The Rivian R1T Is An Awkward Fit For Britain. This Reviewer Loved It Anyway

Its 835 horsepower and clever features impressed Rory Reid, but getting a cheeseburger proved difficult.

Photo by: Autotrader/Youtube

By: Andrei Nedelea

Nov 2, at 6:20am ET

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AutoTrader takes an imported Rivian R1T through British villages, parking spots, and a drive-through.
Its size makes it tricky to maneuver around some tighter roads, while its left-hand driving position makes it harder to see past traffic when overtaking.
Despite its awkward fit for Britain, the truck earns an enthusiastic verdict.

Giving a pickup 835 horsepower is one way to get a car reviewer’s attention. Making it comfortable and packing it with clever features helps keep it interesting. The Rivian R1T scored on both fronts with AutoTrader’s Rory Reid, who drove an imported example in the United Kingdom, although it didn’t take long to see why this particular American export might need a little more room to settle in.

At roughly 18 feet long, the R1T is big by European standards and demands careful planning when maneuvering in tight spots, though Reid still manages to squeeze it into a normal-sized roadside space. Through villages and small towns, he finds the R1T’s size hard to ignore, likening its length to driving a stretch limo.

Even though the R1T is known to handle corners well for a pickup, Reid notes you can never escape its weight. He says he can hear the tires struggling through faster bends, but he still praises the very well-controlled body roll.

This isn’t the newer Gen 2 R1T. It’s a first-generation example whose quad-motor setup peaks at 835 horsepower. Reid performs an acceleration run from 0 to 60 mph, which the car dispatches in just 3.31 seconds. Reid’s laughter suggests that it’s more than enough acceleration for something with a big cargo bed in the back.

He also highlights the comfortable seats, smooth power delivery, and light steering, and praises the responsive accelerator and strong regenerative braking. The latter brings the truck to a complete stop smoothly simply by lifting off the accelerator pedal.

The practical details also impress Reid. There’s a lockable storage tunnel behind the cab (the ‘Gear Tunnel’), a built-in air compressor, a powered bed cover and extensive camera coverage. He also welcomes the separate driver’s display. Less impressive are the missing glovebox and rear-seat space, which don’t quite match the space expectations set when you see how big it looks from the outside.

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The R1T is officially only sold in the United States and Canada. Rivian plans to enter Europe, but only with the smaller R2, whose size makes it far better suited to the continent’s narrower roads. Its U.K. launch has not been confirmed, though, and Rivian’s British website currently gives no arrival date.

Still, even if it feels a bit out of place in the U.K., Reid acknowledges that the R1T doesn’t really fit British roads or lifestyles; he still calls it ‘amazing’ and wants to see more electric pickups like it.