The Rivian R1S is a fully electric large SUV and is the sibling to the R1T electric pickup. While the general public was introduced to Rivian in 2018, they have actually been working on their electric vehicle technology since 2009. The Rivian R1S will be competing against other large electric SUVs such as the Tesla Model X, Audi E-Tron and Mercedes EQC. However, the Rivian R1S will actually beat all of its competition on towing capacity at 7,700 lbs (roughly 3,500 kg). Becoming the leading electric SUV with regards to towing.
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Key Rivian R1S Specs
- Official Towing Capacity – 7,700 lbs (just under 3,500 kg) in the US
- Availability – 2022 in the UK
- Price – Predicted £70,000 (Explore) > £77,500 (Launch Edition/Adventure)
- Estimated Range – 300+ miles (Rivian Claim)
- Estimate Towing Range (50%) – 150 ish miles (Based on Rivian Claim)
- Maximum Charge Rate – Unconfirmed (potentially up to 300kW)
Rivian R1S HP & Torque
- Yet to be confirmed.
Rivian R1S Towing Capabilities
Please note, the details on the R1S above are not confirmed for the UK. While Rivian has indicated the R1S and R1T will be making their way to the UK in 2022, we are still lacking specific details on pricing.
The pricing above mirrors the US pricing, I’ve just swapped the $ for a £, but I wouldn’t be surprised if those pricing predictions above turned about to be accurate.
The UK towing capacity for the R1S is also yet to be officially announced. However, the 7,700 lb towing capacity matches up well with the UK limit of none commercial licences of 3,500 kg.
Rivian R1T Pickup or R1S SUV?
In my Rivian R1S article over on electrictowcars.com which focuses on US cars, I stated my frustrations that the R1S will not get the 11,000 lb towing capacity which the US-spec R1T will have.
That essentially led me to the conclusion that even though I think the R1S SUV would be more practical for my own personal needs, and even if I could afford the R1S I would probably choose the R1T due to the significant increase in towing capacity.
However, I suspect when it comes to the UK versions of the R1S SUV and the R1T pickup they will actually be given the same towing capacity of up to 3,500 kg.
The R1S will be slightly more expensive than the R1T, but I think the cost difference will be negligible for the benefits of additional internal storage space. The R1S I think will be much more suited to the UK.
First off, pickups are less practical in the UK for most people, and also the R1S is a little shorter hence it will be slightly easier to park.
My Thoughts On The Rivian R1S….
For Rivian’s US customers I think the R1T is more appealing from a towing perspective compared to the R1S, as the towing capacity figures are significantly different.
However, I suspect once the R1T and R1S finally make it to the UK in 2022 they will actually be given the same towing capacity of 3,500 kg. Therefore, I suspect if the UK towing capacity of the R1T and R1S is equal, it will be the SUV over the pickup being the most popular option for UK buyers.
However, there is still a lot we don’t know about Rivian’s vehicles in terms of their real-world ranges for instance which will also obviously impact their towing ranges.
I’ll be updating this article on the R1S and the R1T once that information comes to light. Though in summary, the R1S appears to be shaping up well as an excellent electric tow car for the UK, provided you can deal with its size which is pretty huge.