Poll: Would you buy your Rivian again?

[B_Wagon136]

I'm aware those with issues are more vocal on forums than those without.

My family wants a third-row vehicle and we love the concept of an EV. While we can afford to budget around $60k, we can't afford mistakes with big purchases and a lot of the common gripes on this forum do make us nervous.

But the styling, interior comfort, and off-road capabilities keep us coming back to the R1S. If we eventually decided to move forward, it'd be for a used 2022-2023 R1S, hopefully quad-motor.

The biggest issues as I understand them are:
1. Vampire drain/sudden death due to 12v battery that is too small (yes, I see trickle charge solutions, but having to do this for a supposed 'luxury SUV' feels absurd). This seems catastrophic if the 12v suddenly fails while on a camping trip, or stopped for a rest on a road trip in remote area, etc, though it appears the issue affects R1T more than R1S? (true/false?). And that a dead EV shuts down the vehicle entirely (cant access interior, battery compartment, etc).
2. A service network that is less extensive than other major car manufacturers (less of an issue for us as we live in SoCal which has numerous service centers within ~25mi radius). But - you never know where life will take you and perhaps eventually we're in an underserved area.
3. Early model years that hadn't quite ironed out kinks regarding suspension, drivetrain, even simple fit/finish compared to newer 2024-25 models (which are too expensive for us).

And categorically, its always nerve-wracking to be shopping for relatively young new cars from a startup manufacturer. It's hard not to wonder "whats wrong" with a particular car when people are looking to get out of it after just a couple years. Are we overthinking this, or is the due diligence warranted here?


Perhaps the simplest way to assess these concerns is asking owners:
If you could go back in time... Would you buy your Rivian again?

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[Nixapatfan]

I voted yes because it is still good at being an all in one vehicle. In reality no I would never buy again because there are way too many good cars out there to just stick with the same thing again and again. I never buy the same car twice unless it's an all new design of the same model.

 

[Brian-MS90D]

I love having early adopter cars and based on my household needs/finances am able to weather any negatives associated with low volume production vehicles (applicable to ICE vehicles too). Luckily I've had no serious issue with any of my 3 EV's since 2017 (Tesla 2x, Rivian 1x) (I've had a couple issues among them, but all promptly resolved luckily). What I tell people is that if your top priority is eliminating as much interruption risk as possible (and having super low cost parts like tires and brakes), then get a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry.

It's really not an EV thing. The same concerns listed above by OP are present for lots of ICE vehicle models too.

 

[mkg3]

Depends on just how much "off road capabilities" you are seeking. Noticed that you already have a Bronco. Do you really need two off road capable vehicles?

If 3 row SUV is higher in priority than having a second off roader, then there are alternative EVs that behaves better on the road, albeit not quite as quick (e.g., EV9 or soon to be available Ioniq 9) but new in your price range. I cannot recall if Jeep Wangoneer S has a 3rd row or not but there is that too new.

Good luck.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Not only did I vote yes but I’m on my second Rivian. I had a ‘22 R1T but needed an SUV as my son was getting too big at 14 for long trips in the back of the truck with two large dogs. I got a Trimax and I like it more than my gen 1.

There’s nothing currently on the market I’d switch to.

 

[RivianRiverRat]

Yes at the same original purchase price
i couldn’t and wouldn’t afford a quad motor now
next vehicle purchase is a R2

 

[Dark-Fx]

Still have our launch R1S and bought another for my daily. Very minimal issues on the S compared to my R1T. None of our Rivians have been stranded for issues, including 12V. My R1T did get the batteries replaced under warranty, but the truck identified they were having issues and it was still drivable. Have had other issues where the speed was limited, but still was drivable.

So far my Gen2 R1S hasn't done anything weird, but I just got it this week. Biggest thing for me was the adaptive brights, since a lot of my personal driving ends up being at night. They have been amazing.

Service in my area went from great to terrible to good again over the course of our ownership. They accelerate potentially disabling issues and sometimes push back "unimportant" ones. If you can get a Mobile appointment, those have been great every time. Obviously some problems won't qualify.

On the vampire drain aspect, Rivian does use more than some competitors, but it's also better than others. I've left my T for over 6 weeks one time when we were taking stuff apart to investigate adding equipment, and it was still over 40% when I got back in it.

 

[TollKeeper]

I voted no. The culture around this brand is extremely off-putting. The vehicle itself is not great, just good. The shortcuts (cost savings) they did as the production rolled on was also a very big turn off.

The current pricing is way to much for what the vehicle is.

 

[csharp]

I voted no. The culture around this brand is extremely off-putting. The vehicle itself is not great, just good. The shortcuts (cost savings) they did as the production rolled on was also a very big turn off.

The current pricing is way to much for what the vehicle is.

So you voted no, but have an R2 reservation? Just curious, what about the culture is off-putting? I'm genuinely curious, I haven't heard that one before.

 

[jdsR1S2025]

I'm aware those with issues are more vocal on forums than those without.

My family wants a third-row vehicle and we love the concept of an EV. While we can afford to budget around $60k, we can't afford mistakes with big purchases and a lot of the common gripes on this forum do make us nervous.

But the styling, interior comfort, and off-road capabilities keep us coming back to the R1S. If we eventually decided to move forward, it'd be for a used 2022-2023 R1S, hopefully quad-motor.

The biggest issues as I understand them are:
1. Vampire drain/sudden death due to 12v battery that is too small (yes, I see trickle charge solutions, but having to do this for a supposed 'luxury SUV' feels absurd). This seems catastrophic if the 12v suddenly fails while on a camping trip, or stopped for a rest on a road trip in remote area, etc, though it appears the issue affects R1T more than R1S? (true/false?). And that a dead EV shuts down the vehicle entirely (cant access interior, battery compartment, etc).
2. A service network that is less extensive than other major car manufacturers (less of an issue for us as we live in SoCal which has numerous service centers within ~25mi radius). But - you never know where life will take you and perhaps eventually we're in an underserved area.
3. Early model years that hadn't quite ironed out kinks regarding suspension, drivetrain, even simple fit/finish compared to newer 2024-25 models (which are too expensive for us).

And categorically, its always nerve-wracking to be shopping for relatively young new cars from a startup manufacturer. It's hard not to wonder "whats wrong" with a particular car when people are looking to get out of it after just a couple years. Are we overthinking this, or is the due diligence warranted here?


Perhaps the simplest way to assess these concerns is asking owners:
If you could go back in time... Would you buy your Rivian again?

i have a 2025 R1S and love it. I’ve owned a few EVs, and this is the best by far. A Gen 1 R1S tho I might stay away from. Especially the quad— does have range issues and 12v issues

 

[csharp]

I voted yes.
with both a gen1 T and gen1 S, I have loved them. Zero issues from either one with over 2 years of ownership.

 

[TollKeeper]

So you voted no, but have an R2 reservation? Just curious, what about the culture is off-putting? I'm genuinely curious, I haven't heard that one before.

I do still have a reservation in on the R2, but I also have a reservation in on the Scout.

I am thinking that the Scout will win out, but time will tell.

 

[2kwik4u]

R1T owner for ~6mo and ~10.5k miles. Dual Motor/large pack with off road options. I voted "no".

I've never been more polarized over a vehicle. When it's good, it's amazing, when it's bad it's absurdly awful.

Phone as a key and bluetooth fob are absurdly slow to react, making the very first touchpoint with the vehicle, EVERY SINGLE TIME I USE IT, a poor experience. Like a constant reminder of a poor decision. If the truck is asleep when I walk up, then it takes FAR too long to open, and there are ZERO physical touch based options for getting into it. You MUST wait for the software to grant permission to enter. It never fails to happen when it's raining/snowing or when my hands are full. Then it will randomly unlock itself when I walk by in the garage (despite having PAAK disabled at home in the settings). This is such a "change for the sake of change" feature that is about 7/8 baked. Audi's passive entry is a masterclass on how to get into a vehicle, and that's what I came from, so this is likely more agitating to me than others.

The driveline is silky smooth, powerful, and generally pleasing to live with. I don't miss transmission shifts, or the NVH of an ICE driveline. It's really great. Traction control, and calibration between electric motors and hydraulic brakes is effing PERFECT. It's really a joy to drive in that regard. Handling is well composed, cornering is flat and acceleration and braking is well above average for it's size/shape/weight. It tows our boat amazingly easy as well.

The interior vents being controlled by the touchscreen is unreliable at best, and agitating at worst. They don't aim well, or have good flow. The truck LOVES to turn on the effing windshield vent in seemingly every single use case it can. Sometimes the vents won't close. Sometimes they don't open. Sometimes they point the right direction, sometimes they don't. It's such a SIMPLE thing to have completely and totally effed up, it's almost comical.

The dry storage is the best of any vehicle I've owned. Better than my Yukon or Q7, better than our Traverse, even better than my Sierra with the waterproof bed cover. The gear tunnel and frunk open up a completely new set of options for taking stuff with you on a drive and keeping it secure and dry. Family of 4 and a dog took a 10hr road trip for a weeks stay away from home. Everything was reasonably accessible, dry, and secure. It's really really great.

The bed is TINY. Like I fit an artificial Christmas tree and a grill in it, and it was full. I had a 4dr S10 years ago, and I swear it has a bigger bed than this truck does. I don't use it often and it's not the end of the world, but it's TINY. I have the cross bars over the bed with bike trays on them. The bike trays have to be located so that when the bikes are on they don't touch the wing on the back of the cab. That makes them hang over the end of the bed by a few inches. If I get rear, ended, the trays are likely the first to get hit (aside from being so high in the air). It's not great.

It's an $85k truck, and it only has 10.5k miles on it. It shouldn't have been in the shop at all yet. It's been in 4 times. Alignment, and suspension issues. They bricked it when swapping the 12V battery. They've had to replace all 4 tires due to flat spots in them and not being able to balance. It still pulls to the left slightly under power, and has a vibration that won't go away. Likely alignment and tire balance issues again. HOWEVER, the customer service has been amazing. Like the literally the best I've gotten from any company in YEARS. Everyone is apologetic, proactive, and genuinely wants to solve the problem and make the customer happy. It's refreshing to experience, aside from the premise that it needed it at all in the first place.

I could go on for pages and pages like this. The stuff that's great is super extra double awesome. The stuff that isn't great is a constant and ever present reminder of it being a poor decision. So, at the end of the lease, I'm likely done with Rivian. Unsure if I'll move to something like a Sierra EV, or return to Audi for a Q8 eTron. Hell, I might go buy an older LandCruiser, just to have something less digital and more reliable. I'm not sure where I'm headed from here.

 

[csharp]

I do still have a reservation in on the R2, but I also have a reservation in on the Scout.

I am thinking that the Scout will win out, but time will tell.

I also have a reservation on the Scout (and a '69 in the garage). Interested to see what comes to production.

 

[TollKeeper]

The interior vents being controlled by the touchscreen is unreliable at best, and agitating at worst. They don't aim well, or have good flow. The truck LOVES to turn on the effing windshield vent in seemingly every single use case it can. Sometimes the vents won't close. Sometimes they don't open. Sometimes they point the right direction, sometimes they don't. It's such a SIMPLE thing to have completely and totally effed up, it's almost comical.

This right here... YES, yes, and YES!! Could not have said it better.

My left vent lost its calibration a short while ago, it would point at the door, or the door. It took the SC 2 days to fix that one.

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