Rivian R1T After 1 Year - Would I Buy it Again? 

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Your channel is so refreshing. A true believer in evs and a sustainable future but not addicted to the fanboy Koolaid. Instead, you provide honest, backed-up assessments of where these evs are at. Hopefully, the companies are listening. Thanks for another great episode!

On efficiency, electric or not, it's a pickup truck. It's like asking why is my f150 so inefficient compared to a Camry 🤦🏻

I've had my R1T going on a year too and am totally fine with Rivian not integrating CarPlay or Android Auto. All good things take time and I believe their vertical integration approach. Rivian OTAs has been one of my favorite features so far; each monthly update has improved the vehicle and shows that they're listening to their customers. I w/o a doubt would purchase my R1T over and over again! No questions asked.

Thank you for the honest interview. I have been lucky that my brother-in-law has the R1T (got it in Sept. 2022) and since they live next to us, I am always asking him questions. We are in th final steps to get our R1T and can't wait. I work with a guy that has the lightening and he loves it. He said to me after I told him about getting the R1T "Wow, the Rivian is a luxury car compared to this". I guess the issue i have with the Lightening is that it is basically the F-150 body on top of an EV drivetrain. There is nothing to make it stand out amongst other vehicles. I work about 2 miles from the Tesla plant in Fremont and even though I see 100's of teslas a day, it is still a nice design then some of the generic looking cars. We had a Volvo XC40 Recharge and all it was is the XC40 obdy on a EV frame......and we had issues with it. As far as CarPlay being in the R1T....it is a bummer for sure, but according to some articles I read, people really don't miss it. I have it for my RAV4 Prime and the only thing I use it for is WAZE. I will get a mount like you have and use it via bluetooth.

The Lightning is awesome, everything just works. Ten times out of ten the kids prefer it over my wife's more expensive Taycan. I will say when we take trips to San Diego, the Lightning feels big. That is one huge advantage the Rivian has IMO, it's more of a midsize truck; tighter turning radius, easier to park, easier to get around a busy town.

Totally agree on the software. It's smarter for them to focus on vehicle-specific features & leave other functions to those who already do it best. No reason to try to reinvent the wheel.

Ben, this is coming in the next OTA: Lowered frequency of Adaptive Cruse Control and Highway Assist disengagements by reducing front camera sensitivity to certain environment and lighting conditions, such as driving towards the sun or in rain.

GM is dropping support for Apple CarPlay. Also the bluetooth issues with music is common in other cars as well. For Maps, it does make sense that they can showing you where the charging stations are and pre-condition the battery, still it would be nice to have the option to use google maps.

I've had my R1T since last June. Love the truck and glad I have it. The "glare on camera" is a big pain for me since my commute normally is early morning and evening and of course I am facing the sun.

First, I don't disagree with "some" of the software issues Ben brought up. The disabling of the adaptive cruise and Driver+ because of glare (and simply just a dirty or iced over camera cover) and NOT switching to basic cruise control is frustrating but should be a simple fix if/when Rivian gets around to it. What irks me about Ben's and others reviews, and I've said this before, the never ending of apples to oranges comparison of a just-getting-off-the-ground company like Rivian and comparing to a company like Tesla that has had over a decade and half to refine their software and options. When you buy from a fairly new company, of any product, you're "investing" in that company so they can succeed and hopefully get better. Problems, small and large, are going to most likely occur and you have to be willing to expect AND to a degree accept that. The odds of you buying an introductory product, especially a vehicle, and expecting it to hit it out of the park without room for improvement is just simply folly. This isn't the first time I've heard Ben whine. He tries to justify it by acknowledging it's a new(er) company/product, but then talks out the other side of his mouth expecting it to be without any problems or growing pains (or teething as he mentioned someone else correctly said from Fully Charged). People need to get their expectations in line and understand what they are buying/investing in, and videos like these IMO fail to do that.

Ben, I think you might be a little to hard on Rivian. This is their first year shipping vehicles, think about where the Tesla Model S was one year in. Considering dashcam is coming in the next update and that took Tesla 5 years, Rivian is way ahead of where Tesla was at that point in time.

All time subscriber and love the content Ben. I think you should consider testing out a Polestar. The software is awesome because they literally let Google have control of it through Android Automotive Os. And the service is great because they utilize the existing Volvo dealerships for service. I love my Polestar 2. And I would love to see a video series like this on their new Polestar 3 SUV coming out!

I’ve had my R1T since August and I’ve been fortunate to not really have some of Ben’s problems. But I do have a broken tonneau cover and Rivian’s lack of updates on it is pretty irritating. But that’s not nearly as irritating as RJ’s attitude towards CarPlay and Android Auto support. His justification is ludicrous. Ben is spot on that our phones are usually our digital hub in our daily lives. Good review. I’m very happy with my R1T and I have zero interest in a Lightning, but I get where you’re coming from.

My advice...."Try it before you buy it". I rented a Chevy Bolt EUV from a car rental company for 1 week. I absolutely loved it, but, before I go out and buy that, I'm going to rent a Nissan Leaf, rent a Tesla 3, a Volkswagen I-3, and maybe a Hyundai Ionique, or Kia EV-6. All of this gives me an 'extended test drive' with no obligations. It costs ~$400.00 US per rental, but worth it, before I spend the thousands of dollars on a new EV. This is especially true, when you're looking at $100,000+ trucks! For me, the #1 criteria is miles per kWh. I'm looking for the lowest cost per mile of operation. Right now, the Chevrolet Bolt is looking good, because it is the lowest cost for a car with ~250 miles of range, that can get over 4 miles per kWh, if driven carefully. It's going to be difficult to get that range and efficiency and range, at that cost. All of that equals the lowest cost per mile, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try the others first. Even though the Bolt is an "entry level" car, it still accelerates like it has a V-8 engine. Plenty of power! Even with all that power, it costs ~2.5 times less per mile, than the Toyota Prius I now drive. (charging at home)

Great video brotha. I’ve had the same criticism of them trying to do so many things and taking on too much. The software, the multiple models ramping together… it’s a strain they don’t need.

Here’s three comments. #1 Lucid now has Apple play #2 unless I’m mistaken Rivian does not have any lane change assist unless you’ve got a later software version than I. #3 in order to cure that sound muting. I found that I needed to reset a reboot, the computer. This is done by holding down the far left steering wheel button and pressing the emergency flasher until it tells you to let up that will reset the system. I’ve had to do that a couple times recently. Hope that helps.

The irony that this dropped the same date they released an update 😂

Regarding cruise control, that isn't just a Rivian problem. My Tesla does the exact same thing...if there's snow, heavy rain or enough glare (in newer models that went to pure vision) there is no graceful degradation of capability, and it's very frustrating as an owner. As a product manager myself, though, I can see the argument for not giving you dumb cruise control. Once a person gets accustomed to the vehicle adjusting speed for them, they get lazy. I've got every confidence that if Tesla OR Rivian introduced a dumb-cruise as fall back to ADAS, they would have a lawsuit within a month due to someone plowing into the rear of another car.

You didn't close the spare tire compartment properly. The right side did not latch. push down on it to actually latch that side and stop the water leak. Your tailgate is actually rubbing it upon closing the tailgate every time, because its not seated properly.

My mom is on the other end of the spectrum fot what she wants the truck to do. She wants an equivilant of a "Power Saving" mode with the truck where it turns off everything non essential including 99% of the display features. As an older person she wsnts it to litterally just be a truck that just happens yo be electric but like it is 2003. It is just a reminder that there litterally milliond of older people that would likely go electric but the by nerds for nerds mentality is holding the EV market back.

I have the same complaint with 'no basic cruise control' in my Model Y. It's an issue with camera-based driver assistance systems versus a Rivian specific issue. Good review - thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I've had the same problem with sun glare on cameras with my Tesla Model Y. So, Rivian is not alone when it comes to sunlight messing up auto steer.

Ford lightning 2nd generation to avoid “teething issues” it is! Excellent review my friend!

Still waiting after 3 years for a solid date of delivery for R1S. Every notification pushes date out. The only thing that keeps me from canceling is the price. But the weight, range and efficiency are not enough to outweigh quick acceleration.

I think everyone agrees with you regarding Carplay/ Android auto but I think what alot do not know is that the OEMs are movnig away from these systems due to safety concerns being raised by the NTSB as well as apple pushing to require all OEMs give vehicle sensor access to Carplay. Unfortunately I think we will see Carplay dissapear from most if not all OEMs systems in the next five years.

Teslas cameras get blocked by sun and glare too. It’s just the light physics of current cameras, not a Rivian problem.

Thank you so much for finally bring up the lack of Car play and Google Play. Most videos that I see doing talk about that. I have a Tesla and it sucks at integrating with my phone. My Chevy Colorado from 2016 has CarPlay and is more advanced as far as phone connectivity is concerned than any of these new cars. I feel like the new EV's are taking a step backwards as far as our phone integration is concerned.

I sort of understand why they want to keep software in house, but other automakers are either letting google handle it with googles in house auto infotainment, or the new car play that is going to take over the majority of your car’s infotainment when you plug in your phone, that is what they should be doing.

Recently bought a tesla because of your vids. Now I want a Rivian lol

Rivian won't ever use apple or Google play. They plan to be profitable from software & service, not vehicle sales.

I wholeheartedly agree that I want my phone to be the center of my digital world. I won't buy a car without Android Auto and my wife won't if it doesn't have CarPlay. The news that GM is also ditching AA and CP means I won't be buying a car from them until they change their ways.

This guy acts like he’s driving 300 miles per day. A L2 charger at home is more than enough for your day to day. Even with TOU windows

I have a 24k VIN number and my R1T build quality was excellent. I agree about the Apple Carplay and my only other gripe was not having the Tesla super chargers but they just incorporated TEsla Charging network. I would love to see them let us change tire sizes via the center computer like Tesla. Other then that the car is flawless and best vehicle I have ever owned. It is three vehicles in one Truck/luxury offroader/Sports Car EV.

Absolutely agree with you about the CarPlay. At least give people the option to use it or not.

I could tolerate my R1T only for 9 months, 3 months of which were spent in the service center due to a variety of issues such as faulty drunk sensors, crappy gaskets around the windows (causing a ton of road noise), rattling noise coming from the front suspension (which the Rivian mechanics said “yeah this is how the truck sounds unfortunately and you have to live with it…”), clunky tonneau cover, terrible UI, not so good charging network, no running board as the truck sits really high and so much more. I traded in my Ford Raptor for Rivian, which was a big mistake. For a while, I though I was the only one complaining about Rivian vs. everyone else who has the highest compliments. Rivian owners are finally coming around to expect more from a truck that costs 100k. I will never buy another Rivian again.

Half of the video is just a a commercial for NordVPN. 😆

The Nissan Leaf ProPilot has the same problem with not allowing even basic cruise control unless everything works perfectly.

Interesting. Maybe I didn't spend enough time with the R1T I tried but now that I also have a 2023 Model Y I found the R1T not as comfortable as I feel the Model Y. I'm in love with the R1T but I travel the US too much to depend on the current state of the other charging networks. The R1T I tested also had issues with the software so that seems to be a common issue. Thank you for your honest opinion, Ben.

My 2011 VW Touareg has the same issue playing media. I have to change the media option, then go back in to hear the media playing from my phone via bluetooth.

I like the FORD for the bidirectional charging and the better 'Frunk' design, it's a boring and far less dynamic drive compared to the Rivian. Another San Diego Rivian owner and zero electric bill, solar power in San Diego is a must if you are going to own two electric cars. Two service visits to my home in a year, not a big deal, including same window seal issue.

7:56 thats an awesome photo of Jennie, did she have a model shoot or career at some point?

Thanks for an informative video, looking at the experience from all angles.

Thanks for doing this. You just talked me out a R1S.

I have a R1T on order with an expected delivery of Sept. 2023 and have been on the fence. This video cemented my decision to cancel my order. Aside from the issues you covered I simply don't think Rivan's current pricing is a realistic in this economy especially in light of 6 price cuts by Tesla.

I dont miss Apple car play at all in any of our teslas to be honest. But after talking to a few owners in the current state of the onboard software i can see many owners wanting carplay instead of the oem software.

For a first time company going through growing pains. It was a well done base hit. Berri No-ICE.

Thanks Ben, the complaints you have pretty much confirm why I wouldn’t buy a rivian yet just to many issues and hiccups for a truck this price , maybe one day but not yet for me.

I don't think them believing they can do things better than some other companies but while they are work on perfecting that they shouldn't allow their customers to suffer through their growing pains when there's better a service they could give to their customers while they work through their tools.

Many vehicles lose regular cruise control when the adaptive cruise sensor is blocked. My Nissan Pathfinder has the same issue. Perhaps Lidar is better than cameras. Seems it would not be difficult to be able to select normal cruise control in inclement weather. Never had an issue regarding sun glare on the front camera. Normally, it is due to snow or a rain. I don’t know why car manufacturers want to recreate the “wheel” regarding interfacing with one’s phone. Maybe they have to pay to use Apple and Android Play?? Thanks for your honest review.

You really gonna compare a car u used for a week vs one u had for a year...

I never had a problem with water in the spare tire tub. I think you were not closing it correctly.... Just like you did not close it correctly in the video.

Every gripe here should have been expected as an early adopter.

I've an F-150 and while it does support wireless apple car play it can often be glitchy in weird random ways. Sometimes it just won't connect to my phone and I have to turn the truck off and back on to get it to work. Yesterday it told me I had to connect my phone with a USB to access car play. Strange. Better than what Rivian is trying to pull off though. Its nuts they think they could create better software AND make a good vehicle. Hope they calm down and just focus on the vehicles.

Try turning your phone volume up after you connect to the BT. Sometimes the control issue is on the phone.

Excellent review. I hope they listen.

Great report/opinion presentation, thanks. Your experience is like some people who have certain Tesla models. After some time it develops into a love-hate relationship. Nothing is perfect. Some things are great and some things are not so great/bad.

I live in downtown San Diego with a dog and I think the Rivian would be better just for the smaller streets, parking in my parking garage and for the outdoors stuff that I need. If I had a home with kids and a lot of things to haul, I would totally agree with the Ford Lightning. I’m about to test drive the R1t but in your opinion, if you were living in my situation, would you still do the lightening?

Rivian is an early adopters brand and sadly, it seems like you had the classic early adopter frustrations. Rivian is trying to fix things quickly, but the reality of limit resources makes it hard. When Rivian spoke of expanding their charging network, I about laughed. It is a good idea, but you know the company is super stretched thin already and they do not have the production innovation company culture, you know "the machine that builds the machine" focus. As far as the software, I get your frustration, but I also get builders fearing leaning on outsiders. Saying they can do something better sounds like a typical public statement, but internally they made the choice for other reasons. With the next wave of EV trucks coming over the next 18 months, I do wonder how well Rivian will truly do. The comment about Lightning over R1T is something I have seen form other reviewers. It is the kind of thing that makes me believe if there are two or three other options on the market, the R1T will struggle to keep sales up. Just having GM finally get their EV full-size truck to market with the GM and Chevrolet badges, will likely take a chunk of demand away from Rivian.

I have a Chevy volt that will do the same thing when playing songs, when I have it connected with Android Auto. I will have to disconnect it, connect it with Blu-tooth to get the music to play and reconnect it. So annoying.

Luckily, I love the Tesla operating system so thinking about getting the Tesla cyber truck. I wouldn’t be too worried about that specific aspect of the vehicle compared to Rivian. I completely understand all the grapes you have with this truck. It sounds like if Rivian can survive, they may be a really great company to put out a smaller truck and SUV platform. That’s exactly my biggest gripe with the cyber truck. I am not at all looking forward to the size of the truck. I don’t remember if it’s supposed to be larger than this one but when I originally did my reservation, I figured out pretty quickly that it wouldn’t fit inside my garage. Of course, Elon musk’s Answer to that one side. Unfortunately, I do have a garage even though I live in a condo but my closest on street parking would be outside my complex. From what I can tell more than half of my neighbors in Phoenix at my complex have either a sport utility vehicle is of the more capable sort, or a small truck that they are able to fit inside the garage. I know they have reduced the size of the cyber truck slightly but I’m now looking forward to the second generation of the cyber truck. Even though they haven’t announced anything yet, it sounds like the new platform they might build the model two on could possibly be perfect for a Latin American sized truck. That’s all I would need. If they built, a Cyber SUV, there. I don’t really need a truck I just like the idea of possibly going out. I don’t need to go off road but I need to be able to get to a nice camping site without 1 million people around. I know this might be a lot to ask right now, but it sounds like if you do want to go camping, the Ford or the Rivian might be your best option if you don’t have a full sized extra large garage. I understand why the cyber truck is necessary to help pull in more people to the electric vehicle Revolution but until they get a little bit smaller, I just won’t be able to justify one or live with it. A smaller vehicle would also help with level two charging problems. If anyone from Tesla is reading this, the name of the cyber truck that’s smaller can be called the CyberTruckToo.

That audio issue is there in Teslas even today. Spotify just doesn't play until I goto radio and then switch back

Was about to buy a pre owned launch edition in sliver with under 5000 miles and under $85k. I passed when I saw your video and Ryan Shaw’s video on charging on a road trip. Nope…cannot do it yet. No way I am paying $85k for a truck that cannot travel. Maybe when Tesla superchargers are open to all in Texas.

Phone is the center of my digital world.. Sure.. but anytime I rent a car with Android auto or car play...I immediately disable it. People seem to love it.. But I honestly don't get it. What am I missing? In the car, I use my phone for maps and music... If the car does it itself, then what's the point? When I drive my Wrangler, I just miss having it all built in.

Just FWIW, I'm at ~14 months in my Rivian and have never had that Bluetooth audio issue. I'm also not an iPhone user, so perhaps something there.

The multimedia system & lack of CarPlay is a non-starter for me. Jeep, Ford, & Cadillac have the best systems; BMW, Tesla, & Rivian all have a long way to go.

Tesla UI is perfectly fine.

Disappointed in the end that you'd go with a Ford lightning. I love my rivian

What car seat do you have in the back? Curious to see what a car enthusiast chooses for his family. Thanks!

The Rivian R1 vehicles are inefficient, but as you mentioned, the charging issues are primarily related to your charging location. Some states have mismanaged their energy production and infrastructure for decades, and, as a result, their customers have higher energy costs and increased carbon emissions. Other states have taken a more logical approach to energy and enjoy energy costs that are a third of some states while reducing carbon emissions. These considerations are germane to the discussion of electric vehicles because the failure to consider the more significant environmental and economic factors has led to the issues we currently face with ICE power vehicles.

I herd a few rumors of why rivian dosent have apple music is because thay were asked after android music for getting systems connected

Excellent , as a tesla owner my thoughts as well

I don't get why some people get so bent out of shape about Apple CarPlay - I've had it on two different Subarus and it is so glitchy it's basically unusable. I don't know if its Subarus' issue or the CarPlay software, but it works properly about 50% of the time. It's so unreliable I just avoid using it all together.

Do you think Rivian should come out with gen 2 R1 platform vehicles improving on all the teething problems or the lower cost R2 platform first?

In my 2018 Honda CR-V I had similar cruise control issues ... go figure!

@Ben. Rivian = ok, agree with all the issues. Ford = Better, still not best software and range suffers a bit. GMC Hummer = Great, but yeah its a lot to handle... so I'd say in time the GMC Sierra or Chevy Silverado are going to be best choices for a truck (or SUV even). Best range and integration of Carplay/AA also, 4 wheel steer is amazing btw, etc.

Got the same answer from Tesla support for phantom braking - glare from the sun - so these features you charge a premium fee for are defeated by being outside? I don't even have their FSD, that is just Enhanced Cruise Control.

Hearing you speak about the elitist response to being able to make a better proprietary infotainment system that (poorly) integrates with one’s smart phone make me think of GM saying the same thing as they look to dump CarPlay, etc in future model years. Such design choices are going to impact buyer decisions and car manufacturers will have regrets.

Ben from what I have read its not about the experience. They want the data, and when using car play or android auto the data stays on the phone and hence Tesla and Rivian is cut out. They are risking losing guests to try to make a bit of money (which right now might be the right call as any business' they need to pay the bills especially with all the sunk costs of being a new company.)

I appreciated this video. Keeping it real!

Rivian is the most capable EV Truck on the Market. Period hands down. Software glitches are just part of being an early adopter. Early Model Tesla all the way just before the Plaid release were poor quality. Built like crap, excessive wind noise, all sorts of service complaints and issues. I have owned 5 Tesla to date, including the Plaid. The R1T is by far my most favorite EV owned.

Where is your front plate?

That spare tire tub isn't plastic? Looks like it from the video. The rust is a stain from you hitch. Obviously water shouldn't get in there, but doesn't seem like a huge deal.

Do you think these companies that do not adopt apple car play is because they want the monthly subscription fee??

Great update thanks!

So you would buy a Ford Lightning over a Rivian? Even more so when it will soon come with an NACS plug and full access to Tesla Supercharging! Rivian better get onboard with NACS ASAP!

I wasn’t happy with the 2021 Model Y Dual, nothing really worked as advertised; range, charge time, autopilot, etc. Back to the ice Benz.

How come the Rivian doesn't have hot spot?

Someone used to a Tesla interior could probably live with the quality of the Ford interior. I'm coming from an Audi and I can't stand how cheap the Ford interior (or Tesla interiors) is/are.

Cornelius Would Be Proud.🙌🏼

Good constructive criticism, Ben. No fanboy fawning here. We wouldn't want it. I like to know every flaw of a vehicle before I buy it so I can have no surprises.

You're not part of Club Recall? How does that work?

where did you run the charger to? i'm picking my rivian up next week and want the same set up!

It's a bad idea to 'switch' cruise control modes - you get used to one mode, and end up crashing because you assumed it was in the other.

The adaptive cruise control and lane keeping features should be resistant to environmental factors. Being disabled by sun glare is unacceptable. With that being said it can be extremely dangerous to allow standard cruise control to be enabled on a vehicle with adaptive cruise control. The driver is not given enough environmental queues to alter their behavior to the vehicle’s lack of expected adaptive cruise function.

Love the hat. Maderas is awesome. Good video.

Were most issues handled at a service center or via mobile service?

And a whole year later -- how is it?

I wanted the Rivian to be ready for PRIME TIME - BUT IT ISN’T - YET!! Thanks for the honest feedback. Good luck trying to sell the pre-owned Rivian 👎🏾!

Now tesla wants to remove radar so glare will definitely impact emergency braking in questionable lighting conditions