# Rivian electric vehicle 73 Hacker News commenters recommended Rivian electric vehicle and 54 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 12 of 13 months. **Verdict:** Recommended for software integration, a polished interface and well-designed vehicles. Common caveat: many controls sit on the screen and CarPlay is missing. ## Why people recommend it - Strong software and hardware integration (5 comments): "the level of software-hardware integration you experience in a Rivian or Tesla is something that CarPlay just can't compete with" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48786143)) "A well made car software solution, like the rivians(mostly), is a better experience overall imho." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46971150)) "The exceptions, of course, are Rivian and Tesla, who actually make first-class software." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48776383)) - Attractive, well-designed vehicles (4 comments): "I love everything about all of the vehicles they design (interior, shape, etc) except the headlights" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45794602)) "the headlamp and grille shape is distinctively "happy" instead of "aggressive"" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49629664)) "Great to have a vehicle where the actual users are obviously thought of" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47968289)) - Tesla-comparable software quality (3 comments): "The exceptions, of course, are Rivian and Tesla, who actually make first-class software." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48776383)) "Rivian seems to still have a lot of the magic that Tesla had." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45870694)) "It's Rivian and Tesla, and it's not even close for the rest." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47424060)) - Elegant, improving user interface (2 comments): "I haven't driven a rivian but I've heard their UI is comparable to Tesla." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48786382)) "very elegant and well designed UI that keeps getting better" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48769588)) ## What people warn about - No CarPlay or Apple integration (3 comments): "Google Maps, the lack of CarPlay, and the lack of amber turn signals turned me away from Rivian" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49638387)) "It would cost Rivian nothing to allow Apple (and Android) devices to use the monitor in the car as a second screen" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46241416)) "The Rivian is really testing my resolve to never buy another vehicle without CarPlay." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46519110)) - Controls moved onto the screen (2 comments): "Downside is all the buttons are on a screen. But I've grudgingly decided it's worth it for software upgrades." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46240595)) "Rivians don't even have a physical vent control (to aim the vents). That alone disqualifies it from anything close to "excellent"." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46951597)) - Connectivity fees and telemetry concerns (3 comments): "Rivian is turning away potential lifetime customers because they want to force customers to pay for another cellular data plan and get their cut." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48777986)) "It would have been much better to be able to disable telemetry without losing basic functionality such as navigation and safety updates." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47968672)) "Rivian adds a purely performative toggle that makes the car's navigation largely useless" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47968243)) - Costly repairs and reliability problems (3 comments): "an earlier Rivian ... felt legitimately unsafe to drive on the highway and had already spent days at service including a total powertrain shutdown, essentially a lemon" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46972343)) "his insurance was billed $15,000 in labor and parts to fix it because of the monobody construction" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46858641)) "buying a Rivian is like buying a BMW in that you know maintenance/repairability will be painful" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50292805)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Tesla vehicles](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tesla-vehicles.md): 209 recommend - [BYD electric cars](https://hackerapproved.com/p/byd.md): 157 recommend - [Ferrari Luce](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ferrari-luce.md): 140 recommend - [Tesla Model 3](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tesla-model-3.md): 128 recommend - [Nissan Leaf](https://hackerapproved.com/p/nissan-leaf.md): 62 recommend ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://rivian.com/) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Rivian electric vehicle", https://hackerapproved.com/p/rivian/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).