“Plain and simple, the Rivian R1T is the best electric truck you can get right now.”
- Sleek and modern design
- Excellent software
- Super powerful
- Comfortable and premium interior
- Good range
- No physical controls
- A little pricey
Rivian is arguably the ultimate EV company right now. Sure, it still has a very limited lineup, but its tech is among the best, its vehicles unique and premium, and unlike Tesla, its brand has largely gone untainted by its leadership. The Rivian R1T was the original Rivian, serving as the proof-of-concept for Rivian’s vision. For 2025, it got a pretty impressive refresh — and even since then, has been updated with more features through software.
But the world of electric trucks has also evolved since the first Rivian R1T. Not only is Tesla now in the game, but electric trucks from the likes of Ford have gotten a whole lot better too. How does the Rivian R1T fare in this new world of competition?
Design and interior
While companies like Tesla are trying to push the boundaries of electric truck design for products like the Cybertruck, Rivian is taking a slightly more understated approach. The Rivian R1T looks slightly more traditional in design than its Tesla competition, but someone also seems to look more modern.
Part of that comes down to the fact that it has a more approachable look to it. The front oval headlights are now signature to Rivian, and they still look great. I also really like the Rivian Blue paint, which also helps make it look more approachable and more modern.
Of course, the main reason that you’ll buy the R1T over the R1S is its truck bed. The bed is 54 inches long and has a cover that can open and close with the touch of a button. I’m not really a “truck person” — I don’t haul things around very often. But, I was able to fit an old mattress pad, four rusted outdoor seats, and an old broken suitcase, in a trip to the local recycling center.
Having driven the second-generation R1S before, I knew what to expect from the interior of the R1T. The two vehicles are the same in terms of interior design, though the R1T obviously doesn’t have the cargo space or the third row like the R1S. Thankfully, the second row in the R1T is still nice and roomy, and even taller adults should be perfectly comfortable in that second row.
Inside, everything looks premium and well-built too. The vehicle combines premium leather with stunning wood panels and other high-end materials for a solid feel overall. While most of the vehicle is controlled through the touch display, the buttons and dials that are present feel tactile and strong, and there are plenty of little storage compartments dotted around the vehicle, as well as retractable cup holders and wireless chargers for the front seats.
Obviously, design preferences are ultimately subjective — but build-quality is not. The Rivian R1T is strong and well-built, plus it looks great too.
Tech, infotainment, and driver assist
Like most modern EV makers, Rivian leans heavily on tech to stand out. The R1T has two big screens up front — a 15.6-inch infotainment display and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Both are super crisp and respnsive, giving you that smooth, phone-like feel that’s still rare among legacy automakers.
The infotainment system is a breeze to use too, another rarity amongst carmakers. It’s easy to flip between maps, media, and vehicle settings, and while the climate controls are always on the screen, I did find myself wishing for a couple of extra buttons — like a dedicated fan speed knob. The Rivian app is pretty handy too, letting you send destinations to the truck, check your charging status, and even pre-cool or pre-heat the cabin remotely.
The R1T is excellent at personalization as well. The truck recognizes who’s behind the wheel using the phone key and automatically adjusts things like seat position and even air vent angles.
The R1T has solid self-driving tech, and it got better with a recent update. That update added hands-free driving for highways, and it works quite well. Of course, you still need to keep your eyes on the road — it’ll notify you if you’re not paying attention, which it can detect through various sensors on the inside of the car. But still, it’s nice to not have to keep your hands on the wheel even when the car is drivng itself.
Rivian in general is amongts the leaders in the car world when it comes to tech. Rivian has thought through a lot here, and it’s paying off. That’s all while reducing the amount of wiring actually in the vehicle. I was recently able to tour Rivian’s Palo Alto facility, where I got a look at the difference in wiring between the first-generation and second-generation models — and it’s pretty astounding how the company was able to cut down on wiring by combining computers and moving to a zonal architecture instead of architecture.
Driving experience
Driving the R1T is a blast, especially in our tri-motor model with the Max battery pack. This setup makes the truck shockingly quick — it accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds, thanks to its combined 850 horsepower. While Rivian has a quad-motor variant on the way, it’s not available just yet — so this is the fastest Rivian you can get right now, tied with the tri-motor R1S.
On the road, the R1T feels refined and responsive. The steering is precise, and the air suspension system does a great job at soaking up bumps, while still giving you options to tune the ride to your liking. The R1T can tow up to 11,000 pounds, though keep in mind that doing so will dramatically impact range.
In corners, the R1T stays surprisingly composed for a truck of its size. It hugs curves with confidence, and there’s very little body roll even when you push it a bit.
As you would expect from an electric vehicle like this, you can largely driving with only one pedal if you so choose. I like single-pedal driving, but not everyone does. Thankfully, you can set the level of regenerative braking as you see fit.
Range and charging
Despite the large size of Rivian vehicles, they generally have a relatively long range. The base model of the Rivian R1T has a 270-mile range, which ranges up to 420 miles for the R1T Dual with the Max battery pack. Our model is the tri-motor variant with the Max battery pack, which delivers a range of 371 miles, or up to 405 miles if you make use of the car’s “Conserve” mode.
All that to say that the range is very good, and I actually didn’t have to charge it at all over the week I had it, despite driving it a fair bit. I suspect most will have a similar experience.
The long range also means that even if you can’t charge at home, you won’t necessarily have to go to a public charging station very often. The vehicle still has a CCS charging port for now — hopefully NACS will be added to the car in the very near future. Rivian has said that it will add NACS to its vehicles in 2025.
How DT would configure this car
Plain and simple, the Rivian R1T is the best electric truck you can get right now if you care about things that electric trucks should be able to do. It has a long range, a modern design, and a premium interior, and anyone looking for a truck with an electric powertrain will love what the R1T has to offer.
Most probably don’t need the tri-motor variant, though those looking for an electric truck and like the Rivian R1T should consider going for the R1T Dual variant, which is still very powerful and has a 329-mile range in the base model or 420 miles with the max battery pack.
