# Rivian R1S

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/rivian-r1s/

5 people recommended Rivian R1S in Hacker News comments, 4 had mixed feelings and 5 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 12 months, in 5 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Owners praise its family-friendly form factor and design, and say it's their favorite car they've owned. Critics report reliability and maintenance problems, and weak infotainment software.

Summary written by Claude from 13 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 12 of those comments still count.

## Why people recommend it

- Praised design and form factor (2 comments in the sample): "one of their form factors (R1S) is perfect for my family" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49075134)) "I think it's a brilliant design for a couple of reasons" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45794739))

## What people warn about

- Reliability and maintenance problems (3 comments in the sample): "My R1S was a hunk of junk. It was the worst experience I’ve ever had with a car" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49375686)) "the quality and constant maintenance issues were unacceptable" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46970748)) "Their reliability just suck." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46971085))

## Other electric SUVs people recommend

- [Tesla Model Y](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tesla-model-y/): 88 recommend, 44 mixed, 94 criticize
- [Rivian R2](https://hackerapproved.com/p/rivian-r2/): 19 recommend, 13 mixed, 22 criticize
- [Tesla Model X](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tesla-model-x/): 13 recommend, 3 mixed, 38 criticize
- [Kia EV6](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kia-ev6/): 9 recommend, 1 mixed, 5 criticize

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://rivian.com/)

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Rivian R1S", https://hackerapproved.com/p/rivian-r1s/ (5 recommend, 4 mixed, 5 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.