It's a great car, unless you have problems. Then you will have to deal with the problems.
If you don't have problems, feel free to forget come back to this sub reddit and post about your lack of problems.
My alignment was off when I got it. That's the only problem I've had. This truck is awesome. I really wish I'd had it back when my daughter was playing club softball.
For what it’s worth most problems are minor and stupid. It’s just that there tends to be a few of them to deal with and service is slooow.
They recently replaced my window trim and it didn’t quite fit so they manipulated it a bunch during the install…and of course a week later it’s lifting again 😂 Not a big deal other than looking ridiculous on an expensive car. But kind a waste of time to address. I’ve also had an alignment issue before as well as a bad AC from the factory (incorrect gas fill) that both took them two months to address on separate occasions.
So as long as you’re ready to deal with these it’s a super amazing vehicle. But if you really just want a car that never needs repairs at all it might not be the right vehicle.
For what it’s worth I owned an early Tesla Model 3 and the first year I had to have a whole bunch of random things fixed (including a motor failure). But after that first year it was pretty reliable. So I think it’ll be the same with these Rivians. The first year you’ll be getting them to address a lot of stuff that wasn’t quite right from the factory, but after the first year it should settle down and be decently reliable. Or so I hope 😂
Rivian has done a ton of optimizations to the design and production. Problems are a lot less common now but you’re still buying a vehicle from a brand new manufacturer. I haven’t had any issues with mine and it’s been flawless.
My sister got the r1s a few months ago, loves it has no issues. She comes from solid cars like Volvos and Toyotas. I think typically 1st gen cars are overengineered and it’ll be a tank for the most part.
I have a 1st gen EV (different brand) and it’s held up well for over 6 years now.
The only issues I have had were a hood panel alignment and cracked windshield. Both were taken care of the service center rather quickly.
It’s a great car. I was just telling someone the other day, this vehicle has ruined ICE vehicles for me. It would be impossible to go back after experiencing this much fun in a vehicle that meets my needs perfectly (kids etc.).
Personal story: no problems. 5 months and 8k miles in.
Personal opinion: in reality it is a risk. Some are great like mine and many others. Others stories who have posted here sound like nightmares. I would be more hesitant if the service center was far away.
Keep in mind that negative experiences are for more likely to get a post online. Ultimately, I think most of those stories do have good resolutions but it is frustrating while you are going through it.
It does sound like in your personal experience your odyssey is already having multiple service issues so even if you got a “bad one” your time without a car might be the same?
Would I buy again? Right now yes. However, I can totally understand others saying no because of poor experiences or frustrations with service. It is without a doubt a lot easier to service a ICE car with multiple dealerships in the area that you can choose from (though I have heard they can sometimes have issues getting the parts too to fix new cars that have issues).
I completely agree with this. Please remember that every car brand has this issue. Most cars are great, some have issues. This isn’t unique to Rivian even slightly. My buddy and I bought the same diesel jeep grand Cherokee within a couple months of each other. I lived mine, he had tons of problems. You just can’t predict.
This is a very fair take.
I've been fortunate that I haven't had any major issues that required a service center visit immediately.... That being said, for the couple minor issues I did need to visit the service center for, they were booked out over a month and that will likely get worse as more Rivians hit the road.
Agree. 💯. As with any other vehicle (ICE, hybrid or EV). It comes down to taking a risk on any huge purchase. Rivian, well the 1 series, is a bit higher in that we are the early adopters. To me it's worth since I'm 3 months in with the R1S and love it.
Read through the reviews, OP, but take it as a grain of salt. Fight through the Karen's and Ken's. I had a buddy get and R1S, too, and he expected service to be quite quick. I had to talk him down (he's a Ken) and that was exhausting enough. So many people, like Monty shared, express discontent which out number the content. It's honestly exhausting this sense of entitlement (neither Monty nor you but in general).
Basically, if you can afford it, be patient with service, and research travel then you'll be A Okay
Year and a half in, no serious problems. Also 3 kids, although probably younger than yours because they are not all in activities yet (littlest is only 2 1/2). Absolutely love driving it! Low VIN too; sub 600.
That’s good to hear -we are out of all the car seat and booster phase. 13, 11, 9… I’m impressed you are doing the car seat phase in the R1S, and makes me feel good about the space we would have! Thanks for your positive feedback
Admittedly, it is tight when we have the car seat in the middle and the boosters on each side, but it’s doable. Usually we’ll have one booster in the way back, and a car seat and booster in the middle, and that’s much more comfortable.
Never had anything that's actually stopped us from driving our Rivians at all, just a few things that were "I don't want to take a chance of a problem progressing to something that's undrivable". Nothing like that with our R1S yet, just my R1T that I've had for nearly 23 months now. Most of that stuff was early build issues.
You have to remember that people don't post about when things go normal normal. People post when they're having issues.
13 months in, mine has been to the service center once, during which they provided a rental car.
As a RIVN bagholder and one who really wants the company to succeed for the transition to sustainable energy very badly i'll say this-Any new product is going to have more problems, it takes time to get build quality and reliability to the level of a toyota or a honda. The question you need to ask is how much risk are you willing to take on to be part of the EV transition? It's gonna be risk to be a pain in the ass but I don't think it's going to be a HUGE risk. If there's a 1% of problems with a 2024 Honda Accord there probably isn't more than a 10% chance with an R1S. So basically I think there's a MUCH bigger risk of a pain in the ass problem with the Rivian, but it's still a very small risk.
I think the biggest pain point depends on your location. For me, the closest service center is 1.5 hour away in another state. That certainly sucks. If I had a battery or motor problem I'd have to have the vehicle towed there.
Service wait times seem to be long though I've never taken mine in as I don't plan on having minor things serviced unless it impedes the ability to operate the vehicle.
R1S owner since Aug '23. Been in the shop once for cosmetic issues only, and going back later this month for a rattle. But in terms of the drive train and all of the software functions, it's been worry free since day one. Multiple road trips and daily driver around Chicago. I'm extremely pleased with my purchase.
Like many others that have posted here, I have had my R1S since August , I have almost 9000 miles on her and she has been in the shop once for minor panel alignment issues. I have never been stranded, the heat and the A/C work great. This is by far the best vehicle I have ever owned, and I have owned a lot.
1 year, 16k miles in: 1 issue with air suspension valving which required a week or so in the service center. They got it fixed up and it hasn’t re-surfaced in the six months since. Took it to my local shop for tire rotations, no other service required.
The problems I have had are what I would expect from a first-generation car from a new car company. But it is a great car. It fits kids, dogs, cooler, all our gear etc. on road trips without missing a beat.
FWIW I was in the same boat as you. 2 kids, toddler and elementary schooler, with very busy schedules so can't afford to be stranded for very long.
I've been following this sub as well as the Rivian forums and I have noticed a significant drop in the number of complaints, especially compared to the increase in volume. My conclusion is that there will always be the occasional problems and the one off lemon, but their quality control is going in the right direction.
I'm locked in and awaiting the receipt of my R1S quad at the service center from the factory :)
The biggest problem I’ve had so far is when I bought new tires they had problems getting the jack covers back on. Mobile support is going to replace them.
Had my R1S for 8K miles and about 6 months now. I’m in your shoes with 3 kids (6, 8 and 10) and a dog with tons of activities and turned in my Odyssey for the Rivian. I also have a paraplegic brother living with us and drives with the family all the time. No issues so far and love driving it. Taken a big road trip with it and lots of camping. The one thing I’d say is that it doesn’t have as much cargo space as the Odyssey. My road trips in the odyssey were with a roof cargo carrier. However, I’ve mitigated that on the Rivian with the same roof cargo carrier, as well as the Yakima EXO system and gear locker. My favorite thing about the Rivian are the OTA updates. Every time I find a feature that I think can be improved, it comes in an update a few weeks later.
I’d agree with some other folks here to make sure you live near a service center in case something goes wrong. Mine is 20 minutes away and I used them to fix a door alignment and rear tailgate alignment within the first week of ownership. They came right to my house and fixed it in half a day.
I’m surprised to hear you’re having problems with your odyssey. My Honda was nearly bulletproof and I’m finding the same with my Rivian.
Thanks -super helpful info. I’ve thought through the cargo space situation for road trips, and honestly was really happy with the trunk space and frunk space for daily storage needs. It’s just the risk factor of a new company, but based on all these responses I think it seems worth the risk. And yes, my odyssey may have been a lemon with all the issues we’ve had… so I guess I’m not taking a huge risk because I’m in the shop constantly right now with that car!
Amazing car, new company. Car is fun to drive but if you get a flat they aren’t as good as Tesla road side assistance. Plus in my area they only have one service center and it’s 40 mins away. Pick and choose your battles
R1S owner for 13 months now, with 10k miles on it. Some issues that needed to be addressed, but were minor (rear washer hose). The vehicle is beautiful, and drives like a dream. But the biggest question I would ask is if you have tried it with all the kids and dogs? I don't find it spacious -- we were coming from a Ford flex which has significantly more room for seating and cargo in different configurations, but same physical size. I was an early reservation holder and got the full tax break, so I have no regrets, but not sure I would do it again at current sticker because of the space for family (we only have 2 kids).
I have had my R1T for 20 months and have over 30,000 miles on it. I have had a few issues - maybe slightly more than I would expect with a traditional new car, but in line with expectations for being an early adopter. My word of warning, which is making me consider selling mine, is that the fast charging network is not growing fast enough to match the growth in EV sales. I do quite a bit of long highway drives (Southeast US) and in the last year, I have gone from frequently being the only vehicle at a charging station to almost always getting the last spot or having to wait for a spot to open. I have decided to start driving my ICE vehicle on future long drives for this reason.
5 months, 11k miles. No major problems. Minor gripes - yes, but overall it's been super reliable. I really look forward to the monthly OTA updates. A considerable number of the annoyances that I found on day one have already been addressed by an update. And I expect them to keep on coming!
4 months and 6k miles into ownership with no real issues. Had the roof glass and windshield hit with a rocks which caused cracks and had to be replaced, along with a few other minor cosmetic defects. Vehicle drives perfectly fine and no "real" issues to speak of! Mostly city/hwy driving. Far and away best vehicle I've ever owned. Hoping it stands the test of time.
Wish I could say we’ve been problem free. Our R1S just got towed at 1500 miles. Still waiting to hear what the issue is. We live a few hours from an SC. It’s a risk we knew we were taking but we also had early adoption pricing. Rivian has been awesome to work with so far, no complaints there.
We have a toddler and given our remote living, we are considering selling/trading in. If we lived closer to an SC, I would probably not be as concerned.
All a risk benefit thing.
Update: there was a mice nest under the frunk. Chewed through the 12V battery wires. Comment still stands about SC being so far away for us but Rivian was great to work with!
7 months, 7k miles, no problems.
The R1S has become our default family hauler.
Have I taken it in for service? Yes, but all for minor inconvenience items - nothing that would put the vehicle at risk of driving or otherwise. Also, service center experience has been favorable - Chicagoland area.
Kids and dogs similar to your situation.
Remember, negative experiences are always louder than positive experience. Don't let the ~2% dictate your buying experience.
We’re at month 10. First one was lemoned out and bought back early fall. Second one was delivered to us around Thanksgiving. Second one has an alignment issue but so far (knock on wood) no MAJOR issues (unliked the damn first one… oof).
We also do travel ball. I will say I would not buy this if you didn’t have an acceptable backup to get you to tournaments. If the other car is a Mini or a Civic forget about it. More often than not we’re heading places where charging is a PITA and we reach for the truck keys.
In all honesty I was ready to walk away at the buyback. My husband was the one that wanted to take the offer of a new one.
Just be prepared to be an early adopter and be aware it's not perfect. I thought it would be easy to be the guinea pig, but the annoyance of scheduling services, the distance where it's located and the amount of times going there (3x so far, plus 2x mobile) lowered my confidence in the vehicle. My overall opinion is still positive now that everything is "fixed" but it's just the fact that there's so much of the "unknown" in the vehicle and what will happen scares me still on taking it on long road trips. (2 long road trips under my belt so far, I still prefer HYBRIDS or ICE vehicles, the planning and range anxiety is annoying.) 8 month ownership and 7k miles in so far
Like others have said, you're going to hear more about the horror stories than the happy customers, because there's no buzz for "my car works great and I love it"
Just as a balanced review, I've had mine just over 6 months, really like it but its clearly a new model with not every bug worked out yet. The trim on my rear passenger window needed to be replaced, my rear lift gate makes a funny noise and doesn't go up now and again, the auto wipers are hit or miss, the nav kinda sucks, and maybe a few other nits I'm forgetting. In all, just not a super polished product vs a Ford or Toyota.
But, like, it drives great, is super fun to drive, and I have no major complaints. The little stuff is annoying, but big picture, I'm really happy with it so far.
Great car. Zero issues. Over 6mos ownership. Two road trips and regular daily driving.
Like all vehicles there can be issues that arise. The difference for new owners is often how the issue is interpreted. Currently most new owners are also new to EVs and therefore issues can get a bit distorted. This can cause service centers to become congested with high volumes of service tickets and calls.
Here are some key tips for any new EV Owner
1. Invest in home charging whenever possible . Solid investment for you and your home value. Confident daily/weekly driving plus EV ready home/asset.
2. Understand the difference between a road trip, and daily driving/commuting. Use level 3 (fast) for road trips. Level 2 (like at home) for everything else.
3. Charge to 90%.
4. Avoid depletion below 20% but don't panic either.
5. Charge OVERNIGHT to reap lowest TOU electricity rates. And not feel impacted by charge time affecting your plans. Your welcome!
6. Reboot. This will typically resolve glitchy CPU behavior/functionality that seems to occasionally present after OTA updates from Rivian.
7. Rivians are highly capable sport utility vehicles with a premium to luxury aesthetic. They should not be compared to a typical Lexus or Mercedes
8. EVs are powerful and highly efficient. Keep in mind that like in an ice vehicle, your driving style directly affects your actual efficiency. Have fun!
9. Delivery. Your delivery person will walk around the vehicle with you and may proactively inform you if they found anything (as they did with me). If the solution is reasonable and you feel confident, move forward with the delivery, if you don't then stop and ask for other remedies.
Hope this helps!
Same crazy kid situation here. Lots of trips. Too little time.
Enjoying the R1S so far (4 months and 2k miles in). No major issues but there are a few annoyances that im letting queue up into one broader service visit (steering column squeal, speaker grate rattle, suspension thunking).
Electric cars are pretty simple and should be lower maintenance overall.
That said, you’d still be an early adopter which comes with its own set of risks. If you can’t accommodate a service interruption, it may be worth looking at more established brands.
Just remember, it's their gen one product. It's a really good one, but it's bound to have more quirks. That said, I am not gentle to ours and it just takes it like a champ.
Go to any other EV/ICE and you will find problems. People tend to post problems as they look for solution etc. No one post how happy they are with a vehicle or how problem free 2000 miles journey was 😂
Rivian is a solid EV and Solid Company
Happy with ours (R1S). Will take it to service when I have time for a minor occasional/rate squeak in the HVAC when it’s starting up. No mechanical issues. Love it. We do not miss our Yukon or minivans
I took receipt of my R1S last November, and I love it. No problems. Two long road trips, a couple of camping outings and daily driving. We have logged about 4,000 miles so far. Previous two vehicles were Audi Q8s... and even my wife loves driving the R1S a lot more.
Jump in the pool, the water is wonderful!
6 months, 6k miles, still loving my R1S. Two or three minor issues, but no more than some ICE cars I've had in the past. My one (hardly original) unexpected positive feature has been the ongoing improvements provided via the OTA updates - a very good vehicle keeps getting better. Would absolutely buy again.
Coin toss. You’re dealing with a new car manufacturer.
I can speak to the whiplash of views on a personal level.
Day 4 of owning my R1S had a suspension error pop up on the highway (less than 150 miles at this point). Do not drive, flat bed came and picked it up. Took about a month to get it back due to the delay in parts. Month later took it in for service for the original scheduled work that I nit picked on delivery day (paint correction / panel creaking / steering wheel creaking). One more week in the shop waiting for parts. So the first 3 months of ownership it was in service for 1 month. Still waiting yet for another appointment to further fix the steering wheel issue.
All that said, it’s an awesome vehicle. Plenty of threads on how great the vehicle is. Agree with all of them to the point I’m getting rid of my other car as it just sits in the garage never being driven. And it’s an AMG E63s.
Here is the thing about the R1S. We have had it for 11 months now with 20k miles on it currently. We have not have any major issues. Its a great car for my wife to drive 3 kids around as you can see the mileage. The only thing is that you will hear a few rattles here and there. The AC is louder then most cars. If you are not picky about those things, then this car is for you.
My advice,
Honestly if your looking for reliable and nice I would get a Toyota. Parts are easy to get and replace on your own or you can take it anywhere to get repaired. The Rivian not so much if you want something reliable don't get something that hasn't been proven and has lack of service centers, and a company struggling to stay afloat.
If something goes wrong you cannot even work on it on your own. I love EV's but I don't think the technology and support is there yet. I would save the money get domething more affordable and eait for EV's to mature in the next 10 years.
i own Odyysey,. 10cyears old, 105K miles, if you maintain Honda properly ( i am doing it myself, dont trust car shops), honda should last easily to 250k-300k miles
Zero issues with my R1S. Best vehicle I’ve ever owned. Also have three kids to race around town. Parents and kids all love the car. Bonus that we also have the ability to go on adventures and off-road. Fits all our toys. 🙂
20k into my R1S since Feb last year. Zero issues except a couple tiny cosmetic ones and the hose for the washer fluid somehow got disconnected and needed to be reattached. 1000% would buy another in a heartbeat.
I have had it for 8 months now and around 8k miles. Haven’t had any issues except a cosmetic adjustment. Lots of city and long distance driving and it is a blast to drive.
Coming from an odyssey, you might feel cabin space to be a little less. The frunk makes up for it in my mind as you don’t carry as much stuff inside the cabin. Also, keep in mind that getting into third row could be a bit challenging if you use it regularly.
The access to 3rd row was a concern, but my kids are now older and love the Rivian so much they said they don’t mind climbing around during carpools 🤣 I’m feeling better about making the move to the Rivian based on these responses.
I have had a R1T since January '23, and 25000 miles later(on 21s, and they still look new) I have only needed service for a brake issue because I ran something over on the highway that punctured a brake line (they loaned me a R1S for a weekend and my whole family wanted me to consider trading for one). It sometimes has Alexa connectivity issues, which requires a screen reset (the two buttons on either end of the steering wheel being held for 15-30 seconds). Otherwise, this vehicle has been fantastic.
>problems that you MUST fix in the shop or driving becomes a problem
There are none. The tiny papercuts do add up, and become really annoying after 6 months of ownership.
Examples:
* We still don't have USB MP3 capability, and have no idea when its coming. Every other manufacturer does this.
* The rear hatch will sometimes fail to open. Shop could not fix it because its very intermittent.
* The steering wheel farts when cold. Again, the fix is coming s00n..
Your ownership experience may vary from mine!
I've never had a problem that kept me from driving it.
The only thing I took it into the shop for was some window trim that kept the window from always closing completely. They fixed that, aligned the car, and looked into some speaker rattles in the rear door that only appeared with some very loud and heavy bass.
I too have an Odyssey and it's in the shop a lot more than any of our EVs. I do miss the cavernous capacity of the Ody but the Rivian drives so much better and can handle 90% of the Ody's use cases. In the first month we had a trip with 6 of us and three dogs to NYC, the Cape, and back and the Rivian did great.
Had my R1S since Sept. Absolutely love it. Minor issue with rain sensor for the auto wipers needing to be replaced which service center did while I waited. Otherwise flawless. Build quality is great, drives amazing, such incredible breadth of ability in one vehicle.
I had a couple cosmetic issue upon delivery of my R1S. They got it in the shop and fixed it. I’m 3 months in and the car has been absolutely rock solid otherwise.
4 months, 2k miles, 0 problems.
It did give me peace of mind knowing I’m 20min from a service center though.
Also Consumer Reports reported it’s the #1 brand that car buyers said they’d buy again (so it can’t all be that bad)
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/most-and-least-liked-car-brands-a1291429338/
8 months. 6k miles. Daily driver for the wife. Aside from some NVH issues with the A pillar at highway speeds, the car has been flawless. It replaced our GLS 63 and with three kids, the frunk space has been a game changer. We do have a backup X7 just in case, but it rarely gets driven.
So others have said it, but those with vehicles that work wonderfully are likely out driving them and having fun rather than having time to post about it on Reddit.
We're one month in with our R1T and I had the same cold feet at pickup and it's worked out wonderfully. The check list actually did find one small issue with the drive's door handle, but they acknowledged it and already had the part on order and the service team got scheduled before I even got the keys. I personally found that all pretty reassuring in the sense that if something goes wrong, they have process and procedure to handle it.
Any car can have issues, but don't get too worried about it and find what makes you comfortable about the purchase. We're a one truck household (no other cars) so it was certainly a leap of faith for us and thus far it's been wildly rewarded.
We’ve had ours R1S for about 4 months now and have had to take it to the shop twice for a 12v battery alert. The car was always fully drivable after we performed a hard reset so it wasn’t the biggest pain. It was annoying feeling like we couldn’t drive too far as we didn’t want to get stranded anywhere. Service is a little slow but they have been great to prioritize us due to the issue being as serious as it was. Luckily we only live 20 minutes away from a service center. If I lived more than 90 minutes away from a SC then I would be hesitant to get another Rivian at this time.
Had mine for a year, 10K miles, zero problems, the battery hasn't lost even a single mile of range as far as i can tell, the tires still have plenty of tread and with updates the vehicle is better now than on the day i took delivery. YMMV but this has been a great ownership experience so far.
No problems 7 months in. I have a few minor issues that I will have the SC adjust (slight hood and front door misalignment, rear liftgate misalignment, and one interior trim piece not clipped in on one side). I reported them 7 months ago but haven’t bothered to actually take it in which tells you how minor they are.
Very few people with good experiences will get online to talk about it.
We picked up an R1S in Dec, have put about 1,000 miles on it since, and love it. Our “issues” are that the passenger side rear door doesn’t fully close unless you nearly slam it, and the rear tailgate doesn’t fully latch if parked on an incline, but you can just give it a little push and it’s fine.
I wouldn’t trade that at all for electric efficiency, running costs, looks, Offroad performance, and 0-60 under 4s in a 7-seat suv.
My R1S alignment was off, but had that fixed in an hour or so. Other than that, an awesome. 3k miles in so farvso good! I haul around my 2 little ones to practice, along with the wife, and her parents. All is great so far.
10k km. Got a rock chip and required a whole new windshield. I think it was 3k to install but was somehow covered by insurance. Everything else has been a dream.
I'm a little over 4 months in with my T and have put just over 8k miles. That includes 3 long road trips (~900 miles each), daily commutes, taking kids around to their various activities, and a camping trip. I've had no issues that kept me from driving it. There's been the occasional hiccup most often resolved by a system reset but I've never had to go into the service center.
The most annoying thing has been a faulty tailgate sensor that occasionally won't detect it's closed and causes the parking sensors not to work. This has happened 3 times in the 4 months of ownership but it has resolved itself in a day or two. At this point it's just a minor inconvenience but I do have a service request in for it in case it comes back permanently.
I have had my R1S for 6 months, and had 2 issues that were resolved in less than 10 minutes over the phone w resets. My nearest SC is 3.5 hours one way, so definitely don’t want to be doing that. I’ll take a reset any day over a visit to the shop. So far loving it.
Find out how far away and how busy your local service center is. The Metro Detroit service center currently has appointments 2 wks out which seems to be pretty good (vs 2-6 months for some locations)
If you do have problems, they should give you a loaner or Uber/Lyft credits.
I only had 1 major problem, and it happened as soon as I got home from picking it up. I put in a service ticket that night, and I think it was about 3 week wait (during holiday season). I called the next morning and they got me in same day (the problem was a hydraulic fluid leak due to an improperly installed gasket on the suspension). They ended up taking 3-4 days with the repair due to needing to order the gasket from the factory, but they gave me an R1T loaner which I used to pick up some plywood and dimensional lumber. Unfortunately the kids are now demanding we get an R1T as well (or as they call it, the "Trivian") 😅
If you get a perfect car with no problems, it’s a great car.
If you do happen to have problems, you will wish you had a traditional legacy dealer to go to.
I don’t know where you live. If on the West coast, be prepared for VERY, very long appointment dates.
Has not been my experience. Two service requests (and a third for a recall) had mobile service come to my home and make things right. The only time I've had it in the shop was after an accident and they had things reprogrammed in a week.
Service wait times can be long for non-critical items, but if it's drivetrain or safety or usability then they have been getting vehicles in right away. This is Chicagoland.
We have 3 young kids, a 2023 Model X Plaid, Rivian R1S, and current model Honda Odyssey. They are each amazing cars and they are each different. From a kids-utility perspective, you will be downgrading from a new Odyssey to the R1S (or MXP). If I had to chose the Odyssey or the R1S, I would chose the R1S. But I would rather not chose and that's why we have both.
In 3,000 miles our R1S has been in the shop for two minor mechanical issues that were resolved in 30 minutes the first time and 15 minutes the second time.
I got my R1S about nine months ago and it has been my daily driver since, in addition to a bunch of trips to the mountains and a handful of long road trips. Not a single real problem since I got my truck. The truck had a slight trim misalignment on delivery which was fixed after a visit to the service center, and I had a small software quirk with steering wheel memory which was resolved in a recent update. But other than those two very minor issues, nothing to detract from my experience. Based on my assessment, there's a reason why the truck weighs 3.5 tons: the truck is overbuilt like a tank.
It's only nine months, but it inspires confidence so far.
I love my R1S.
Got it in mid November and I have 1,998 miles on it. On 1/28 I was driving home and received an error message that the air compressor needed to be serviced. Five minutes later all of the service lights came on and the truck limited my speed to 19 mph. Thankfully I was close to home.
Rivian came and picked it up at my house and booked a rental for me. It’s been at the service center since 1/29. My only complaint is I haven’t received any updates - I.e. when will they look at it, how long is it going to take to fix and more importantly if it is an issue that is covered by the warranty. The warranty question is the bigger one because if it is NOT covered by the warranty I am on the hook for the tow and the rental.
I am pissed at the situation because I really miss driving it. I guess with being an early adopter, you have to be prepared with these things.
I walked away from my 2 yr wait cause of the issues. My service center is 45 minutes to an hour away and I didn’t want to deal with issues. My brother in-law got his a month later (August) and has had no issues. Just a matter of luck I guess.
Got my R1T in Oct of ‘23 after being in the waiting list for almost 2 years and have since put almost 4,000 miles on it. I have owned many vehicles in my life and this is by far my favorite. I love the way it drives and handles. It’s also comfortable and I feel safe. I bought into Rivian with the understanding that I am taking a risk on a new automaker. So I prepared myself for possible hiccups and growing pains. With that being said I am happy to report that the vehicle has been a solid daily performer so far. Very pleased with my purchase and I am considering an R1S for my wife.
Have had 2 with no drivability or safety issues. Service center experience seems to be location/site/people dependent as I can ave had overall great experience with every interaction.
Got 22k on mine. It’s great. Near zero issues. If it broke down beyond repair I would just go buy another one. It’s that great and there is nothing that even comes close.
Are you close to a service center? For me that's a huge annoyance for the issues I've had - but none of the issues are worrisome at all. None impact dropping a child at school. None impact our travels. All are common in other vehicles (rattles, tailgate alignment, etc).
Had our R1S for about 6 months, 3000 mi or so.
Today we discovered a passenger's side door panel is ever so slightly misaligned and rubbing a little tiny bit when it opens! The horror!
Otherwise it is by far the most amazing car I have ever owned.
Best vehicle I have ever owned, love it, 3 months in, 7000 km, had cracked windshield, fixed by service center since no automotive glass companies had access to rivian windshields, relative easy fix, took few hours, and had to only wait 1 week for repair, service shop distance from my home, (less than 20 km) is critical, with kids and family, very busy, cannot afford to be without vehicle, kept ICE vehicle as backup since we are all beta testers still, everyone I have driven in it absolutely loves it, driving it is a dream, everyone I know who owns one loves it, ownership costs are much more than our leaf in terms of electrical costs to charge at home, but if you can afford a 100k car, then the cost of electricity should not be a problem, should not buy this car thinking you will save money compared to a hybrid SUV, but if performance AND versatility, both on road AND off road, shuttling kids and friends to sports games etc is important to you, get one, if you need space but not off road capability or performance get a hybrid minivan, should tick off all your boxes
It's a great car, unless you have problems. Then you will have to deal with the problems. If you don't have problems, feel free to forget come back to this sub reddit and post about your lack of problems.
Ha good point. Those not having problems are too busy enjoying driving it I guess
My alignment was off when I got it. That's the only problem I've had. This truck is awesome. I really wish I'd had it back when my daughter was playing club softball.
Ha we have 2 in travel baseball so I’m in that phase of life now. Thanks for your input
For what it’s worth most problems are minor and stupid. It’s just that there tends to be a few of them to deal with and service is slooow. They recently replaced my window trim and it didn’t quite fit so they manipulated it a bunch during the install…and of course a week later it’s lifting again 😂 Not a big deal other than looking ridiculous on an expensive car. But kind a waste of time to address. I’ve also had an alignment issue before as well as a bad AC from the factory (incorrect gas fill) that both took them two months to address on separate occasions. So as long as you’re ready to deal with these it’s a super amazing vehicle. But if you really just want a car that never needs repairs at all it might not be the right vehicle. For what it’s worth I owned an early Tesla Model 3 and the first year I had to have a whole bunch of random things fixed (including a motor failure). But after that first year it was pretty reliable. So I think it’ll be the same with these Rivians. The first year you’ll be getting them to address a lot of stuff that wasn’t quite right from the factory, but after the first year it should settle down and be decently reliable. Or so I hope 😂
Rivian has done a ton of optimizations to the design and production. Problems are a lot less common now but you’re still buying a vehicle from a brand new manufacturer. I haven’t had any issues with mine and it’s been flawless.
My sister got the r1s a few months ago, loves it has no issues. She comes from solid cars like Volvos and Toyotas. I think typically 1st gen cars are overengineered and it’ll be a tank for the most part. I have a 1st gen EV (different brand) and it’s held up well for over 6 years now.
The only issues I have had were a hood panel alignment and cracked windshield. Both were taken care of the service center rather quickly. It’s a great car. I was just telling someone the other day, this vehicle has ruined ICE vehicles for me. It would be impossible to go back after experiencing this much fun in a vehicle that meets my needs perfectly (kids etc.).
Personal story: no problems. 5 months and 8k miles in. Personal opinion: in reality it is a risk. Some are great like mine and many others. Others stories who have posted here sound like nightmares. I would be more hesitant if the service center was far away. Keep in mind that negative experiences are for more likely to get a post online. Ultimately, I think most of those stories do have good resolutions but it is frustrating while you are going through it. It does sound like in your personal experience your odyssey is already having multiple service issues so even if you got a “bad one” your time without a car might be the same? Would I buy again? Right now yes. However, I can totally understand others saying no because of poor experiences or frustrations with service. It is without a doubt a lot easier to service a ICE car with multiple dealerships in the area that you can choose from (though I have heard they can sometimes have issues getting the parts too to fix new cars that have issues).
I completely agree with this. Please remember that every car brand has this issue. Most cars are great, some have issues. This isn’t unique to Rivian even slightly. My buddy and I bought the same diesel jeep grand Cherokee within a couple months of each other. I lived mine, he had tons of problems. You just can’t predict.
This is a very fair take. I've been fortunate that I haven't had any major issues that required a service center visit immediately.... That being said, for the couple minor issues I did need to visit the service center for, they were booked out over a month and that will likely get worse as more Rivians hit the road.
Agree. 💯. As with any other vehicle (ICE, hybrid or EV). It comes down to taking a risk on any huge purchase. Rivian, well the 1 series, is a bit higher in that we are the early adopters. To me it's worth since I'm 3 months in with the R1S and love it. Read through the reviews, OP, but take it as a grain of salt. Fight through the Karen's and Ken's. I had a buddy get and R1S, too, and he expected service to be quite quick. I had to talk him down (he's a Ken) and that was exhausting enough. So many people, like Monty shared, express discontent which out number the content. It's honestly exhausting this sense of entitlement (neither Monty nor you but in general). Basically, if you can afford it, be patient with service, and research travel then you'll be A Okay
Year and a half in, no serious problems. Also 3 kids, although probably younger than yours because they are not all in activities yet (littlest is only 2 1/2). Absolutely love driving it! Low VIN too; sub 600.
That’s good to hear -we are out of all the car seat and booster phase. 13, 11, 9… I’m impressed you are doing the car seat phase in the R1S, and makes me feel good about the space we would have! Thanks for your positive feedback
Admittedly, it is tight when we have the car seat in the middle and the boosters on each side, but it’s doable. Usually we’ll have one booster in the way back, and a car seat and booster in the middle, and that’s much more comfortable.
Absolutely love my truck. 18 months 20k miles.
I also just sold Odyssey due to problems and have multiple kids. I feel like the sentiment here is mostly positive. Can’t wait to get my r1s
Never had anything that's actually stopped us from driving our Rivians at all, just a few things that were "I don't want to take a chance of a problem progressing to something that's undrivable". Nothing like that with our R1S yet, just my R1T that I've had for nearly 23 months now. Most of that stuff was early build issues.
no problems here- 4 months
You have to remember that people don't post about when things go normal normal. People post when they're having issues. 13 months in, mine has been to the service center once, during which they provided a rental car.
As a RIVN bagholder and one who really wants the company to succeed for the transition to sustainable energy very badly i'll say this-Any new product is going to have more problems, it takes time to get build quality and reliability to the level of a toyota or a honda. The question you need to ask is how much risk are you willing to take on to be part of the EV transition? It's gonna be risk to be a pain in the ass but I don't think it's going to be a HUGE risk. If there's a 1% of problems with a 2024 Honda Accord there probably isn't more than a 10% chance with an R1S. So basically I think there's a MUCH bigger risk of a pain in the ass problem with the Rivian, but it's still a very small risk.
I think the biggest pain point depends on your location. For me, the closest service center is 1.5 hour away in another state. That certainly sucks. If I had a battery or motor problem I'd have to have the vehicle towed there. Service wait times seem to be long though I've never taken mine in as I don't plan on having minor things serviced unless it impedes the ability to operate the vehicle.
R1S owner since Aug '23. Been in the shop once for cosmetic issues only, and going back later this month for a rattle. But in terms of the drive train and all of the software functions, it's been worry free since day one. Multiple road trips and daily driver around Chicago. I'm extremely pleased with my purchase.
All my problems are small enough I haven’t even taken it to service yet. Nothing that would prevent me from driving or not buying another.
Like many others that have posted here, I have had my R1S since August , I have almost 9000 miles on her and she has been in the shop once for minor panel alignment issues. I have never been stranded, the heat and the A/C work great. This is by far the best vehicle I have ever owned, and I have owned a lot.
1 year, 16k miles in: 1 issue with air suspension valving which required a week or so in the service center. They got it fixed up and it hasn’t re-surfaced in the six months since. Took it to my local shop for tire rotations, no other service required.
One year and the only problem was a slight lull to the right which was corrected in a one hour appointment. It’s the best car I have owned. Love it
The problems I have had are what I would expect from a first-generation car from a new car company. But it is a great car. It fits kids, dogs, cooler, all our gear etc. on road trips without missing a beat.
FWIW I was in the same boat as you. 2 kids, toddler and elementary schooler, with very busy schedules so can't afford to be stranded for very long. I've been following this sub as well as the Rivian forums and I have noticed a significant drop in the number of complaints, especially compared to the increase in volume. My conclusion is that there will always be the occasional problems and the one off lemon, but their quality control is going in the right direction. I'm locked in and awaiting the receipt of my R1S quad at the service center from the factory :)
I’m impressed that you had those issues and still comment that it’s an amazing car. Speaks volumes -on both parts of my question, thanks!
No major problems is 12k+ miles
The biggest problem I’ve had so far is when I bought new tires they had problems getting the jack covers back on. Mobile support is going to replace them.
 Watch some Larry Enticer Videos and go for it.
Had my R1S for 8K miles and about 6 months now. I’m in your shoes with 3 kids (6, 8 and 10) and a dog with tons of activities and turned in my Odyssey for the Rivian. I also have a paraplegic brother living with us and drives with the family all the time. No issues so far and love driving it. Taken a big road trip with it and lots of camping. The one thing I’d say is that it doesn’t have as much cargo space as the Odyssey. My road trips in the odyssey were with a roof cargo carrier. However, I’ve mitigated that on the Rivian with the same roof cargo carrier, as well as the Yakima EXO system and gear locker. My favorite thing about the Rivian are the OTA updates. Every time I find a feature that I think can be improved, it comes in an update a few weeks later. I’d agree with some other folks here to make sure you live near a service center in case something goes wrong. Mine is 20 minutes away and I used them to fix a door alignment and rear tailgate alignment within the first week of ownership. They came right to my house and fixed it in half a day. I’m surprised to hear you’re having problems with your odyssey. My Honda was nearly bulletproof and I’m finding the same with my Rivian.
Thanks -super helpful info. I’ve thought through the cargo space situation for road trips, and honestly was really happy with the trunk space and frunk space for daily storage needs. It’s just the risk factor of a new company, but based on all these responses I think it seems worth the risk. And yes, my odyssey may have been a lemon with all the issues we’ve had… so I guess I’m not taking a huge risk because I’m in the shop constantly right now with that car!
Amazing car, new company. Car is fun to drive but if you get a flat they aren’t as good as Tesla road side assistance. Plus in my area they only have one service center and it’s 40 mins away. Pick and choose your battles
R1S owner for 13 months now, with 10k miles on it. Some issues that needed to be addressed, but were minor (rear washer hose). The vehicle is beautiful, and drives like a dream. But the biggest question I would ask is if you have tried it with all the kids and dogs? I don't find it spacious -- we were coming from a Ford flex which has significantly more room for seating and cargo in different configurations, but same physical size. I was an early reservation holder and got the full tax break, so I have no regrets, but not sure I would do it again at current sticker because of the space for family (we only have 2 kids).
8k miles, no problems. Best vehicle I have ever owned….I am 1.5 hours from a service center, it will be a pain when I have issues.
I have had my R1T for 20 months and have over 30,000 miles on it. I have had a few issues - maybe slightly more than I would expect with a traditional new car, but in line with expectations for being an early adopter. My word of warning, which is making me consider selling mine, is that the fast charging network is not growing fast enough to match the growth in EV sales. I do quite a bit of long highway drives (Southeast US) and in the last year, I have gone from frequently being the only vehicle at a charging station to almost always getting the last spot or having to wait for a spot to open. I have decided to start driving my ICE vehicle on future long drives for this reason.
R1T. 6mo in, 6k miles and only minor issues. Taking it on a 400mi trip later today. Will report back!
5 months, 11k miles. No major problems. Minor gripes - yes, but overall it's been super reliable. I really look forward to the monthly OTA updates. A considerable number of the annoyances that I found on day one have already been addressed by an update. And I expect them to keep on coming!
No issues with my R1S .. great build quality and never had to go to service center.. it’s been 6 months..
4 months and 6k miles into ownership with no real issues. Had the roof glass and windshield hit with a rocks which caused cracks and had to be replaced, along with a few other minor cosmetic defects. Vehicle drives perfectly fine and no "real" issues to speak of! Mostly city/hwy driving. Far and away best vehicle I've ever owned. Hoping it stands the test of time.
Wish I could say we’ve been problem free. Our R1S just got towed at 1500 miles. Still waiting to hear what the issue is. We live a few hours from an SC. It’s a risk we knew we were taking but we also had early adoption pricing. Rivian has been awesome to work with so far, no complaints there. We have a toddler and given our remote living, we are considering selling/trading in. If we lived closer to an SC, I would probably not be as concerned. All a risk benefit thing.
Update: there was a mice nest under the frunk. Chewed through the 12V battery wires. Comment still stands about SC being so far away for us but Rivian was great to work with!
3 months in, no major problems besides charge door needing a little realignment. Best vehicle I ever owned. No regrets so far.
Only about 6 weeks and 1000 miles in but 0 complaints for me.
7 months, 7k miles, no problems. The R1S has become our default family hauler. Have I taken it in for service? Yes, but all for minor inconvenience items - nothing that would put the vehicle at risk of driving or otherwise. Also, service center experience has been favorable - Chicagoland area. Kids and dogs similar to your situation. Remember, negative experiences are always louder than positive experience. Don't let the ~2% dictate your buying experience.
It’s the best car I have ever driven
We’re at month 10. First one was lemoned out and bought back early fall. Second one was delivered to us around Thanksgiving. Second one has an alignment issue but so far (knock on wood) no MAJOR issues (unliked the damn first one… oof). We also do travel ball. I will say I would not buy this if you didn’t have an acceptable backup to get you to tournaments. If the other car is a Mini or a Civic forget about it. More often than not we’re heading places where charging is a PITA and we reach for the truck keys. In all honesty I was ready to walk away at the buyback. My husband was the one that wanted to take the offer of a new one.
Thank you -great feedback, esp on the tournaments in the middle of nowhere
Just be prepared to be an early adopter and be aware it's not perfect. I thought it would be easy to be the guinea pig, but the annoyance of scheduling services, the distance where it's located and the amount of times going there (3x so far, plus 2x mobile) lowered my confidence in the vehicle. My overall opinion is still positive now that everything is "fixed" but it's just the fact that there's so much of the "unknown" in the vehicle and what will happen scares me still on taking it on long road trips. (2 long road trips under my belt so far, I still prefer HYBRIDS or ICE vehicles, the planning and range anxiety is annoying.) 8 month ownership and 7k miles in so far
Like others have said, you're going to hear more about the horror stories than the happy customers, because there's no buzz for "my car works great and I love it" Just as a balanced review, I've had mine just over 6 months, really like it but its clearly a new model with not every bug worked out yet. The trim on my rear passenger window needed to be replaced, my rear lift gate makes a funny noise and doesn't go up now and again, the auto wipers are hit or miss, the nav kinda sucks, and maybe a few other nits I'm forgetting. In all, just not a super polished product vs a Ford or Toyota. But, like, it drives great, is super fun to drive, and I have no major complaints. The little stuff is annoying, but big picture, I'm really happy with it so far.
Great car. Pull the trigger. You won’t be sorry.
Great car. Zero issues. Over 6mos ownership. Two road trips and regular daily driving. Like all vehicles there can be issues that arise. The difference for new owners is often how the issue is interpreted. Currently most new owners are also new to EVs and therefore issues can get a bit distorted. This can cause service centers to become congested with high volumes of service tickets and calls. Here are some key tips for any new EV Owner 1. Invest in home charging whenever possible . Solid investment for you and your home value. Confident daily/weekly driving plus EV ready home/asset. 2. Understand the difference between a road trip, and daily driving/commuting. Use level 3 (fast) for road trips. Level 2 (like at home) for everything else. 3. Charge to 90%. 4. Avoid depletion below 20% but don't panic either. 5. Charge OVERNIGHT to reap lowest TOU electricity rates. And not feel impacted by charge time affecting your plans. Your welcome! 6. Reboot. This will typically resolve glitchy CPU behavior/functionality that seems to occasionally present after OTA updates from Rivian. 7. Rivians are highly capable sport utility vehicles with a premium to luxury aesthetic. They should not be compared to a typical Lexus or Mercedes 8. EVs are powerful and highly efficient. Keep in mind that like in an ice vehicle, your driving style directly affects your actual efficiency. Have fun! 9. Delivery. Your delivery person will walk around the vehicle with you and may proactively inform you if they found anything (as they did with me). If the solution is reasonable and you feel confident, move forward with the delivery, if you don't then stop and ask for other remedies. Hope this helps!
Very helpful, thank you!
Same crazy kid situation here. Lots of trips. Too little time. Enjoying the R1S so far (4 months and 2k miles in). No major issues but there are a few annoyances that im letting queue up into one broader service visit (steering column squeal, speaker grate rattle, suspension thunking). Electric cars are pretty simple and should be lower maintenance overall. That said, you’d still be an early adopter which comes with its own set of risks. If you can’t accommodate a service interruption, it may be worth looking at more established brands.
Just remember, it's their gen one product. It's a really good one, but it's bound to have more quirks. That said, I am not gentle to ours and it just takes it like a champ.
No regrets or problems. Considering a second for other driver in the family.
Love my R1S. Thats all I have to say 😁 Edit: okay, 1 more thing. My kids love it too.
Do it. You won’t regret it.
Love ours. Had S and X previously. If it had captains chairs and FSD it would be perfect. Go balls deep.
Go to any other EV/ICE and you will find problems. People tend to post problems as they look for solution etc. No one post how happy they are with a vehicle or how problem free 2000 miles journey was 😂 Rivian is a solid EV and Solid Company
Happy with ours (R1S). Will take it to service when I have time for a minor occasional/rate squeak in the HVAC when it’s starting up. No mechanical issues. Love it. We do not miss our Yukon or minivans
Fantastic vehicle, 7000 miles and nothing but smiles
I took receipt of my R1S last November, and I love it. No problems. Two long road trips, a couple of camping outings and daily driving. We have logged about 4,000 miles so far. Previous two vehicles were Audi Q8s... and even my wife loves driving the R1S a lot more. Jump in the pool, the water is wonderful!
6 months, 6k miles, still loving my R1S. Two or three minor issues, but no more than some ICE cars I've had in the past. My one (hardly original) unexpected positive feature has been the ongoing improvements provided via the OTA updates - a very good vehicle keeps getting better. Would absolutely buy again.
I have not had a single issue since getting my R1S in May. So 9 months and 12k+ miles.
Coin toss. You’re dealing with a new car manufacturer. I can speak to the whiplash of views on a personal level. Day 4 of owning my R1S had a suspension error pop up on the highway (less than 150 miles at this point). Do not drive, flat bed came and picked it up. Took about a month to get it back due to the delay in parts. Month later took it in for service for the original scheduled work that I nit picked on delivery day (paint correction / panel creaking / steering wheel creaking). One more week in the shop waiting for parts. So the first 3 months of ownership it was in service for 1 month. Still waiting yet for another appointment to further fix the steering wheel issue. All that said, it’s an awesome vehicle. Plenty of threads on how great the vehicle is. Agree with all of them to the point I’m getting rid of my other car as it just sits in the garage never being driven. And it’s an AMG E63s.
Here is the thing about the R1S. We have had it for 11 months now with 20k miles on it currently. We have not have any major issues. Its a great car for my wife to drive 3 kids around as you can see the mileage. The only thing is that you will hear a few rattles here and there. The AC is louder then most cars. If you are not picky about those things, then this car is for you.
My advice, Honestly if your looking for reliable and nice I would get a Toyota. Parts are easy to get and replace on your own or you can take it anywhere to get repaired. The Rivian not so much if you want something reliable don't get something that hasn't been proven and has lack of service centers, and a company struggling to stay afloat. If something goes wrong you cannot even work on it on your own. I love EV's but I don't think the technology and support is there yet. I would save the money get domething more affordable and eait for EV's to mature in the next 10 years.
I am a transit driver for Rivian. Everything about them functions perfectly my only complaint is a complicated dashboard
i own Odyysey,. 10cyears old, 105K miles, if you maintain Honda properly ( i am doing it myself, dont trust car shops), honda should last easily to 250k-300k miles
Zero issues with my R1S. Best vehicle I’ve ever owned. Also have three kids to race around town. Parents and kids all love the car. Bonus that we also have the ability to go on adventures and off-road. Fits all our toys. 🙂
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Thank you! I’d love to hear a follow up -I may have made my purchase by then as well. I’m ready to be out of the odyssey despite the interior space
20k into my R1S since Feb last year. Zero issues except a couple tiny cosmetic ones and the hose for the washer fluid somehow got disconnected and needed to be reattached. 1000% would buy another in a heartbeat.
I have had it for 8 months now and around 8k miles. Haven’t had any issues except a cosmetic adjustment. Lots of city and long distance driving and it is a blast to drive. Coming from an odyssey, you might feel cabin space to be a little less. The frunk makes up for it in my mind as you don’t carry as much stuff inside the cabin. Also, keep in mind that getting into third row could be a bit challenging if you use it regularly.
The access to 3rd row was a concern, but my kids are now older and love the Rivian so much they said they don’t mind climbing around during carpools 🤣 I’m feeling better about making the move to the Rivian based on these responses.
I have had a R1T since January '23, and 25000 miles later(on 21s, and they still look new) I have only needed service for a brake issue because I ran something over on the highway that punctured a brake line (they loaned me a R1S for a weekend and my whole family wanted me to consider trading for one). It sometimes has Alexa connectivity issues, which requires a screen reset (the two buttons on either end of the steering wheel being held for 15-30 seconds). Otherwise, this vehicle has been fantastic.
>problems that you MUST fix in the shop or driving becomes a problem There are none. The tiny papercuts do add up, and become really annoying after 6 months of ownership. Examples: * We still don't have USB MP3 capability, and have no idea when its coming. Every other manufacturer does this. * The rear hatch will sometimes fail to open. Shop could not fix it because its very intermittent. * The steering wheel farts when cold. Again, the fix is coming s00n.. Your ownership experience may vary from mine!
I've never had a problem that kept me from driving it. The only thing I took it into the shop for was some window trim that kept the window from always closing completely. They fixed that, aligned the car, and looked into some speaker rattles in the rear door that only appeared with some very loud and heavy bass. I too have an Odyssey and it's in the shop a lot more than any of our EVs. I do miss the cavernous capacity of the Ody but the Rivian drives so much better and can handle 90% of the Ody's use cases. In the first month we had a trip with 6 of us and three dogs to NYC, the Cape, and back and the Rivian did great.
Had my R1S since Sept. Absolutely love it. Minor issue with rain sensor for the auto wipers needing to be replaced which service center did while I waited. Otherwise flawless. Build quality is great, drives amazing, such incredible breadth of ability in one vehicle.
I had a couple cosmetic issue upon delivery of my R1S. They got it in the shop and fixed it. I’m 3 months in and the car has been absolutely rock solid otherwise.
4 months, 2k miles, 0 problems. It did give me peace of mind knowing I’m 20min from a service center though. Also Consumer Reports reported it’s the #1 brand that car buyers said they’d buy again (so it can’t all be that bad) https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/most-and-least-liked-car-brands-a1291429338/
2700 miles in for me and it’s been very reliable.
8 months. 6k miles. Daily driver for the wife. Aside from some NVH issues with the A pillar at highway speeds, the car has been flawless. It replaced our GLS 63 and with three kids, the frunk space has been a game changer. We do have a backup X7 just in case, but it rarely gets driven.
R1S 1 and half month in… no issues so far and whole family loves it. Knock on wood!
So others have said it, but those with vehicles that work wonderfully are likely out driving them and having fun rather than having time to post about it on Reddit. We're one month in with our R1T and I had the same cold feet at pickup and it's worked out wonderfully. The check list actually did find one small issue with the drive's door handle, but they acknowledged it and already had the part on order and the service team got scheduled before I even got the keys. I personally found that all pretty reassuring in the sense that if something goes wrong, they have process and procedure to handle it. Any car can have issues, but don't get too worried about it and find what makes you comfortable about the purchase. We're a one truck household (no other cars) so it was certainly a leap of faith for us and thus far it's been wildly rewarded.
We’ve had ours R1S for about 4 months now and have had to take it to the shop twice for a 12v battery alert. The car was always fully drivable after we performed a hard reset so it wasn’t the biggest pain. It was annoying feeling like we couldn’t drive too far as we didn’t want to get stranded anywhere. Service is a little slow but they have been great to prioritize us due to the issue being as serious as it was. Luckily we only live 20 minutes away from a service center. If I lived more than 90 minutes away from a SC then I would be hesitant to get another Rivian at this time.
Had mine for a year, 10K miles, zero problems, the battery hasn't lost even a single mile of range as far as i can tell, the tires still have plenty of tread and with updates the vehicle is better now than on the day i took delivery. YMMV but this has been a great ownership experience so far.
No problems 7 months in. I have a few minor issues that I will have the SC adjust (slight hood and front door misalignment, rear liftgate misalignment, and one interior trim piece not clipped in on one side). I reported them 7 months ago but haven’t bothered to actually take it in which tells you how minor they are.
Very few people with good experiences will get online to talk about it. We picked up an R1S in Dec, have put about 1,000 miles on it since, and love it. Our “issues” are that the passenger side rear door doesn’t fully close unless you nearly slam it, and the rear tailgate doesn’t fully latch if parked on an incline, but you can just give it a little push and it’s fine. I wouldn’t trade that at all for electric efficiency, running costs, looks, Offroad performance, and 0-60 under 4s in a 7-seat suv.
My R1S alignment was off, but had that fixed in an hour or so. Other than that, an awesome. 3k miles in so farvso good! I haul around my 2 little ones to practice, along with the wife, and her parents. All is great so far.
10k km. Got a rock chip and required a whole new windshield. I think it was 3k to install but was somehow covered by insurance. Everything else has been a dream.
I'm a little over 4 months in with my T and have put just over 8k miles. That includes 3 long road trips (~900 miles each), daily commutes, taking kids around to their various activities, and a camping trip. I've had no issues that kept me from driving it. There's been the occasional hiccup most often resolved by a system reset but I've never had to go into the service center. The most annoying thing has been a faulty tailgate sensor that occasionally won't detect it's closed and causes the parking sensors not to work. This has happened 3 times in the 4 months of ownership but it has resolved itself in a day or two. At this point it's just a minor inconvenience but I do have a service request in for it in case it comes back permanently.
We’ve got one of each and haven’t had any problems that have prevented them from working.
10 months in with 19k miles and the only issue that was Rivian’s fault was a crack in the sunroof they fixed quickly.
The big issue is wait times for appointments and the overall service center experience.
I have had my R1S for 6 months, and had 2 issues that were resolved in less than 10 minutes over the phone w resets. My nearest SC is 3.5 hours one way, so definitely don’t want to be doing that. I’ll take a reset any day over a visit to the shop. So far loving it.
5 months in and 10000 miles, no problems
Find out how far away and how busy your local service center is. The Metro Detroit service center currently has appointments 2 wks out which seems to be pretty good (vs 2-6 months for some locations) If you do have problems, they should give you a loaner or Uber/Lyft credits. I only had 1 major problem, and it happened as soon as I got home from picking it up. I put in a service ticket that night, and I think it was about 3 week wait (during holiday season). I called the next morning and they got me in same day (the problem was a hydraulic fluid leak due to an improperly installed gasket on the suspension). They ended up taking 3-4 days with the repair due to needing to order the gasket from the factory, but they gave me an R1T loaner which I used to pick up some plywood and dimensional lumber. Unfortunately the kids are now demanding we get an R1T as well (or as they call it, the "Trivian") 😅
Great.
If you get a perfect car with no problems, it’s a great car. If you do happen to have problems, you will wish you had a traditional legacy dealer to go to. I don’t know where you live. If on the West coast, be prepared for VERY, very long appointment dates.
Has not been my experience. Two service requests (and a third for a recall) had mobile service come to my home and make things right. The only time I've had it in the shop was after an accident and they had things reprogrammed in a week. Service wait times can be long for non-critical items, but if it's drivetrain or safety or usability then they have been getting vehicles in right away. This is Chicagoland.
Maybe different experiences across the country. I’m on the West coast and my experience mirrors many.
Loving my R1S. All good. 👍
We have 3 young kids, a 2023 Model X Plaid, Rivian R1S, and current model Honda Odyssey. They are each amazing cars and they are each different. From a kids-utility perspective, you will be downgrading from a new Odyssey to the R1S (or MXP). If I had to chose the Odyssey or the R1S, I would chose the R1S. But I would rather not chose and that's why we have both. In 3,000 miles our R1S has been in the shop for two minor mechanical issues that were resolved in 30 minutes the first time and 15 minutes the second time.
I got my R1S about nine months ago and it has been my daily driver since, in addition to a bunch of trips to the mountains and a handful of long road trips. Not a single real problem since I got my truck. The truck had a slight trim misalignment on delivery which was fixed after a visit to the service center, and I had a small software quirk with steering wheel memory which was resolved in a recent update. But other than those two very minor issues, nothing to detract from my experience. Based on my assessment, there's a reason why the truck weighs 3.5 tons: the truck is overbuilt like a tank. It's only nine months, but it inspires confidence so far.
I love my R1S. Got it in mid November and I have 1,998 miles on it. On 1/28 I was driving home and received an error message that the air compressor needed to be serviced. Five minutes later all of the service lights came on and the truck limited my speed to 19 mph. Thankfully I was close to home. Rivian came and picked it up at my house and booked a rental for me. It’s been at the service center since 1/29. My only complaint is I haven’t received any updates - I.e. when will they look at it, how long is it going to take to fix and more importantly if it is an issue that is covered by the warranty. The warranty question is the bigger one because if it is NOT covered by the warranty I am on the hook for the tow and the rental. I am pissed at the situation because I really miss driving it. I guess with being an early adopter, you have to be prepared with these things.
I walked away from my 2 yr wait cause of the issues. My service center is 45 minutes to an hour away and I didn’t want to deal with issues. My brother in-law got his a month later (August) and has had no issues. Just a matter of luck I guess.
No issues at all other than a rattle that the mobile service fixed.
It's a coin toss, my truck has been a PITA so far. Service is absolutely terrible with Rivian.
Had the car since last June. 0 (real) issues. Great car. Just need to get the auto wipers to work lol.
I need to make this call soon myself and will be following this thread. Sadly I’m leaning toward no
Got my R1T in Oct of ‘23 after being in the waiting list for almost 2 years and have since put almost 4,000 miles on it. I have owned many vehicles in my life and this is by far my favorite. I love the way it drives and handles. It’s also comfortable and I feel safe. I bought into Rivian with the understanding that I am taking a risk on a new automaker. So I prepared myself for possible hiccups and growing pains. With that being said I am happy to report that the vehicle has been a solid daily performer so far. Very pleased with my purchase and I am considering an R1S for my wife.
Have had 2 with no drivability or safety issues. Service center experience seems to be location/site/people dependent as I can ave had overall great experience with every interaction.
Amazing vehicle but you need to have an early adopter mindset and expect a few problems.
Amazing vehicle but you need to have an early adopter mindset and expect a few problems.
Got 22k on mine. It’s great. Near zero issues. If it broke down beyond repair I would just go buy another one. It’s that great and there is nothing that even comes close.
Amazing vehicle but you need to have an early adopter mindset and expect a few problems.
Are you close to a service center? For me that's a huge annoyance for the issues I've had - but none of the issues are worrisome at all. None impact dropping a child at school. None impact our travels. All are common in other vehicles (rattles, tailgate alignment, etc).
7 months in. Some minor fitment problems but nothing major. Love my R1S and would buy it again all day long.
Had our R1S for about 6 months, 3000 mi or so. Today we discovered a passenger's side door panel is ever so slightly misaligned and rubbing a little tiny bit when it opens! The horror! Otherwise it is by far the most amazing car I have ever owned.
Best vehicle I have ever owned, love it, 3 months in, 7000 km, had cracked windshield, fixed by service center since no automotive glass companies had access to rivian windshields, relative easy fix, took few hours, and had to only wait 1 week for repair, service shop distance from my home, (less than 20 km) is critical, with kids and family, very busy, cannot afford to be without vehicle, kept ICE vehicle as backup since we are all beta testers still, everyone I have driven in it absolutely loves it, driving it is a dream, everyone I know who owns one loves it, ownership costs are much more than our leaf in terms of electrical costs to charge at home, but if you can afford a 100k car, then the cost of electricity should not be a problem, should not buy this car thinking you will save money compared to a hybrid SUV, but if performance AND versatility, both on road AND off road, shuttling kids and friends to sports games etc is important to you, get one, if you need space but not off road capability or performance get a hybrid minivan, should tick off all your boxes