How reliable are Rivians? Here’s what Consumer Reports says – Jalopnik

The Rivian R1T helped break new ground as the first mass-produced all-electric pickup sold in the US, beating Ford, Tesla and General Motors when it debuted in 2021. The automaker’s deep-rooted investors include Amazon, while Ford sold most of its shares in 2023. The R1S three-row SUV, which shares its platform with the R1T, was launched about a year later. The relative newness of the brand creates a good-news-bad-news situation for assessing reliability.

For now, Consumer Reports (CR) only has two models on the street to worry about (that’s the good news). The nicer and smaller Rivian R2 has yet to reach customers. The downside, however, is that CR does not have enough data to report on every model year of the R1T and R1S. The result is a hit-or-miss approach – blame too few Rivian owners taking surveys.

Still, the bad news really comes into focus when we look at the reliability scores for the models and model years with available details. One word largely summarizes the findings: bad. The specifics are discussed below. However, the dark clouds become even darker when we look at Rivian’s overall reliability according to CR. In his most recent review the organization ranked Rivian last among 22 car brands for reliability. In fact, it was the only manufacturer to have an average predicted reliability score in the poor range. Although Cadillac finished in 21st place, General Motors’ luxury division managed to post a below-average ranking. Let’s break down the reliability for each of Rivian’s current models.

If you want to know about the reliability of a 2021 or 2024 Rivian R1T, you will be disappointed. CR does not have data for these years. The first year with a reliability ranking is 2022. It just manages to get a below-average rating and stands out as the least unreliable Rivian (between the R1T and R1S). The numbers go south from there, with the 2023 R1T being poorly positioned in terms of reliability. Despite these low scores, the 2022 and 2023 R1Ts rank top in owner satisfaction.

For the Rivian R1T 2025, CR switches to a prediction model, because the predicted reliability is discussed. Yet the group’s crystal ball destroys hopes for a better outcome. This edition also has a poor ranking. It’s worth noting that no 2025 all-electric pickup had a reliability score better than below average. However, the Chevrolet Silverado EV, Ford F-150 Lightning and Tesla Cybertruck still scored better than the R1T in reliability.

There’s no word on the reliability of the 2026 Rivian R1T with a quad engine setup and over 1,000 horsepower.

Based on CR’s scoring system, the 2023 R1S’s ranking is in the single digits, a poor status just like its pickup truck sibling. CR does not have reliability data for the 2022 and 2024 editions of the R1S. For 2025, the forecast reliability index still requires only one number.

Looking at the hundreds of nameplates listed in CR’s 2025 model year rankings (including many without a reliability score), the R1S isn’t the only one with a single-digit reliability score. In fact, the updated 2025 Rivian R1S isn’t even the worst. The same-year versions of the Cadillac Lyriq and Chevrolet Blazer EV can claim that infamy. Between these GM products and the R1S are the Lucid Air and the Ford F-150 Hybrid. For some models, electrification is not yet a path to reliability.

Returning to the R1S, Consumer Reports ranks four three-row SUV competitors with higher reliability ratings (in the below-average to average range). These include the Kia EV9, Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, Volkswagen ID Buzz (yes, CR includes the ID Buzz with SUVs), and Tesla Model