2025 Rivian R1S

The Rivian R1S launched in 2022, not long after its pickup truck sibling the R1T brought some excitement to the truck segment in the form of a stylish, capable and handsome all-electric pickup. The work at Rivian has only ramped up since. A more affordable Dual-Motor model was introduced soon after, and Rivian has already announced the introduction of two smaller SUVs, the R2 and R3. The latter two are still in development, but in the meantime Rivian has brought some major updates to the R1S and R1T for the 2025 model.

There are few design tweaks here and there, but the R1 generally looks the same as before. Most of the changes are underneath the skin, or at least not immediately obvious at first glance. The available batteries and entire electronics system have been updated, promising better efficiency and more electric range. A new three-motor model joins the dual-motor and four-motor R1s, and there have been some changes to the suspension for better ride and handling. There have been changes to the tech and driver aids, too.

The R1s has been one of Edmunds' favorite EVs since it debuted. We even purchased an R1T pickup for our long-term fleet. We've added nearly 30,000 miles to the truck since it landed in our garage, so we have plenty of seat time in the current model. We had a chance to drive the updated R1 both on and off road outside of Seattle to see just how much the new model has changed.

When the R1S first launched, it was available solely as a Quad-Motor model, with one electric motor powering each wheel. Later on, a Dual-Motor model was added, with one Rivian-designed and -built electric motor powering each axle. There are two versions — Dual-Motor and Performance Dual-Motor — that carry over to 2025 generally unchanged, at least in terms of the motors. Output remains 533 horsepower and 610 lb-ft of torque for the Dual-Motor and 665 horsepower and 829 lb-ft for the Performance.

For 2025, the R1S Quad-Motor gets a new motor setup that was also designed and manufactured by Rivian. It has better cooling than before, and the new motor is intended to be quieter than the old one. Output is up to 1,025 horsepower and 1,198 lb-ft of torque, up 190 horsepower and 290 lb-ft over the previous Quad-Motor model. Rivian says that will drop the 0 to 60 mph to about 2.5 seconds. That's significantly quicker than the 3.4-second sprint we saw in a R1S Quad-Motor Launch Edition.

Starting with the 2025 model, Rivian will now offer a new R1S Tri-Motor. As you might expect, it combines the motors from the Dual-Motor and Quad-Motor models, with a single motor at the front axle and two at the rear. Output is a stout 850 horsepower and 1,103 lb-ft, making it more powerful than the outgoing Quad-Motor. Rivian says it should hit 60 seconds in fewer than 3 seconds.

The first thing you notice with the updated R1S is the generally improved ride quality. Despite an over-the-air update that retuned the truck's adaptive air suspension, the pre-refresh R1 could feel stiff on the road. Rivian has changed things with the new model, with different hardware underneath supplemented by a different tune. There are new spring rates (lower in the front, higher in the rear) and new dampers. It doesn't ride as well as a BMW iX or Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, but it soaks up bumps far better than the pre-update R1.

Handling is pretty solid, too, with quick, direct steering and good body control, especially with the suspension lowered in Sport mode. We weren't able to really push the R1S on the street, but off-road the new Rally and Drift drive modes allow for some high-speed fun on loose surfaces.

Rivian set up a small course for us to drive the new Tri-Motor model. Rally and Drift back off the stability control and send most of the power to the rear axle. The front motor never completely shuts off, but the rear is doing most of the work. In practice, that means big slides and lots of dust. The tight steering makes it easy to control slides, and the regenerative braking helps adjust the weight transfer without ever having to touch the brake. It's great fun and easy to manage big four-wheel drifts.

The Rivian is plenty capable off-road, especially in Tri- and Quad-Motor variants. The individual electric motors can control each wheel individually, so traction is rarely an issue. That's especially true with the All-Terrain package. It adds 20-inch wheels with all-terrain Pirelli tires, a matching full-sized spare and extra underbody protection. The tires do reduce electric range, but in our testing we've still seen the R1S hit its EPA estimates with the All-Terrain pack.

Inside, the R1S is mostly unchanged. The overall design carries over, though the company has added a few new color schemes to the options list. There are some particularly handsome colors for the upholstery and nice wood trim, especially on models with the available Premium package that's available on the Tri- and Quad-Motor models. It includes a few nicer touches, including upgraded trim and seating surfaces. A glass roof is standard, but on R1s with the Premium package get an electrochromic roof that can lighten or darken with the push of a button.

The seats are still comfortable and soft and should provide plenty of support, even on longer drives. There's a decent amount of adjustment, and the square body and upright position give you a good view of the road ahead. The cabin layout itself is good, with a deep center console and large bin on the floor between the passenger and driver. There's plenty of space, but the pop-out cupholders still aren't our favorite touch.

The R1S remains one of the few three-row electric vehicles out there, with really only the Tesla Model X and Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV in this class. It's not the most spacious third row out there, but it's comfortable enough for adults on short drives.

The R1S' tech is not all that much different in functionality than before, though the entire interface itself has a new look. There are new fonts for everything, and all the graphics have been updated. Rivian built some of the graphics off the Unreal Engine created by video game developer Epic Games. Photorealistic graphics have been replaced by slick cel-shaded ones, giving screens for the various drive modes a graphic novel sort of feel.

The menu layout is essentially the same, which isn't a complaint as the infotainment is already pretty well laid out. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still notably absent from the list of features, but the Rivian has streaming integration with native apps for Spotify and Apple Music. The native navigation system works well, too. The map is clear and easy to read, and you can search for charging networks and available charging stations. While we would still prefer to just sync our phones and go, as with Tesla, Rivian offers an interface nice enough that we don't miss CarPlay and Android Auto that badly.

Rivian has enhanced the driver aids for 2025, adding new features for the Highway Assist system. In addition to adaptive cruise control and lane centering, Highway Assist will now change lanes with the tap of the turn signal. It will sense when traffic is clear and move over when it's safe. Rivian has added a blind-spot camera that shows a video of the truck's blind spot in the instrument cluster when you activate the signal. It's not unique to Rivian, but it's a feature we appreciate. Rivian says it's working on hands-free highway driving, though that feature will come with an update sometime down the line. The company has been quiet on when it will actually appear.

The R1S is available with several battery packs, depending on which motor setup you opt for. Rivian hasn't released full EPA numbers for every configuration, but it says electric range estimates are between 258 miles and 410 miles. The latter figure is with the Dual-Motor Max Pack setup. We haven't range-tested the updated R1 ourselves, but look for those figures sometime soon. Historically, Rivians have met or exceeded their EPA estimates in the Edmunds EV Range Test.

Rivian announced it will adopt Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS), though currently the trucks use the CCS standard. For now, new R1s will come with an adapter that will allow them to be used at Tesla Supercharger stations.