Rivian surpasses Tesla! In depreciation...

[CharonPDX]

Other than super-limited-production vehicles like Rimac, Bugatti, etc, vehicles aren't investments.

Other than the last couple years when the car industry turned upside down, cars have *ALWAYS* depreciated bigly and quickly. The old joke was that you lost 1/2 a new car's value the moment you drove it off the lot - and that wasn't far from the truth.

If you plan on replacing a car every year or two, buying is not for you. Lease. (Or just buy used, letting someone else take that initial depreciation hit.)

If you plan on holding on to the car until it falls apart, then "trade-in value 9 months after purchase" is irrelevant.

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[ENVErider]

I'm sorry to see that you are soured with your Rivian experience. Respectfully, I disagree that Rivian's have a high depreciation; their resale is quite good for an EV, and I was sad to realize this as I shopped for and eventually purchased a used R1T. Believe me, I wished their depreciation was lower at the time. The spread on those figures you quoted is quite large, but again, respectfully, I think you're equating Rivian's "trade-in value" with the R1S "resale-value", and they are not equivalent. Rivian just doesn't want to take in a bunch of used Rivians and that doesn't make them bad vehicles. As member @SANZC02 pointed out, your KBB figure is much, much higher. Now, if KBB and Carvana offers were in the 60s, I'd fully agree with your assessment. Personally, most of us could get a lot more from Carvana or a similar service than a dealer trade-in on a new vehicle.

 

[richguess]

Over 50% of its original value? That is better than most EVs. Specially Mercedes. I know its not great, but just the reality of the current market. EVs and luxury cars have bad depreciation, mix them both and you can get a used Porsche Taycan for literally half the price a year later. As a personal example, we bought a Mach-E a little over a year ago for $47k and are getting $24k for the trade in value for what is essentially a "like new" vehicle.

Horrendous for new buyers, but an absolutely bargain for those in the used market. On the bright side, if you want to buy a used tri in a year or so, it will probably seem like a steal.

I’m in the que for an R2, but my Equinox 2 year lease is up 11/26. If I don’t have the R2 yet I’m going to get a low mileage Q8 etron for half of the new price. Maybe buy an extended warranty. A used Q6 is another possibility. The R2 is the only new thing I’m interested in.

 

[Swezey]

My Riv took a -$9k+ hit in the last 30 days when comparing what Rivian would offer me.

Crazy - poor me though. Locked into this 800+ HP multi personality & capable truck for a couple more years. /s

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