2023 Rivian R1S SUV

　　

2023 Rivian R1S Review

byReese CountsVehicle Test Editor

　　Reese Counts has worked in the automotive industry since he started as an intern at zzdcar in 2015. He has written or edited thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Reese is a vehicle test editor at zzdcar and has also contributed to Autoblog. Reese has also been featured on Yahoo! Finance, Engadget and AOL reviewing cars and covering automotive technology, auto shows and more. Reese learned to drive in his father's C4 Chevrolet Corvette and now owns his grandfather's 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG. A love for cars runs deep in his family.

　　Looking for a do-it-all SUV? You might have found it with the 2023 Rivian R1S. This is an all-electric three-row SUV from Rivian, an American startup EV manufacturer, and a sibling to Rivian's first vehicle, the all-electric R1T pickup. It's stylish, powerful (more than 800 horsepower!) and spacious, and it offers more off-road prowess than most other SUVs, electric or not. The R1S also has respectable range on a full charge. Go easy on the R1S and it should be able to go more than 300 miles on a full charge with the Large battery pack.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below

　　

Rivian R1S EV Insights

Trim:R1S Adventure

　　Adventure 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD) - $78,000 MSRPLaunch Edition 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD) (Most Popular) - $90,000 MSRP

　　

Range

　　321 miles

　　EPA Estimated Range

　　EV batteries lose 1-2% of range per year. Est. range for this car is 273 miles after 8 years.Electric cars typically experience 1-2% of range loss per year with slightly faster degradation over the first 50,000 miles as the car settles into its long term state, according to Recurrent's study of 15,000 EVs.

　　Estimated range mapThis map is a visual representation of the possible one-way and round-trips by this vehicle (on a full charge) from the geometric center of Rutland, North Dakota. The depicted ranges are based on the estimated new vehicle range value provided by the EPA, rounded down to miles for one-way and miles for round-trip. Actual range will vary depending on the condition of this vehicle’s battery pack, how you drive, driving conditions and other factors.Map display generated using: © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © Recurrent contributors | Recurrent

　　from 58067

　　

EV Battery Warranty

　　8 yrs or 175,000 milesThe federal government requires that EV batteries be warrantied for a minimum of eight years or 100,000 miles. The EV battery warranty includes replacement if your battery capacity drops below a certain percentage of the original capacity.

　　

Charging at Home

　　13 hours

　　Total Charging Time (240V outlet)

　　SAE ComboStandard port for most electric models. Supports Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast charging.

　　Plug Type

　　

EV Tax Credits & Rebates

　　$4,150

　　Available Rebates. Restrictions apply.

　　Federal Credit

　　$3,750

　　Restrictions: Under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offers taxpayers a Clean Vehicle Tax Credit of $3,750 or $7,500 depending on model eligibility for the purchase of a new plug-in electric vehicle. Beginning January 1, 2024, Clean Vehicle Tax Credits may be initiated and approved at the point of sale at participating dealerships registered with the IRS. Dealers will be responsible for submitting Clean Vehicle Tax Credit information to the IRS. Buyers are advised to obtain a copy of an IRS "time of sale" report, confirming it was submitted successfully by the dealer. To be eligible: A vehicle must have undergone final assembly in North America (the United States and Puerto Rico, Canada, or Mexico). Critical mineral and battery component requirements determine credit amount. Maximum MSRP of $55,000 for cars and $80,000 for SUVs/trucks/vans. Income eligibility applies depending on modified adjusted gross income (AGI) and tax filing status.

　　To learn more, visit Recurrent

　　Utility EV Charger Offer

　　$400

　　Restrictions: Otter Tail Power offers EV owners a rebate of up to $400 towards the installation of a Level 2 charging station. To qualify for this rebate, the customer and/or charging station must meet the following requirements: Receive electricity from Otter Tail Power.

　　To learn more, visit Recurrent

　　

Cost to Drive

　　$101/mo

　　R1S

　　vs

　　$229/mo

　　SUV Avg.

　　Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　

Am I Ready for an EV?

　　EV ownership works best if you can charge (240V) at home or at work This typically means a 240V home installation, but you could also have a similar setup at your office or other places your car is already parked for several hours each day. Don't expect a regular household outlet (120V) to suffice unless you've got a plug-in hybrid, in which case overnight charging at home is feasible.

　　If you can’t charge at home, charging at a charging station could take at least 10x longer than at a gas station With public charging infrastructure still in its infancy, the user experience can be maddeningly inconsistent. Tesla owners tend to rave about the reliability and speed of the company's proprietary Supercharger stations, but rival DC fast options have thus far been plagued by technical issues and overcrowding. It's an evolving landscape and our best advice is to do your research on the available options for the EV you want to buy.

　　Adding a 240V home charging system could cost up to $1,600 or more If your existing electrical service can handle the additional demands of EV charging, you may be able to add Level 2 charging at home for less than a grand, including installation. But your costs will multiply if you need to upgrade your electrical panel or add a dedicated circuit.

　　There are more and more electric SUVs competing with the R1S for attention. Some of zzdcar' favorites include the BMW iX, the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV and the Tesla Model X. The venerable Model X also offers three rows of seating and lots of power, but it lacks the Rivian's off-road capabilities. The BMW and EQS are both impressive and might be the way to go if you want a more premium European vibe from your luxury electric SUV. Read our Expert Rating below for a more in-depth look at the 2023 R1S. 

　　

What's it like to live with?

While we haven't had an R1S in our long-term fleet, we did Recurrent. It's essentially an R1S with a bed instead of a third row of seating, so many of our impressions of the R1T can be applied to the R1S, especially when it comes to tech, build quality and features.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Great

　　8.1

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

8.5/10

　　How does the R1S drive? Take one look at the R1S and you'll know it means business, especially with our test vehicle's optional all-terrain tires. Combine those tires with four electric motors (one at each wheel), an adjustable air suspension and short overhangs that make for one of the most capable SUVs on the road today, electric or not. Max ground clearance is nearly 15 inches, and Rivian says the R1S has a 3-foot wading depth. It's shorter than the R1T, so it's a little more nimble off-road. The air suspension can be lowered, too, to make getting in and out or loading cargo a bit easier.

　　But the R1S is likely to spend most of its time on the street, not on off-road trails, so we're happy to say on-road performance is good too. At our test track, our quad-motor R1S test vehicle sprinted from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds, making it one of the quickest SUVs we've ever tested, electric or not. Each motor can work independently, so there's no shortage of traction on- or off-road. Nail the throttle and the R1S simply hauls, though the nose lifts and the steering gets a little light as the weight shifts to the rear.

　　The steering itself is light, which makes it relatively easy to park, though the slow steering ratio means more turning than in some other EVs. The R1S offers excellent one-pedal driving, and the brakes themselves are firm but not touchy.

　　

Comfort

7.5/10

　　How comfortable is the R1S? The R1S may look all rough-and-tumble, but with a base price that puts in competition with luxury SUVs, we expect it to have a certain level of on-road refinement. The ride quality is OK with a general feel that's closer to a truck than a luxury car. The adjustable air suspension didn't seem to improve the ride either. The BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV deliver a much smoother, luxury-oriented ride, and the R1S feels unrefined in comparison. It's worth noting, though, that neither of those cars has the Rivian's off-road capability.

　　Better seats would probably help the Rivian's case, though we wouldn't call them uncomfortable. The seats in all three rows are flat and don't offer much support, though we didn't have too many complaints after a long day behind the wheel. The front seats are heated and ventilated, while the second row gets heating too.

　　As with the ride quality, overall noise levels aren't quite what we expect from a vehicle at this price. Cabin noise isn't overbearing, but there is a moderate amount of wind and road noise. Our test R1S had the all-terrain tires; presumably the regular tires would be a little quieter. We like the standard four-zone automatic climate control, and the system works well to cool the vehicle relatively quickly. We wish, though, that things like vent position adjustment weren't tied to the touchscreen. It's needlessly overcomplicated.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below