Rivian R1T: The Electric Truck People Keep Overlooking
Most people buying electric trucks walk into a Ford dealership or configure a Cybertruck online. They don't think about Rivian. This is a problem.
There's an electric truck that doesn't get the attention it deserves. It's not the one Elon Musk talks about on social media. It's not the one from Ford with the familiar badge. It's the Rivian R1T.
Most people buying electric trucks walk into a Ford dealership or configure a Cybertruck online. They don't think about Rivian. Rivian doesn't have the advertising budget of Ford. They don't have the Twitter presence of Tesla. Their showrooms exist in maybe fifteen cities across the country.
This is a problem, because the R1T might be the best electric truck you can buy right now, depending on what you need from a truck.
I've owned one since March 2022. I put 47,000 miles on it. I took it to Moab twice. I drove it from San Francisco to Seattle in January with snow chains. The truck has held up. I'm writing this because Rivian just posted some year-end deals that bring the entry price under $70,000, and I think more people should know about this vehicle.
The Cybertruck Gets All the Headlines
The Tesla Cybertruck has dominated electric truck coverage since 2019. The stainless steel body. The angular design. Elon Musk throwing a metal ball at the window. Everyone knows about the Cybertruck.
The Cybertruck has real advantages. It starts at $79,990 for the rear-wheel drive version. The range on the larger battery hits 340 miles. The bed is 6 feet long. Tesla's Supercharger network remains the largest and most reliable fast-charging infrastructure in North America.
There's also the F-150 Lightning, which Ford started selling in 2022. It looks like a regular F-150. It drives like a regular F-150. For people who want an electric truck that doesn't look electric, the Lightning makes sense. It has a massive front trunk, 400 horsepower in the base model, and Ford's dealer network for service.
Both trucks sell well. The Cybertruck moved over 50,000 units in its first full year. The Lightning has been Ford's best-selling electric vehicle.
The R1T sells about 25,000 units per year. It doesn't show up in most "best electric truck" lists. It doesn't get the media coverage. Rivian doesn't run Super Bowl ads.
The 2025 Rivian R1T in Limestone paint, which they introduced last year.
The Gear Tunnel Changes Things
Here's what the R1T has that no other truck has: a pass-through storage compartment between the cab and the bed.
Rivian calls it the Gear Tunnel. It's 65 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 20 inches tall. Total volume is 11.7 cubic feet. It runs the entire width of the truck, with doors on both sides.
I didn't think much of this feature when I first saw it. Seemed like a gimmick. Three years later, I use it constantly.
Gear Tunnel Specs
The tunnel fits two full-size carry-on suitcases. It fits golf clubs. It fits skis up to about 180cm. I keep a toolkit in there permanently. There's a 12-volt outlet on one end and a 110-volt outlet on the other, so I can charge a laptop or run a small cooler.
The doors themselves can hold 250 pounds each. I've sat on them while putting on hiking boots. My neighbor uses his as a workbench when he's in the driveway.
There's also a small access port from inside the cab. You fold down the rear center armrest and there's a hatch. You can reach in and grab a drink from a cooler without going outside.
Looking through the Gear Tunnel from the driver's side. Those are the outlet ports on the left.
Because the R1T is electric, there's no driveshaft running down the middle of the vehicle. Rivian's engineers used that empty space. This is the kind of design decision that comes from building an electric truck from scratch rather than converting an existing platform.
The F-150 Lightning doesn't have this. It's built on the same bones as the gas F-150, so that central tunnel space is already occupied. The Cybertruck doesn't have it either. Tesla put the space toward a longer bed instead.
I've talked to maybe a dozen R1T owners over the past three years. Every single one mentions the Gear Tunnel as their favorite feature. It sounds minor until you have it.
Some History on Rivian
RJ Scaringe started the company in 2009 in Florida. He was 26 years old, one day out of his PhD program at MIT. The company was called Mainstream Motors back then. Scaringe had about $10,000 and his father's engineering facility.
The original plan was a sports car. That didn't work out. Scaringe pivoted to a supercar. That didn't work out either. By 2011, he had changed direction toward trucks and SUVs. The company became Rivian Automotive that year, named after the Indian River near where Scaringe grew up.
From 2011 to 2018, nobody heard much from Rivian. Scaringe raised money quietly. He built a team. He bought a former Mitsubishi factory in Normal, Illinois. He developed the skateboard platform that would underpin the R1T and R1S.
In November 2018, Rivian showed up at the LA Auto Show with two finished vehicles. No concept cars. No renderings. A working truck and a working SUV.
Amazon invested $700 million four months later. Ford put in $500 million after that. By the time Rivian went public in November 2021, the company had raised over $10 billion.
RJ Scaringe at the LA Auto Show in 2018. He doesn't do many public appearances.
The first customer R1T deliveries happened in September 2021. Rivian beat Tesla, Ford, and GM to market with an electric pickup truck. The company delivered about 50,000 vehicles in 2024.
I got on the waitlist in early 2021. My truck arrived thirteen months later.
The 2025 Model Year Changes
Rivian did a significant update for 2025. They kept the exterior mostly the same. The changes are underneath.
The electrical architecture is new. Rivian reduced the number of electronic control units from 17 to 7. This cut weight by about 30 pounds and simplified manufacturing. It also means fewer potential failure points.
Battery Options
The batteries are revised across all three pack sizes. The Standard pack now holds 92.2 kWh and provides 270 miles of range. The Large pack is 109.4 kWh with 330 miles. The Max pack is 141.5 kWh with 420 miles.
Suspension & Software
The suspension got retuned for better on-road comfort. Earlier R1Ts rode firmly. Owners on the forums complained. Rivian listened. The infotainment system runs faster. The map loads quicker. The climate controls respond faster.
The charging port switched from CCS to Tesla's NACS standard. You can now use Tesla Superchargers without an adapter. There are 17,000 Supercharger stalls across the country. This matters for long trips.
The 2025 model added the NACS charging port. Small detail, big convenience.
The Price and the Deals
| Configuration | Price | Horsepower | Range | 0-60 mph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dual Standard | $69,900 | 533 hp | 270 mi | 4.5 sec |
| Dual Large | $76,900 | 533 hp | 330 mi | 4.5 sec |
| Dual Max | $83,900 | 533 hp | 420 mi | 4.5 sec |
| Tri-Motor | $99,900 | 850 hp | Max only | 2.9 sec |
| Quad-Motor | $120,000+ | 1,025 hp | Max only | 2.5 sec |
Add the Performance package for $5,000 and you get 665 horsepower and a 3.4-second 0-60 time.
These prices don't include the $1,895 destination charge.
Current Promotions (Expires November 30)
Right now, Rivian is running several promotions that expire November 30. Test drive the truck and place an order the same day, you get $1,000 off. Submit a trade-in estimate and you get $2,000 off. These stack.
The lease deals are more aggressive. Rivian is contributing $6,500 toward the amount due at signing on Dual Max Performance configurations. The base Dual Standard can be leased starting at $699 per month with about $3,600 due at signing.
The All-Terrain Package, which includes 20-inch all-terrain wheels, an underbody shield, and a full-size spare tire, is $2,000 off right now. It normally costs $3,950.
My R1T in Moab, April 2023. The All-Terrain Package includes the reinforced underbody shield.
The Limitations
The R1T is not a work truck. The bed is 4.5 feet long and 51 inches wide. A sheet of plywood won't fit flat. The payload capacity is 1,764 pounds, which is adequate but not exceptional. The F-150 Lightning can carry more.
Towing hurts range significantly. Rivian rates the R1T at 11,000 pounds towing capacity, which is competitive. I towed a 5,000-pound trailer from Sacramento to Reno once. My range dropped from 280 miles to about 140 miles. Electric trucks in general struggle with towing.
There's no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Rivian built their own infotainment system and won't integrate with phone-based interfaces. This bothers some people. I've gotten used to it.
The service network is thin. Rivian has service centers in major cities, but if you live in rural areas, you're dealing with mobile service techs or long drives to get warranty work done. Ford has 3,000 dealers. Rivian has about 45 service locations.
The build quality on early trucks was inconsistent. Panel gaps. Squeaks. Software bugs. Rivian has improved significantly since 2022, but the reputation from early production issues persists.
Who Should Buy This Truck
The R1T makes sense for people who want a truck for recreation rather than work. It's fast. It handles well. It goes off-road better than any other electric truck currently available. The air suspension provides 14.4 inches of ground clearance at maximum height. The Gear Tunnel adds practical storage that other trucks don't have.
Quick Comparison
If you regularly haul lumber, buy an F-150 Lightning. If you want the Supercharger network and don't care about off-roading, the Cybertruck has advantages. If you want the cheapest electric truck possible, the base Lightning starts around $52,000.
The R1T sits in a specific spot. It's an adventure vehicle that happens to be a truck. Rivian designed it for camping trips and ski trips and trail runs. It does those things better than anything else on the market.
At current prices with current incentives, a well-equipped R1T Dual Large with the All-Terrain Package comes out around $76,000 before tax credits. The federal EV lease credit is $7,500. Some states add more. My neighbor in California got his for an effective price under $70,000 after all incentives.
Morning at a campsite near Joshua Tree. The powered tonneau cover is worth the $1,500 upgrade.