2025 Rivian R1S versus 2023 R1S used??

[ajroxstar]

Hi everyone! Need some advice. Looking for a Rivian R1S. I understand there have been some recent changes to the 2025 Rivian lineup. Are they enough to justify the increased cost in your opinion? I can get a used 2023 Rivian R1S on the used market in the mid 70k for a quad motor and large battery. Versus a brand new 2025 Rivian with a Tri motor and a Large battery will run around 100k.
Will the older Rivians be able to run the new software? Is the 2025 upgrades worth it in your opinion. Advice appreciate. Thanks.

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[Noplacelikeloam]

Your 2025 Rivian with a Tri motor will be worth 70K pretty quickly, so are the differences worth 30K? Mostly nice to haves IMO.

What could you do with 30K? Enough to buy the Quad now, invest the 30K, see that delta grow to 50K in 24 months. Thats the smart money.

But wanters be wanting, so up to you.

 

[mikehmb]

Hi everyone! Need some advice. Looking for a Rivian R1S. I understand there have been some recent changes to the 2025 Rivian lineup. Are they enough to justify the increased cost in your opinion? I can get a used 2023 Rivian R1S on the used market in the mid 70k for a quad motor and large battery. Versus a brand new 2025 Rivian with a Tri motor and a Large battery will run around 100k.
Will the older Rivians be able to run the new software? Is the 2025 upgrades worth it in your opinion. Advice appreciate. Thanks.

The 2025 models are the 2nd generation (you'll see G2 or Gen2 here), and have significant improvements across the board for efficiency and current/future functionality.

FWIW I have a Gen1 and adore it, and am not interested in updating to a Gen2.

Functionally speaking, the major updates to the '25 MY trucks are the very cool headlights and HW support for self-driving (still level-2, so don't get your hopes up for a full autonomous solution). Gen 1 has great lane centering and cruise, which is fine for me.

Oh and the stereo in the earlier Gen 1 trucks by Meridian is great, IMO.

So for me, no - I'd go with a Gen1 2023-2024 and be very happy with it, especially considering the 30k+ saved.

 

[ajroxstar]

Thanks guys good to know ! I appreciate the honest opinions. Between the 2022 used and the 2023 used R1S's - any model year better than the other? Were there any appreciable differences between 2022 and 2023? Also my closest Service center is in Malvern, PA - so if I need servicing, then does the service center give a free loaner? What is the mobile service and what things can they do when they come to your house - is it free?

 

[mikehmb]

Thanks guys good to know ! I appreciate the honest opinions. Between the 2022 used and the 2023 used R1S's - any model year better than the other? Were there any appreciable differences between 2022 and 2023? Also my closest Service center is in Malvern, PA - so if I need servicing, then does the service center give a free loaner? What is the mobile service and what things can they do when they come to your house - is it free?

AFAIK the only material content difference between the two years is the stereo, and it's not 100% on that either since some of the 2023s had Meridian.

 

[Noplacelikeloam]

Thanks guys good to know ! I appreciate the honest opinions. Between the 2022 used and the 2023 used R1S's - any model year better than the other? Were there any appreciable differences between 2022 and 2023? Also my closest Service center is in Malvern, PA - so if I need servicing, then does the service center give a free loaner? What is the mobile service and what things can they do when they come to your house - is it free?

There are several thread on this, but look for Meridian sound, 12V in frunk and under dash. PTC is up for debate. Some say late 22's or early 23's are the unicorns. Quad/Large. Look for under 15K miles and prepare for a few service center visits to iron out any niggles the previous owner didn't get sorted. Most if not all issues will be under warranty.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

It depends on how much you want the ADAS features Gen 2 has that Gen 1 will never get. That and whether or not you want the faster one. The tri is only slightly faster on paper but it feels much faster than my old quad did. The extra torque makes it much more fun to drive. I am happy with the upgrade.

 

[BrianB]

Do some reading to learn about Gen1 vs Gen2. I’m currently in a Gen1 quad loaner. While the power is nice, I can’t wait to get back my Gen2 dual.

 

[DayTripping]

I'd say go with the used one. I was in your situation but looking at R1T's. For me, it was over a $40k savings. I went with a low miles (6k) 2023. I didn't think the upgrades were worth the extra money. Some may disagree.

I think a used Gen1 2023 quad large pack is one of the best deals out there. Are the Gen2's better? Objectively, yes. Is a huge difference, I don't think so. Is it worth the price premium? Absolutely not for.

There was some running suspension changes on the 2023 that updated some things that were part of the Gen2's. I don't know where that break point is on R1S's but on the R1T, it was about March 2023 and later for a build date.

I drove both Gen 1 & 2's before buying a used Gen 1. I just drove a Gen 2 after having mine for about 5 months to see if I still made the right decision. For me, absolutely.

As far as driver aids such as autonomous driving, they both suck compared to Tesla. Supposedly the Gen 2 might get better. I'll believe it when I see it and only buy on what is shipping not what someone promises. Regardless you can get a Comm.Ai 3x device and have better autonomous driving right now, better than either Gen and it is easy to retrofit to either Gen. Do some research if you want something like Tesla's autopilot.

I was net new to the Rivian ecosystem after owning a bunch of Teslas, and still do. I could have gone either way. In the end, the used Gen 1 offered a better value and I wasn't going to get hammered on depreciation like almost all expensive EV's do. A lot of the changes Rivian made were to save them money and don't really help the user experience.

The quad motors come with a 5/60 bumper to bumper warranty and 8/175k powertrain and battery warranty. So if you pick up a 2023 or 2024 you'll still have a lot of warranty. Just check the build date. You can also get an extended warranty.

Here are some pretty decent deals. I have no relationship with the sellers. It looks like you are in PA so these aren't too far away and have very low miles. For the difference, the 2024 is a better deal.

A 2024 quad large for $74.9k
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/2eb2ba79-145a-4433-99e3-3052e8e4833b/

A 2023 quad large for $72k.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/9252074f-c23e-4892-b8d9-9b12dade30df/

 

[R1Thor]

Thanks guys good to know ! I appreciate the honest opinions. Between the 2022 used and the 2023 used R1S's - any model year better than the other? Were there any appreciable differences between 2022 and 2023? Also my closest Service center is in Malvern, PA - so if I need servicing, then does the service center give a free loaner? What is the mobile service and what things can they do when they come to your house - is it free?

A few things to consider. I'd consider your options *all-in*.
So, with the QM, you'll get 3 (total years from the time the first driver registered the vehicle) years and 36,000 miles for pretty much any warranty work (includes 12V Batteries).
For 5 years/60,000 miles, you have a bumper-to-bumper.
For 8 years/175,000 miles, you have a battery+powertrain warranty.

So, I'd consider those points alongside YOUR use cases and the year/mileage of your used options.

That out of the way.
There are *some* advantages to a 2022 (more 12VDC outlets--one in the frunk, one under dash that are later removed in 2023. Launch Edition also had a few more wood-grain trim accents behind the seats, I believe). Meridian sound (if you're not an audiophile, I'd list this under no biggie). There are advantages to a 2023: a year to have worked out a few more manufacturing bugs, and obviously a newer and ideally lower mileaged vehicle. We have 1 of each and I wouldn't necessarily prioritize one over the other everything else being equal.


Regarding Malvern: they will provide you with a loaner *IF THEY have them available.*
I had my truck in about a month ago. My neighbor had his in the same week. He had a loaner, I ended up with an Enterprise rental (no loaners available). Fortunately, I was only without my truck for a total of 1 week since Malvern isn't currently as backlogged as some SCs. Rivian is also a lot better with mobile service availability in my recent experience, and it's much easier to schedule. So, I'd take that consideration as well.

One of the advantages of buying a pre-owned Rivian: someone else probably worked through the early bugs, ideally the NVH warranty items, and likely the TSBs. So, you should be relatively smooth sailing barring any major issues (which are much rarer than the forums would have you believe )

Best of luck to you, neighbor!

 

[narmstrong79]

The Gen 2 improvements aren't worth the cost penalty. Buy a used! If you can find an early one with the better sound system and more power outlets.. Grab that one

 

[bronco7777]

I bought a 2023 R1S Quad last year as a demo straight from Rivian itself with only 900 miles and I absolutely love the car. As-is the car has more than everything needed to have fun. As others have mentioned there will be some differences with the new GEN 2 versions in terms of self driving and software features GEN 1 won't be able to support in the future. The only thing I might consider is jumping to a 2026 Tri-motor R2 with all the bells and whistles if Rivian can actually deliver that car. Why? Size. I just don't need a 7-seater. It's a little bit of overkill for us. And if the 3 motor R2 can deliver as much power as my current 23 Quad in a slightly smaller footprint...Then why not? Not only will I still get the HP performance I want but I'll also benefit from the upgraded computers and cameras that open up the vehicle to a greater universe of software options. Not to mention I'd really like to have the dynamic smart glass roof. However, I'm perfectly fine staying with my 23 RIS if the R2 doesn't end up being the car i think it will be. If you don't care about self-driving or reaching a point where some new software upgrades might not work on a GEN1 then I'd say go for that 2023.

 

[Ngkgb]

Do some reading to learn about Gen1 vs Gen2. I’m currently in a Gen1 quad loaner. While the power is nice, I can’t wait to get back my Gen2 dual.

Can you elaborate on why?

 

[millersntx]

Love my Truck, NO WAY would I own one without a comprehensive bumper to bumper warranty, preferably the factory one.

 

[carsly]

The Tesla equivalent was looking at a Raven when the Palladium models came out in 2021. No doubt the used Gen 1 is a solid buy, but having just gone through this the way I went was a Gen 2 Dual Large. Why?

- Much better blind spot cameras
- Much higher resolution cameras all around
- Higher overhead/ability to support Driver+ improvements. I use FSD 13 on my Tesla regularly and it's pretty awesome.
- Dynamic roof
- Suspension revisions
- Serviceabiilty improvements
- More computing headroom, longer term software support/ability to get updates

I do miss the Gen 1 door handles, higher quailty seat materials (Gen 2 seats are a little too plasticky/slippery) and the idea of the Quad motor drivetrain. But having owned a 2019 Model X Performance Ludicrous (Raven) and a 2021 Model S Plaid (Palladium) all the little improvements together, including to efficiency, added up to a much more integrated, usable, and polished offering. The cost-cutting in Gen 2 went a bit against the grain - lower quality touchpoints, lower quality materials, etc., but the overall platform should have more room to grow.

Then again, I almost always buy refurbished laptops since the processing power changes very little from generation to generation in a post-Moore's Law world and the prior generation is usually a decent bit less expensive. In this case, a $60Kish Gen 1 Quad with very low/demo miles is a heck of a value. BUT so is a $70Kish Gen 2 Dual Standard with $7,500 commercial EV tax credit passthrough on a lease which will handle all non-towing use cases just fine with all the platform improvements and faster DCFC (if that matters) and higher longevity of the LFP packs. Honestly, the best value - new or used - IMHO is a Gen 2 Dual Standard even though I bought a Gen 2 Dual Large.

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