Ford F-150 Lightning Vs Rivian R1T: Which Is More Efficient?

It's time to take these electric trucks out for real-world efficiency testing to learn which is the most frugal.

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Steven Loveday

By: Steven Loveday

Jun 17, 2022 at 9:52am ET

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Out of Spec Reviews has been spending its time testing the all-new Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T of late. Kyle Conner just picked up his own R1T, and the channels have been putting the Lightning to the test for some time now. In this recent video, Kyle and Jordan head out on a perfect evening to see how real-world efficiency compares between these electric trucks.

The Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning may not be direct competitors due to their size and price differences, but they are really the only electric pickup trucks on the market today, aside from the much pricier GMC Hummer EV. With that said, if you're in the market for an electric pickup, and you hope to get one sooner rather than later, these are the two to cross-shop.

Kyle admits that the Rivian and Ford electric trucks aren't necessarily direct rivals, but he adds that they have versions that are similarly configured, and it only makes sense to see how they compare when it comes to energy consumption.

Kyle and Jordan pit the quad-motor all-wheel-drive Rivian R1T with the Large Battery Pack against the Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum with the Extended Range Battery. According to the EPA, these trucks match up quite well, so this is certainly a competition worth exploring.

As you can see, the R1T, which is notably smaller than the Lightning, has an EPA-estimated range of 314 miles. According to the EPA's site, the truck returns a combined 70 MPGe in a mix of city and highway driving. The EPA also specifies that it will use an average of 48 kWh to travel 100 miles.

Meanwhile, the F-150 Lightning has a 300-mile range and a fuel economy rating of 66 MPGe combined. The EPA estimates that it will consume 51 kWh per 100 miles of travel.

For those unfamiliar with the EPA's ratings, a higher MPGe is better, since it suggests you can travel more miles per "virtual gallon" based on “miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent.” On the flip side, a lower number of kilowatt-hours per 100 miles suggests better efficiency, since the truck would be using less energy to travel that distance.

As we've learned over the years, while the EPA's range and efficiency ratings are certainly helpful, they're not a gold standard. This is why we perform our own in-house 70 mph range tests, and precisely why Kyle and Jordan set out to learn how efficient these electric trucks are out in the field.

After providing tours of both trucks, Out of Spec takes us through its testing procedures before heading out for driving and efficiency testing. There are a whole lot of important details to consider here, but in the end, the F-150 Lightning averaged 1.9 miles per kWh, whereas the R1T came in at 2.15 miles per kWh. Be sure to watch the analysis carefully, as Kyle and Jordan expose some interesting information about the truck's speedometers versus their actual speeds, which works to skew the results.

What do you think?

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Out of Spec Reviews provided us with the following topics and timestamps to help you navigate through the parts of the video that are most important to you.

0:00 - Hello & Welcome
0:38 - Truck Tours
5:12 - Testing Procedures
12:13 - Driving / Efficiency Testing
22:44 - Test Results / Analysis

See More Electric Pickup Truck News:

Ford F-150 Lightning Vs PowerBoost Hybrid: "World's Toughest" Towing Test

Rivian Offering Earlier Delivery Via "Pre-Configured" Options

Once you've had a chance to check out the video, head down to the comment section and leave us your takeaways. Are you in the market for an electric pickup truck? If so, do you have one on order? Let us know.

Source: Out of Spec Reviews (YouTube)

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