EPA Filings Reveal 2023 Rivian R1S Dual-Motor Range

• Real-world ranges for the Rivian R1S range from 305 to 352 miles.
• Models with the 20-inch wheels and all-terrain tires offered by the brand are the least efficient, offering 305 miles of range.
• Rivian underpromised and overdelivered on R1S range figures.

New filings with the EPA have revealed the real-world range of the Rivian R1S. Previously, Rivian had provided estimates for its dual-motor model with the Large battery pack. (Large is, however, only the second largest pack you can get in a Rivian.) There are pages upon pages of regulatory drivel, but buried at the bottom are the actual test results.

First, it’s important to note that all tested vehicles were the same save for a single variable. While all used the brand’s 135-kWh Large pack and dual-motor setup, the testing notes that wheel size can really alter a vehicle’s real-world range. Rivian offers three wheel sizes (paired with a range of tires from knobby off-road units to street-biased ones). For the R1S, 20-, 21- and 22-inch wheels are all offered. An R1S with the 20-inch option managed 305.79 miles on a single charge in the EPA's testing.

Climbing up the wheel size chart, the EPA tested another R1S at with the 21-inch wheel option at 348 miles and found the R1S with 22-inch wheels capable of 352 miles. For reference, Rivian’s own configurator quotes an estimated range of 340 miles for the 20-inch-wheel R1S and 320 miles for versions with larger-size wheels. Notably, the configurator cites 300 miles of range for the R1S wearing 20-inchers, only available with the $3,600 All-Terrain Upgrade.

Evidently, Rivian has managed to exceed these estimates quite handily, and that's likely due to the larger wheels wearing more street-biased tires that feature less rolling resistance than knobby off-road ones. Then again, if we were Rivian, underpromising and overdelivering would be a smart strategy.

Edmunds says

It isn’t hard to see why Rivian would want to lowball its range estimates. In any case, the R1S delivers pretty impressive range across all trims. The real lesson here is that wheel and tire choice makes a huge difference when buying an EV, and consumers looking to purchase anything with a battery should be looking carefully at range figures before pulling the trigger.