Rivian R1T
Ranked 5 of 5 electric pickup trucks by recommenders
More people criticize it than recommend it. Owners praise its trail capability and strong enthusiasm; critics cite weight, inefficiency, a small bed and costly body repairs.
7 people recommended Rivian R1T in Hacker News comments, 3 had mixed feelings and 9 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
Summary written by Claude from the comments below.
19 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- mixed feelings
- 3
- warn against or regret it
- 9
The record
Recommended in 4 of 12 months
In 5 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 4 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
- Recommended in 5 threadsNeeds 5 or more, met.
- The biggest thread supplies 43% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 17 of the 19 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Heavy and resource-intensive build
“ruining the roads more, using more resources to make that battery. Basically the Rivian model.”
Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright” “Rivians are wildly heavy and inefficient compared to the rest of the industry.”
Comment from 11 Feb 2026 in “Rivian R2: Electric Mid-Size SUV” Small bed
“The bed is only 4.5' long.”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Ford kills the All-Electric F-150” “The bed is also too small.”
Comment from 15 Jan 2026 in “Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales” Costly body repairs and collisions
“So a $42,000 rear bumper replacement seems exorbitant”
Comment from 16 Dec 2025 in “Ford kills the All-Electric F-150” “And have you seen the stories about fender benders?”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Ford kills the All-Electric F-150”
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Loyal owners and strong enthusiasm
“I have heard great things about the Rivian trucks. They seem to have rabidly loyal customers, like the Teslas.”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Ford kills the All-Electric F-150” “There are a ton of things that I love about my R1T”
Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “CarPlay Is Additive” “hands down one of the best cars I’ve ever owned”
Comment from 20 Aug 2026 in “Rivian OS 2” Capable on rough trails
“plenty for the vast majority of recreational adventures”
Comment from 16 Dec 2025 in “Ford kills the All-Electric F-150”
Other electric pickup trucks people recommend
The four most recommended other electric pickup trucks, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slate EV truck | 73 | 34 | 57 | 56% | 12 | — | — |
| Ford F-150 Lightning | 36 | 17 | 83 | 30% | 9 | — | — |
| Tesla Cybertruck | 24 | 49 | 451 | 5% | 9 | — | — |
| Chevrolet Silverado EV | 8 | 3 | 5 | 62% | 7 | — | — |
| Rivian R1TThis page | 7 | 3 | 9 | 44% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
17 of the 19 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I really like the way they look.”
“If your vehicle didn't look like a cartoon, I might consider one.”
“hands down one of the best cars I’ve ever owned”
“There are a ton of things that I love about my R1T”
“even after needing to compete with the F150 lightning, Hummer EV, silverado EV, and Rivian R1T”
“I don't remember any recalls for brake rotors or wheels falling off.”
“disabling other features out of spite isn't what I would call a supported user privacy feature”
“My R1T's autonomous driving is decidedly better than Tesla autopilot.”
“Rivians are wildly heavy and inefficient compared to the rest of the industry.”
“The bed is also too small.”
“plenty for the vast majority of recreational adventures”
“So a $42,000 rear bumper replacement seems exorbitant”
“The bed is only 4.5' long.”
“And have you seen the stories about fender benders?”
“I have heard great things about the Rivian trucks. They seem to have rabidly loyal customers, like the Teslas.”
“carplay always feels like such a downgraded experience compared to that of the Rivian”
“ruining the roads more, using more resources to make that battery. Basically the Rivian model.”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.