Bodywork repair cost? Is this true? Same for R2?

[MrHockey17]

https://www.carscoops.com/2026/04/rivian-r1t-bedside-repair-cost/

Sponsored

 

[racekarl]

This is a known issue with the R1T. If you look at one from the side, you can see that it is built with one continuous piece of sheetmetal from the windshield all the way to the rear corner. Any time that piece is damaged as in that article, the whole piece needs to be replaced, which is a very complex operation since it touches so many parts of the truck.

The R2 does not appear to have this issue. If you look at pics of it, there are many more body panel cutlines, meaning each piece is smaller and will hopefully be less complex to repair or replace.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

This is clickbait. Most of the vehicles with damage like that can be repaired by PDR. Just like any other vehicle with similar body style. Or, there's this guy's approach:

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Yes, the R1 is expensive to fix. And expensive cars are expensive to fix. Nothing new. Carscoops is a junky tabloid click bait site.

Rivian made changes on R2 to improve repairability. Once such [visible] example is the rear quarter panels: not one single large panel like R1's, but two separate parts. Actual costs? Who knows. The cars aren't in customer hands yet. But being a higher [planned] volume model, cost of parts are likely lower than R1 through economy of scale.

 

[Rksue1]

With high repair costs come even higher insurance costs. My Tesla Y used to cost $120/month. Then it went up to $240/month. No claims. They said insurance prices just went up. We had to pay for all the claims.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

With high repair costs come even higher insurance costs. My Tesla Y used to cost $120/month. Then it went up to $240/month. No claims. They said insurance prices just went up. We had to pay for all the claims.

That's more to do with COVID, various natural disasters and increase in number of claims since... across the entire insurance industry, and not just auto claims.

 

[lefkonj]

As others have stated the R1T is unique for rivian in how the body panels are structured. The R1S and R2 don't have the same problems.

Funny someone mentioned the costs of insurance, mine just dropped by about 15% upon renewal .

 

[racekarl]

This is clickbait. Most of the vehicles with damage like that can be repaired by PDR. Just like any other vehicle with similar body style. Or, there's this guy's approach:

Not sure how you come to the conclusion that it's click bait? The OP's article details a repair that was LESS expensive and involved than the one you posted. It was also clear that it could NOT be repaired via PDR, since they popped it out and there were still many creases visible.

 

[NY_Rob]

Body work is expensive nowadays, with shop time at $250/hr what do you expect? The days of pulling out dents and sloping on 5 gallons of bondo are long gone. Having to purchase that whole side panel plus the freight from Normal was probably at least $3K+. Paint is also super expensive too.

For reference, I just had 55' of gutter (along with corresponding downspouts) replaced on the back of my house... $1,385.00

 

[AlphaSnowbordergirl]

With high repair costs come even higher insurance costs. My Tesla Y used to cost $120/month. Then it went up to $240/month. No claims. They said insurance prices just went up. We had to pay for all the claims.

If you want to feel better. I'm paying 200 a month on a car worth less than 10,000. I called and asked and got the same response. Ironically, getting a 60k r2 is estimated to be 270 according to them

 

[Blitzjb]

That's more to do with COVID, various natural disasters and increase in number of claims since... across the entire insurance industry, and not just auto claims.

TariffS !! The current administration has caused prices to skyrocket.

 

[MrHockey17]

Great. Thank you. I don’t know anything about its construction. That seems like a real weakness in the R1.

 

[VandalSibs]

It's not necessarily a weakness (if anything, a single piece can be stronger than multiple ones somehow connected/attached to each other), it's design. Since the truck doesn't have to have a box/bed that's separate from the cab, one stamped piece looks better.

And some repair shops will take the whole damaged piece off, cut away the part that is actually busted, then connect a piece from some other source (or potentially Rivian as well) that is undamaged and make everything look pretty again. Collision centers can do pretty dang seamless work.

That all being said, this all depends on the severity of the damage. If it's dents and dings, there are Paintless Dent Removal specialists that do work that seems downright miraculous (as has been mentioned in this thread).

 

[JasonK]

My insurance companies jacked my rates also. I kept changing insurance companies every time they Jacked my rates again on my F150. I was paying double what I was paying 3 or 4 years earlier. After changing insurance like 4 times I got a great rate from Progressive. They did raise my rate again this year but not a lot. I think I am paying around $60 a month. It pays off to shop around and show them you are willing to drop them if they change too much. I anticipate my insurance doubling with the R2. No one should be paying $200+ a month for insurance unless you have bad credit and accidents and a big claim history.

 

[Rksue1]

My credit score is excellent. I get discounts but it’s a Tesla. We have had 2 hurricanes and the insurance companies are trying to recoup their losses. If a Tesla gets water on the battery it’s toast. While new battery. Rivian has something that protects the battery from water.
I’ve shopped around. This is the best rate. Wish I was wrong.

Sponsored