Month: December 2023

The Rivian R1S MSRP prices vary from $78,000 to $102,600, while the EPA range varies from about 260 miles to 400 miles.

The Rivian R1S seven-seat SUV is quickly becoming one of the best-selling all-electric models in the United States with close to 20,000 sold during the first 10 months of the year.

It has one of the broadest choices of versions available, including three battery packs (Standard, Large, and Max) and three powertrain options (Dual, Performance Dual, and Quad), plus a few wheel sizes (20-, 21- and 22-inch). With the recent announcement of the pricing and range for the latest R1S with the Max Pack battery, today we will check out the entire lineup of the 17 available configurations. Aside from the Maxi Pack, the pricing and specs of the other R1S are basically the same as reported in May.

The all-new, 149-kilowatt-hour Max Pack battery (14 kWh bigger than the Large Pack) available on the Rivian R1S with Dual Motor (DM) powertrains makes the R1S the first and only seven-seat electric SUV with 400 miles of EPA Combined range. For reference, the Kia EV9 (7 seats) is rated at up to 280 miles, while the Tesla Model X is up to 348 miles, but both of them are also equipped with much smaller batteries—respectively 99.8-kWh or about 100-kWh (Tesla does not reveal the exact number).

The Rivian R1S DM/Performance DM Max Pack with standard 21-inch wheels has an EPA Combined range of 400 miles, but the switch to bigger 22-inch wheels reduces it by 20 miles or 5% to 380 miles. Meanwhile, the 20-inch wheels with all-terrain (AT) tires return 355 miles (which is 45 miles or over 11% less).

Compared to the Large Pack battery (135 kWh), which is also $10,000 less expensive, the range is noticeably higher:

• R1S Max Pack (AT 20-inch): 355 miles (up 48 miles or 15.6%)
• R1S Max Pack (21-inch): 400 miles (up 48 miles or 13.6%)
• R1S Max Pack (22-inch): 380 miles (up 39 miles or 11.4%)

* EPA-estimated range according to Rivian (not listed by EPA yet); 105 kWh, 135 kWh battery pack capacity according to previous reports, 149 kWh confirmed by Rivian; acceleration depends on the exact configuration; all Rivian R1Ss can tow up to 7,700 lbs

** Expected range of the Standard Pack battery, according to Rivian (no EPA-estimated numbers yet)

*** We assigned all configurations to the 2023 model year, although some might slip into the 2024 model year.

Here is a better look at the EPA-estimated range results (or expected, in the case of the Standard Pack battery) of all 17 versions, plus one additional Quad Motor Large Pack version with 20-inch wheels, which has an EPA rating (289 miles), but is not available:

The 400-mile range is a tempting option, but at the same time, the difference of up to 48 miles compared to the Large Pack is not that much.

It would be interesting to see what the range of the originally expected 180-kWh Max Pack would be. Simple math indicates that the range would be 20% higher (compared to 149 kWh), so up to roughly 480 miles and this would be extraordinary. We assume that weight and costs were the biggest concerns that prompted the company to offer the 149 kWh battery instead of a 180 kWh one.

Pricing

The base Rivian R1S DM Standard Pack, with standard 21-inch wheels, is priced at $78,000 (plus a $1,800 destination charge, the same for all configurations).

The Large Pack option costs $6,000, while the Max Pack option is $16,000 more, which means that the Rivian R1S DM Large Pack starts at $84,000, while the Rivian R1S DM Max Pack starts at $94,000.

The Performance Dual Motor option costs $5,000 more, but it can’t be combined with the Standard Pack battery. The R1S Perf. DM Large Pack starts at $89,000, while Rivian R1S Perf. DM Max Pack starts at $99,000.

Meanwhile, the top-of-the-line Quad Motor powertrain option is $8,000, but in this case, it’s available only with the Large Pack battery and is priced at $92,000.

There is no $7,500 federal tax credit for the Rivian R1S, aside from the entry-level Rivian R1S DM Standard Pack, which fits under the $80,000 price cap, although we don’t whether any will be delivered before the end of 2023.