Great Truck - Unrealistic to Maintain

[R1TLG20BM]

Honest review after 4 years of owning. Early adopter, huge supporter, shareholder, big promoter of the company. Let me say first that I am fully bought in on growing pains and sharing in the cost of that as an early adopter. Having said that, there was very little cost in sharing that burden...at first.

Owned some very nice cars in my day. This is on the mid-high range on initial purchase price, but extremely high on maintenance costs. I'd say I'm halfway or maybe 1/3 through a traditional vehicle lifecyce and have already put 50% of the vehicle price into maintenance. I guess it's more of a PSA...love the truck and the brand, but the realistic cost to own has them in a whole new category by themselves.

Interested to hear other experiences from those over or nearing 100k. I have a fleet order I'm sitting on as well as immediate family ive convinced to consider Rivian, and am now realizing that the value proposition is well below average.

Performance is great, but down time for maintenance and costs to repair are astronomical. I have quite a few driving options so I was nieve to not calculate until now. Was really enjoying as a daily driver, but no way it makes financial sense for most. Fleet purchase would have to consider 30%+ larger fleet just to combat standard downtime (no accidents or major rework) based on what I've seen.

Edit: For clarity I mean a single vehicle starting to clear 100k miles. Zero issues overall prior to 80k. From 80k to 120k I've already incurred $45k+ in "maintenance." Some of it routine, most of it suspension/frame/etc. Crazy to think what the big worries will cost (motors, batteries, etc). It appears you should treat as a perishable product at 100,000 miles unfortunately.

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[Shaqdeez]

What do you mean by maintenance? Assuming your warranty is over when talking about repairs. Yeah I agree owning outside of warranty is ridiculous on these cars.

 

[Nixapatfan]

Agreed out of warranty costs are beyond reasonable mostly because sourcing parts is problematic since some parts are "restricted" and other minor things like seals and o-rings aren't available, have to resort to full component replacements. Being locked into only Rivian as a service option isn't helping.

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

R1, especially Gen 1 was not designed with repairability in mind. I think that's probably normal for a first vehicle from a new company but it's certainly a limiting factor for long term ownership. I've got around 80k miles total between a 22 R1T and a 23 R1S and the biggest negative on ownership during that period is the fear of a major repair required.

I'd probably consider keeping the R1S in favor of the R2 if out of warranty repairs weren't such a big issue. My hope is that the R2 fixes most of these issues and is a vehicle I can realistically put 100k+ miles on.

 

[1stPlace]

Interested to hear other experiences from those over or nearing 100k

90k miles on my 22 LE R1S. The only real work done post-60k miles has been replacement of the brake pads and rotors due to Michigan Winters and non-use with high regen leaving the rotors rusted. I have also been dealing with the HVAC condensation valve issue causing a wet footwell on drivers side--I am considering having the valve removed entirely by a third party mechanic or myself personally to resolve this.

I have not had the half shafts or subframe needing replacement at any point, including under warranty. Jounce lines up front were done under warranty, but no other suspension related fixes have been required either.

Perhaps my fortune will change, but I am adding just one more anecdotal data point to this. I have been very happy and satisfied. I plan to take this vehicle to 300k+ miles.

 

[gvtucker]

I'm at 70,000 miles on my 22 R1T. Total maintenance cost has been $500, replacing the two 12V batteries about a month ago. There was one warranty repair done, fixing the charge port cover that didn't close properly about a couple of years ago.

I don't think I've ever owned a vehicle that had maintenance costs this low. Nothing else is even close.

It's like the original poster and I have two completely different vehicles, not the same one.

 

[mw3101]

FWIW - At 19,832 miles, my '26 R1S dual has only had one service visit to rotate tires and look at my HVAC vents, which were defaulting to closed after every trip. It's been much more reliable than my last vehicle, a 2022 Tesla Model S.

 

[forestwalker]

$1,000 windshield deductible through 28k miles on a Gen 1 R1S

Had axle shafts and hubs replaced on Rivian's dime as well, I suppose.

*keep crossed fingers crossed*

 

[Golfer04]

I'm up to 170,000 miles driven on four R1Ts. Each one has gotten better as far as repairs/warranty work, but still not sure I will keep this one past 60,000. Have 24,000 on it now. Will be a year old Oct 1.

 

[Noplacelikeloam]

Its a fair argument. Cannot imagine owning one of these out of warranty. There are those that will throw logic out of the window (and congrats, you don't need your money to earn) and those that are on the edge of the bell curve and are lucky. But for most, these are amazing vehicles but up there with the notoriously expensive to maintain and insure. It is what it is. You're either OK with that or not. But dont try and convince yourself this is a Toyota. Its a luxury expense with little to no logic behind it. And that might be OK.

 

[R1Tims]

I've got 77K miles on our G1 2022 LE R1T, Very earlier adopter. ( VIN < 200 ) only "maintenance fee" we have had is tire replacement, Prelli's to Goodyear.

 

[cohall]

Owned some very nice cars in my day. This is on the mid-high range on initial purchase price, but extremely high on maintenance costs. I'd say I'm halfway or maybe 1/3 through a traditional vehicle lifecyce and have already put 50% of the vehicle price into maintenance. I guess it's more of a PSA...love the truck and the brand, but the realistic cost to own has them in a whole new category by themselves.

I’m sorry, but none of this makes sense to me. Assuming you purchased at the discounted price in 2022, you would have still been at $70k-$80k purchase price. That would mean you’re saying you’ve put nearly $40,000 into maintenance on a vehicle that literally requires almost no maintenance at all. And, all those costs would have had to have come after your warranty expired, so maybe 2 years assuming you’re an extremely high mileage driver. So you’re saying you spend $20k/yr on maintaining it?

That just doesn’t add up, sorry. List of required maintenance items below. Even if you did each of them 10x a year, and put on multiple sets of new tires, you still couldn’t spend $20k.

If you’re including mechanical repairs in your costs, that’s another story. But even then, I honestly don’t know how it would be possible to have $40k in out of warranty repairs already. I just don’t get it, so if you could provide more details, it would be extremely helpful.

These vehicles are certainly expensive to repair after the warranty. Thats why I believe Rivian Care or Xcare warranty is a must if you plan on keeping for a while. Very reasonable cost if you purchase before factory warranty expires.

R1 Recommended Maintenance
We recommend the following services be performed on time for all R1 vehicles. Consult your Owner's Guide for more information on maintaining your Rivian.

Service

Frequency

Tire rotation
(with matching tire size)

Every 9,000 miles

Comprehensive inspection

Every 18,000 miles or 18 months

Replace brake fluid

Every 3 years

Replace coolant

Every 108,000 miles

Replace coolant filter
(2022-2024 only)

Every 108,000 miles

Replace drive unit fluid

(2022-2024 Quad vehicles only)

Every 108,000 miles

Clean and lubricate brake calipers

(if driving on salted roads)

Every 12 months or 12,000 miles

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

Honest review after 4 years of owning. Early adopter, huge supporter, shareholder, big promoter of the company. Let me say first that I am fully bought in on growing pains and sharing in the cost of that as an early adopter. Having said that, there was very little cost in sharing that burden...at first.

Owned some very nice cars in my day. This is on the mid-high range on initial purchase price, but extremely high on maintenance costs. I'd say I'm halfway or maybe 1/3 through a traditional vehicle lifecyce and have already put 50% of the vehicle price into maintenance. I guess it's more of a PSA...love the truck and the brand, but the realistic cost to own has them in a whole new category by themselves.

Interested to hear other experiences from those over or nearing 100k. I have a fleet order I'm sitting on as well as immediate family ive convinced to consider Rivian, and am now realizing that the value proposition is well below average.

Performance is great, but down time for maintenance and costs to repair are astronomical. I have quite a few driving options so I was nieve to not calculate until now. Was really enjoying as a daily driver, but no way it makes financial sense for most. Fleet purchase would have to consider 30%+ larger fleet just to combat standard downtime (no accidents or major rework) based on what I've seen.

All valid points, but have you ever purchased and owned a vehicle from a startup whose first production vehicles were delivered to customers less than five years ago (October 2021)?

According to specialists in the automotive field, the R1 was over-engineered. Rivian realized this as well, which is why they’ve continued to iterate on the R1 (Gen 2, eventually Gen 3, etc) and developed the R2/R3 platform.

Tesla, by comparison, released their first mass-market vehicle the Model S in 2012, over 14 years ago. They went thought enormous growing pains with fit and finish, reliability, etc, including almost going bankrupt. Their current offerings are worlds apart from those early days. There’s a reason the Model Y is one of the best selling vehicles in the world. I believe the R2 will be up there in the coming years, at least in the US.

Before Tesla, the last significant new automaker in the United States was Chrysler, founded in 1925 over 100 years ago! Not including subsidiaries, like GM’s Saturn, which was founded in 1990 and overseas brands, like Toyota (1937), Honda (1946), etc.

Most automakers have had decades to hone their craft. If all goes well, Rivian will too. You’ve had a unique opportunity to participate in the early days of a new company. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t frustrating or expensive, but it will only get better from here on out.

Rivian has an amazing team of engineers, designers, and leadership. Mark my words, the lessons learned from these recent developments (R2/R3) will be applied to future (R4/R5) and former platforms. I hope you’re along for the ride.

 

[dleepnw]

40K miles on my LE R1T. Was in service more than 10 times in 3 eyars and total cost of repairs was over $35k. Most of it covered under warranty. I sold the truck due to concerns how much it'd cost to maintain post warranty.

 

[Greg Chick]

The cost of most autos is up from what it was years ago. Everything is up, gas too, and no it's not back to $2. a gal. The metric for measurements is in a spin in my mind. To look into the future? well that is fuzzy. So, the "cut to the chase" experience in my story is I have solar PV on my roof, I pay nothing for fuel except some longer trips I DCFC and get over charged .70 per. My R1T Quad has needed warranty and the factory has done it, and they have been fast and as well as can be expected in doing so. I up fitted to Defender tires, thank God, and I am very happy.
The cost per mile needs to be looked at each situation. My need is an EV with high center clearance for snow berms so I can drive into my driveway @ home after road crew plows the roads. To get that with an ICE vehicle would be over the top expensive per mile per year. So, my need is different than a guy in the flat lands of good weather.
Attempting to give a thumbs up or down in a catogorical way is misleading or just "philostrabation". Sorry, my bad word. A tool is only as good as its application, and the skill in which it is used. + or - some random good or bad luck.
Drive slow and safe and smart and good luck.

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