Rivian R1S Tri-Motor Review

The tri-motor layout puts one motor on the front axle and two at the rear, which is the arrangement that matters, because it lets the R1S rotate on the throttle in a way no two and a half tonne family car has any business doing. It makes 850 horsepower and reaches sixty in under three seconds while still returning 371 miles on the large pack. It tows seven thousand seven hundred pounds and will take a family of seven up a rutted forest track without complaint.

The cabin is genuinely lovely, with real materials and a restraint the German alternatives abandoned years ago. The catch is the ownership picture. Service centres remain sparse, a set of tyres is a serious bill, insurance is punishing, and while values held up better than most electric vehicles early on, the arrival of the second generation pushed older cars down hard. Efficiency is mediocre in absolute terms because the shape is a box. None of that stops it being the best thing in the class.