2026 R1S deposit made. Reliability feedback?

[stfulton1]

Like title states...I put a deposit on a 2026 R1S Dual Max yesterday and test driving this morning. I have been down the rabbit hole on forums/social media about Rivian reliability and would love some of your opinions before dropping $100k. Sounds like the newer models have made significant improvements, but maybe still some issues they are working out here and there?

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[iansriv]

I've been in a similar situation with a lot of my cars. I'd go on a forum and hear horror stories and a few good experiences. Ended up buying them all and had very good luck. My R1S is a little over 2 years and it's been great. Search the high milage ones on here and you will get a good idea of what a long-term expereince will be like. I think there's one on here with 100k miles on it. All the best.

 

[RickRivian]

Like title states...I put a deposit on a 2026 R1S Dual Max yesterday and test driving this morning. I have been down the rabbit hole on forums/social media about Rivian reliability and would love some of your opinions before dropping $100k. Sounds like the newer models have made significant improvements, but maybe still some issues they are working out here and there?

I think you have things backwards....

Before paying a non-refundable $500 deposit, you ask on a forum AND do the test drive...

We test drove one on Saturday and ultimately decided that an R1S doesn't fit our current needs. Put a refundable $100 deposit on an R2, figuring we won't get an offer to order for at least 12, probably 18 to 24 months. We wouldn't order with an overnight test drive.

 

[Nixapatfan]

I'd say it is still a hit or miss as far as reliability goes and most might be related to initial build quality than fleet wide engineering issues. There are a lot of folks who've only had minor issues and there are some that have had major ones shortly after purchase. If your risk tolerance is low then probably not for you.

 

[TTedP]

The forums are a good place to get a feel for what *could go wrong but doesn't mean it will.

There's an ex-SC employee on Reddit who says most (if any) build issues will show up quickly. If you get through the first few K miles, you'll be fine.

I saw a big improvement in initial build quality on my Gen 2 from my Gen 1 - fit and finish items were much better and you can tell Rivian is learning, iterating, not just putting out a same product with some new electronics. Mechanically, my Gen 1 needed some fixes but the Gen 2 has been solid so far. Don't jinx!

If I listened to the internet, I would've never bought my Alfa or any of my VW's and they've all been fun, reliable cars!

 

[Time2Roll]

ZERO issues. No service required or needed in first six months.

 

[mkg3]

...I have been down the rabbit hole on forums/social media about Rivian reliability...

Vast majority of people own Rivian is not on any forum. Its probably less than low single digits of percent of total ownership population.

Most people that post, because there is/are issue(s) with their own vehicle. It makes it look much worse than reality. This is consistent regardless of make or model.

While forum gives some insight into potential issues and most common problems, it doesn't equate to any given owner suffering from the same fate.

My R1S is June 2023 build and delivered in late July of the same year. Have owned it for 2.5 yrs and now 37K miles. We have had no issues. Been to the service center for adjustments twice. Had mobile service twice for minor fix and Rivian service campaign of 12V battery change.

So if you are close to a service center, and are familiar wit EVs, my guess is that Rivian will meet your expectations.

Good luck.

 

[R1TandMe]

No issues with my RIT in the first 18 months of ownership. I didn’t ask the internet what they thought.

 

[stfulton1]

I think you have things backwards....

Before paying a non-refundable $500 deposit, you ask on a forum AND do the test drive...

We test drove one on Saturday and ultimately decided that an R1S doesn't fit our current needs. Put a refundable $100 deposit on an R2, figuring we won't get an offer to order for at least 12, probably 18 to 24 months. We wouldn't order with an overnight test drive.

Mine was offered as refundable - so no loss to me by doing it. I did finally test drive this morning and it was everything I was hoping for.

 

[SANZC02]

Mine was offered as refundable - so no loss to me by doing it. I did finally test drive this morning and it was everything I was hoping for.

I’ve had an early R1S build. Have had it for 37 months, and have had a slow leak in my suspension once and a module replaced that was preventing an OTA from applying. Both were very early on (first few months) and nothing that caused the vehicle to be unuseable. I’ve been on many trips over 7k miles including the Maiden voyage over 6500 miles when I picked it up at the factory.

Currently have 43.5k miles on it and would not hesitate to purchase another one. Actually almost bought a second one for my wife but she preferred something smaller so we are patiently waiting for the R2, we are a day one reservation holder.

 

[CharonPDX]

A couple notes:

• No carmaker is completely free of problematic vehicles. EVERY manufacturer sells an occasional vehicle that has massive problems, that may not be immediately noticeable at delivery.
• Online forums tend to have a MUCH higher percentage of "complaints of problems". If you search any car-specific forum, you will see multiple threads "this vehicle is terrible, this company is terrible, I've had nothing but problems!" posts - because people are far more likely to complain about problems than post "no problems for me."

That said, Rivian does (according to multiple reliability surveys) have a higher "problem" rate than most carmakers. But thankfully, the vast majority of those problems have been minor, or fixable via software. They are still a "new" carmaker.

Yes, newer vehicles are far less problem-prone than older vehicles, as Rivian has worked out the kinks. I see some people saying an R2 might fit your needs better - a warning there: R2 is a brand-new design. It will almost certainly have "growing pains" early in its production, with earlier-build vehicles having more problems than ones built a year or two from now.

The one "silver lining" there is that if you place an R2 deposit now, you probably won't get one for a year or two. An R1S can be bought immediately.

My review?

After three and a half years of ownership, with a very early vehicle (VIN under 10,000) I've had a few problems, but nothing "dealbrfaking". The biggest problem I've had was due to a minor crash that was my own fault. (Slid sideways into a tree, ripping off the plastic "fender flare", which has a camera in it, so it was going to be expensive to replace. Since that camera isn't used anyway, I had the repair place do a "janky" repair instead of actually replacing the part.)

 

[stfulton1]

Appreciate the information. Ended up moving forward with the purchase!

 

[Dave Cundiff]

Great, @stfulton1! I hope it's everything you currently expect!

You got good, balanced advice above, I think. The only thing I would add is that (855) RIVIAN-5 gets you 24/7 response from Rivian's technical support team in Plymouth, Michigan.

In my experience, the team in Plymouth has some of the most knowledgeable, most patient problem-solvers I could have imagined.

When my frunk wouldn't close in my driveway, the technician in Plymouth helped me find and fix the problem. Total time the R1S was out of commission: 30 minutes. No recurrence.

***

We're pleased with our Rivians' crash-avoidance and crash-survival features, and we enjoy driving them.

I'm looking forward to replacing both Bolts with an R2 as the family backup car (we live hours from a Service Center and have demanding schedules, so backup is needed).

Best wishes! Enjoy your Rivian!

 

[Johnster]

I've leased my 2026 R1S Dual Max since November. I've had a few nice cars in my life (traded in a Merc GLK 350 and still own a 2006 Jag XKR) and I think the R1S is the best I've ever had, a solid 9.5/10 (and I don't give a 10) for ride, comfort, performance, 7 seats (dog and grandkid), almost monthly meaningful updates, EV range, ...

IMO the closest competitor to the R1S is the Volvo EX90 (I'm a never Musk), but a test drive broke that tie for me.

There's likely an R2/3 in my future to replace my now ancient 2019 Chevy Bolt (when my wife's driving the R1S!).

Enjoy!

 

[John.S]

Got my R1S just before the 26's came out (Great Deal), was built at the end of March. My only suggestion is go with the Max Battery, I went with the Large and basically keeping it between 20% and 80% means that I only get about 150 miles on a charge, though not a big deal as I charge nightly (8 months out of the year) and you can't throw a rock and not hit a public charge station.

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