Kia EV9 vs. Rivian R1S: One Winner, but No Losers

• The Kia EV9 and Rivian R1S are two of the best three-row electric SUVs you can buy today.
• The EV9 is our reigning Edmunds Top Rated Best of the Best award winner for 2024.
• Following a big refresh, does the Rivian R1S have what it takes to one-up the Kia?

Interior

When it comes to spaciousness, both SUVs have enough room to fit adults in all three rows. But the EV9 enjoys a clear advantage in third-row access, as its captain's chairs slide far out of the way on both sides, allowing for easy entry to the way-back. Or you can simply walk between the seats to access a third row that offers phone charging, storage solutions and even air vents for these rearmost passengers.

This is where the Rivian suffers, since it's only offered with a rear bench seat. The second row is comfortable-ish but not nearly as good as the throne-like captain's chairs in the EV9. Plus, when you're in the Rivian's third row, it feels a lot more boxed in, and the floor is higher, so it won't be comfortable for anyone over, say, 5 feet, 8 inches tall.

Material quality is good in both vehicles, especially for their respective price points. (The Rivian is more expensive than the Kia.) The seats in the EV9 are a bit more comfortable across all three rows, and the two front seats also get a relaxation mode where they can recline and a footrest pops up so you can wait out charging stops in ultra comfort. The EV9 also has these mesh headrests on the front seats that are phenomenal. We wish they were in every car. Seriously.

The Rivian loses some points for its climate controls. Not because the system works badly; in both vehicles, the cabins cool quickly and there are heating/ventilation functions for the front seats (and the second-row seats in the Kia). However, you have to adjust the Rivian's vent position through the central touchscreen, which is a very high-tech solution to a problem that didn't exist. The Kia isn't perfect either; its climate control screen gets blocked out by the steering wheel. But at least we can point the air vents where we want easily.

Interior scores

• Kia EV9: 8.5
• Rivian R1S: 8.0

Technology

There are some divergent philosophies when it comes to infotainment, with Rivian adopting the Tesla-esque one-screen approach with minimal buttons, and Kia opting for a more conventional touchscreen setup with redundant hard controls.

Kia offers superior connectivity options in the EV9, with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, while Rivian doesn't offer even wired versions of either. We found both screens to be rather intuitive to use, thanks to quick response times and shallow menu structures that make them easy to navigate.

As a part of its refresh, the Rivian R1S now includes very attractive cel-shaded graphics and a couple of quick-access menus that let you get to frequently used features, like opening the charge port or the liftgate. It also has a big advantage when it comes to its native navigation, where you can get real-time charging info, including charger availability, right on the screen. That also includes Tesla Supercharger stations, as the R1S comes with a NACS adapter so you can plug in at some (but not all) Superchargers. We'd recommend using the native navigation and not your phone if you own a Rivian because a Supercharger station might pop up on Google Maps that you won't have access to.

When it comes to driving aids, the two EVs have many of the same features: adaptive cruise control with automatic lane changes, blind-spot warning systems with camera views that appear in the instrument cluster, hands-free highway driving assist systems and excellent surround-view camera setups. But the execution of these assistance features is much smoother in the Kia. In the Rivian, the automatic lane changes only work sporadically, and you can't adjust the following distance on the highway so you sit uncomfortably far back from the vehicle in front of you. Rivian says it's planning on introducing a hands-free system at some point, but there's no word on when that might be.

The difference in safety systems and the connectivity features in the Kia gives it a clear advantage in this category.

Technology scores

• Kia EV9: 8.5
• Rivian R1S: 7.5

Cargo

On the spec sheet, the two vehicles have similar cargo numbers. Here are the specs, listed in cubic feet behind the third, second and first rows of seats:

• Kia EV9: 20.2, 43.5, 81.7
• Rivian R1S: 17.6, 48.6, 90.7

You can fit about the same amount of luggage/cargo behind the third rows of each SUV. Both easily handled a large suitcase, carry-on bag and backpack.

But the Rivian enjoys a big advantage in a couple of areas, the first being underfloor storage. Under the rear cargo area is a gigantic bin, big enough to hold a carry-on bag with ease. And it's also got a big advantage in frunks, where it has 11 cubic feet of cargo space, and under the frunk floor is a spot for the charging cables, first-aid kit and other tools. The EV9's frunk is just a glorified spot to keep its charging cables, and at just 3.2 cubic feet, you can't fit much else in there.

The Rivian's load-in height is a little bit higher, but the R1S' split tailgate also provides a great spot on which to sit. The EV9 is slightly better on interior storage, with the center console bin including a backward-opening compartment with a small table and a spot for kids to put their snacks and various doohickeys (do kids use that word anymore?).

Cargo scores

• Kia EV9: 8.5
• Rivian R1S: 9.0

How they drive

The Rivian tested here is a dual-motor all-wheel-drive model with larger battery pack, plus a $5,000 performance upgrade on top of that, which bumps output up to 665 horsepower and 829 lb-ft of torque. The R1S enjoys a giant advantage when it comes to acceleration, with its 3.7-second 0-60 mph time coming in far ahead of the all-wheel-drive EV9's 4.9 seconds. To be fair, the EV9 is significantly down on power, with 379 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque.

But for three-row SUVs, speed isn't everything — in fact, it might be less important than most of the other driving factors, and the EV9 offers better agility and braking numbers. The EV9 also has superior ride comfort, although following its refresh, the R1S is a lot nicer to drive. Rivian's new suspension reduces the feeling of bounciness we experienced in previous R1S (and R1T) testers.

If you're planning to go off-road, there's only one choice here: the Rivian. Its standard air suspension can lift the vehicle to give it 14.7 inches of ground clearance, which is nearly double that of the Kia (7.8 inches). And if you opt for an off-road package, you can add all-terrain tires and some off-road-oriented drive modes. The EV9 shouldn't go anywhere near a trail, unless you want to potentially leave pieces of it behind.

In this section, we end up with an unsatisfying tie.

Performance scores

• Kia EV9: 8.5
• Rivian R1S: 8.5

Value

There's a very large pricing gap between these two test cars, with the Rivian carrying a price tag of $100,950 and the very nearly fully loaded EV9 GT-Line AWD coming in at $76,585. (Both prices include destination.)

It's important to note that there are much cheaper versions of the R1S available; with the standard battery and dual motors it starts under $80,000, and that's in spitting distance of the EV9 seen here. And the nice thing about the R1S lineup is that the interior and technology features are standardized across the board, so you don't lose any material quality or features as you drop down to the smaller battery.

Both of these vehicles are expensive so it's a stretch to say they offer great value, but both also feel in different ways like they live up to those price tags. The Kia's stylish, feature-laden interior is nearly luxury-grade, and the R1S' range (386 miles in our testing), performance and off-road capability also give it a unique set of skills. It's a tie again here, sorry.

Value scores

• Kia EV9: 8.0
• Rivian R1S: 8.0

And the winner is ...

• Kia EV9: 8.6
• Rivian R1S: 8.4

The Kia takes the win by a slight margin, mostly because it appeals to a wider swath of customers. It's more comfortable than the Rivian, with superior execution of its driving aids, and a versatile and roomy cabin.

But this is a really strong effort from Rivian. The R1S' overall rating jumped from 8.1 to 8.4 with this refresh, and it's definitely the best choice for folks who want some off-road capability, or if having the most range and performance is a priority. We also love the Rivian's styling — it still looks super fresh and has a unique aesthetic that is eye-catching without being garish.

We can see a buyer being happy with either SUV, but we think they'd be ever so slightly happier with the Kia, relaxed at a charging station, enjoying those comfy seats, leaned back into those headrests. Our Edmunds Top Rated Best of the Best winner reigns supreme.

Photos by Ryan Greger