spec, and the accessory catalog has already shifted once since the reveal (the power-window package was pulled). So the honest framing is: there is no factory head unit to plan around, and any audio hardware you want is something you choose. Whether the base truck ships with any speaker, chime hardware, or wiring behind the dash is not something we can source — confirm it on slate.auto before you spend [VERIFY exact standard-equipment audio spec].
If that sounds like a downgrade, reframe it. A phone is a better source than most factory head units, it’s already paid for, and it updates itself. The gap is output — speakers and a way to control them without holding the phone.
What audio accessories does Slate sell?
Four items, under Interior > Audio in the configurator — two priced, two pending.
| Accessory | Price | Install skill | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Center Integrated Speaker | $249.99 | Moderate | Available |
| Front Left + Right Integrated Speakers | $149.99 | Moderate | Available |
| Hands Free Bluetooth Controller | Price coming soon | Beginner | Coming soon |
| Universal Speaker Mount | Price coming soon | Beginner | Coming soon |
Two things jump out. First, the center speaker costs more than the pair of left/right speakers — $249.99 versus $149.99 — which suggests the center unit is doing more than making noise. Second, both are rated Moderate, not Beginner, while the Bluetooth controller and the universal mount are Beginner. That’s a meaningful split: the integrated speakers involve going into the structure; the other two don’t.
The word doing the heavy lifting in those names is “integrated” — and Slate hasn’t defined it. Because the difference between a passive driver and a complete audio system is several hundred dollars and an entirely different shopping list, here’s exactly where the line between fact and guess sits:
| Status | |
|---|---|
| Both speaker SKUs exist at $249.99 and $149.99, rated Moderate | Confirmed — listed in the configurator |
| A Hands Free Bluetooth Controller and Universal Speaker Mount are coming, both Beginner | Confirmed — listed, unpriced |
| ”Integrated” means they mount into dash/door structure rather than a generic 6.5-inch cutout | Our speculation — inferred from the naming and the Moderate-vs-Beginner skill split |
| The controller is the intended source/pairing device, making the two products one system | Our speculation — inferred from the product mix |
| Whether the speakers include amplification, a receiver, or a source at all | Unknown [VERIFY] |
| Total cost of a complete factory-path audio system | Unknown — depends entirely on the row above |
Read that table as written: rows two and three are us reasoning out loud, not reporting. We’d rather show you our guesses labelled as guesses than launder them into the prose. [VERIFY what the integrated speakers include — amplifier, receiver, head unit, or driver only.] This is the one spec that determines how you budget an audio build, and we’ll rewrite this section the day Slate publishes it.
Audio Friendly dash panels
Slate lists a “Dash Panels | Audio Friendly” variant under Interior > Appearance with pricing coming soon — the designed-in place for speakers to live.
Standard Dash Panels are $59.99 and rated Beginner. The Audio Friendly version is unpriced, flagged Beginner, and carries compatibility notes in the configurator. The existence of a purpose-built panel variant is the clearest signal that Slate expects front speakers to sit in the dash structure rather than be cut into it. What it includes, what it fits, and what it costs are all unpublished [VERIFY Audio Friendly dash panel contents and fitment].
Practically, this means audio and interior trim are one decision, not two. If you’re already thinking about dash panels, T-rails, and cabin organization, read the Slate interior mods breakdown before you lock an audio plan — the mounting hardware overlaps.
Building out the cabin? Price the full interior kit in the accessory price database — audio, T-rails, dash panels and console all draw from the same budget, and two of the four audio items still have no price attached.
Your three real options for Slate audio
Official integrated, portable Bluetooth, or a full aftermarket build — and right now only one of them is fully knowable.
| Path | Cost today | Effort | What’s still unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official integrated speakers | $149.99–$399.98 for speakers, plus unpriced controller and Audio Friendly panels | Moderate install | Whether amplification and a source are included [VERIFY] |
| Portable Bluetooth speaker on a mount | T-rail from $14.99; speaker is yours | Beginner, no wiring | Nothing — this works regardless |
| Full aftermarket amp + speakers | Highly variable | Advanced, likely shop work | DIN aperture, harness, accessory power all unpublished [VERIFY] |
The portable route is not a joke answer. A decent Bluetooth speaker strapped to an Interior Accessory T-rail — HVAC rail $14.99, bulkhead $34.99, B-pillar or door $44.99 — or to a MOLLE panel gets you music on delivery day for the price of hardware you probably already own. It sounds like what it is, it eats a bit of cabin space, and it needs charging. It’s also completely reversible and costs nothing to abandon when the official kit is fully spec’d. Slate’s own unpriced Universal Speaker Mount appears to be the sanctioned version of this idea.
The aftermarket route is legitimate and deserves a straight answer. Slate is an open, panel-based, owner-serviceable truck sold to a crowd that fully intends to fabricate and 3D-print rather than pay accessory prices — that’s a feature, not a threat. But the specifics an installer needs are simply not public yet: whether there’s a DIN or double-DIN aperture behind the dash, whether there’s a documented speaker harness, and whether there’s switched accessory power with a known current budget [VERIFY DIN aperture, speaker harness, and accessory power availability]. Until an owner publishes a real teardown, treat a full custom build as a second-year project. Accessory power is the same open question that governs Slate lighting mods, and it’ll likely get answered for both at once.
Where the phone actually goes
Phone-as-head-unit is the practical reality for nearly every Slate at delivery, so solve mounting and charging before you solve speakers.
You need three things: a mount in your sight line that doesn’t block the windshield, a charging cable that reaches it, and somewhere for the phone to live when you’re not driving. Slate’s unpriced Tablet Mount (Moderate install) points at the larger-screen version of the same idea. Interior T-rails are the mounting backbone for all of it — covered in the interior mods guide.
If you’re deciding what to check at order time versus add later, audio is a strong candidate for later: two of the four items aren’t priced yet, the biggest spec question is unresolved, and none of it is factory-line-only work. See order now or add later for the framework.
Meanwhile, the parts of the cabin that are solvable today are storage, organization, and mounting — all covered in the interior mods guide. We’ll update this page the moment Slate publishes what “integrated” actually means.