While Tesla has taken most of the heat for its elusive manual door handles, criticized for being difficult to locate or operate in an emergency, it’s far from the only brand overlooking the importance of an intuitive, mechanical release, especially for rear-seat passengers. The issue isn’t just about convenience; it can be critical when every second counts.

Like Tesla, Rivian has adopted a similar approach, hiding manual releases beneath door trim and effectively leaving owners to improvise their own fixes.

Read: Tesla Owners Are Adding Escape Tools Before It’s Too Late

Not long after we brought you a story about the various accessories and modifications that Tesla owners are making to ensure occupants can easily get out after a crash or fire, we came across a Reddit post of a Rivian owner doing something similar. It’s not a particularly elegant solution, but if it helps save a life, who cares how it looks?

A Manual Release That Isn’t Easily Accessible

In the current Gen 2 Rivian R1S and R1T models, an easy-to-access mechanical door handle is found in the front, just like in current Tesla models. Things are more confusing in the rear. Occupants first have to pull off a piece of plastic trim on the door panel and then pull down on the release cable.

To make matters worse, the owner of this Rivian says it takes a lot of force to remove this plastic trim, requiring a pry tool. In an emergency situation, it seems unlikely a child would be able to open the door.

The Solution?

To work around this issue, this owner has tied a piece of red paracord around the release cable and then run it under the plastic trim piece that needs to be removed. The cord now hangs down from the door panel and is within easy reach should the electrically-operated doors fail to open in a crash.

Rivian confirmed in early October that it will redesign the door handles of the upcoming R2, ensuring the manual release is closer to the electric one. While this is good news for those planning to buy an R2, it does nothing for the tens of thousands of people who already own and drive an R1T or R1S.

Photos Reddit/u dublew_dubs

2025 is firmly in the rearview mirror and that means sales data is starting to trickle out. Rivian is among the first out the door as they’ve revealed some disappointing results following the elimination of the electric vehicle tax credit in September.

Without further ado, the company delivered 9,745 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2025 and that compares to 14,183 last year. This is a steep 31.3% decline, but there was little doubt sales would slow down following the elimination of the federal incentive.

Review: The 2025 Rivian R1S Is An Imperfect, But Promising Look At The Future

For the entire year, Rivian delivered 42,247 vehicles in 2025. That’s down from 51,579 trucks and SUVs in 2024, which represents a decline of 18.1%.

In terms of production, the company made 10,974 vehicles in the fourth quarter and 42,284 units for the year. That’s keeping pace with demand, but those numbers are down from 12,727 and 49,476 last year.

While the numbers aren’t good, the automaker said they’re in line with expectations. The company didn’t have much else to say, but noted their fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial results will be released on February 12th.

Investors seem to be taking the news in stride as Rivian stock is down 1.95% to $19.32 per share as of this writing. Furthermore, it’s worth noting the stock has climbed significantly over the past year as it was $13.25 on January 2, 2025.

A Busy Year Ahead

While 2025 wasn’t a great year for Rivian, the company has a lot planned for 2026. The highly anticipated R2 is scheduled to launch in the first half of the year and it’s slated to start at $45,000.

Rivian hasn’t released full details, but has previously said the model rides on an all-new platform and will be offered with two different battery packs, including one that provides more than 300 miles (483 km) of range. We can also expect single-, dual-, and tri-motor powertrains with the latter allowing for a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of less than three seconds.

Furthermore, the company recently announced a slew of new updates including Universal Hands-Free Driving. It’s coming to the R1 lineup soon and will allow for hands-free driving on more than 3.5 million miles (5,632,704 km) of roads in the United States and Canada. It will be part of a new Autonomy+ subscription that costs $49.99 per month or $2,500 as part of a one-time purchase.

If you drive a Rivian R1T and have been looking for a way to harvest solar energy while on the move, or even when the truck’s parked, there’s now an interesting option on the table. A US-based company has just launched a solar tonneau cover that might suit those aiming to get off the grid without cutting ties to modern convenience.

Developed by Worksport, the ‘SOLIS’ solar tonneau cover will be available from mid-January, offering up to 250 watts of on-board solar capacity. Importantly, you won’t have to immediately use any of the energy generated by the solar panels.

Read: Rivian Goes Plum Crazy With A New Color And Something Extra

Instead, the system includes a compact storage unit that charges in about four hours, storing energy gathered by the panels. That stored energy can then be used to run tools, lights, camping gear, or small electronics. What it won’t do, for now, at least, is recharge the R1T’s main battery.

In the future, though, Worksport hopes to work directly with OEMs like Rivian, potentially enabling its solar systems to feed energy straight into the vehicle’s main battery in future versions.

Solar Tonneau Covers For All

The cover is made from aircraft-grade aluminum and, according to Worksport, “provides exceptional strength and durability – without excess weight.” Interestingly, it’s not just the R1T that the company sells these solar tonneau covers for.

Worksport says its solar covers are compatible with dozens of pickups, including models as far back as 2002. Trucks from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Nissan, Ram, and Toyota are all on the list, covering popular models like the Tundra, Frontier, and Sierra 1500.

Prices for the SOLIS cover vary depending on the size of the truck’s bed, generally ranging from $1,999 to $2,499. It’s not cheap, but considering what many of these owners already invest in their trucks, it’s unlikely to cause much sticker shock.

The Rivian R1T, with its comparatively smaller bed, comes in at the lower end at $1,999. Buyers who want the full package, including the inverter and battery, will need to budget another $949.

It’s no secret that electric vehicles still carry a steeper price tag than their gas-powered counterparts, and a recent report from COX Automotive puts that gap into sharper focus. In November, the average new car cost $49,814, while the average electric vehicle rang in at $58,638.

Now, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe is calling out this price discrepancy, along with the lack of variety in the USA, as one of the two main reasons behind the lackluster demand for all-electric vehicles.

More: Ford CEO Hints At Affordable RWD Performance Sedan

Speaking at Fortune’s Brainstorm AI conference, Scaringe argued that America doesn’t offer anywhere near the variety that buyers in Europe and China enjoy. He especially hit on price point as the reason that EV adoption in the U.S. sits at just 8 percent.

He went as far as to call it a “shocking lack of choice,” while claiming that American buyers have “well under five great choices” near the average new-car price.

Somewhat surprisingly, he cited Tesla as the automaker with the only truly compelling EVs under $50,000. The Model Y is available for under $50,000, and the Model 3 starts below $40,000.

“And that’s not a reflection of a healthy market with lots of choice,” Scaringe said. “If you think of it as a consumer, you have 300 different internal combustion engine choices at that price or lower, and you have maybe one highly compelling EV choice.”

Of course, the CEO didn’t miss the opportunity to tout his brand’s upcoming R2, an SUV with a target starting price of $45,000.

While American EV buyers wait for more options, rivals overseas are battling in crowded markets. Europe offers a flood of choices from Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes, and a growing list of Chinese imports.

China itself remains the most competitive EV battleground in the world, where BYD, Nio, Xpeng, Leapmotor, and even newcomer Xiaomi are fighting tooth-and-nail for market share.

To that end, Scaringe aligned himself with the Trump administration in pushing to bring more manufacturing back to the U.S. He believes it’ll help domestic brands to scale EV supply and ultimately lower costs. Now, we wait to see if he’s right.

Stephen Rivers for Carscoops

Two months after the NHTSA opened an investigation into thousands of Rivian’s all-electric delivery vans, the carmaker has announced a recall impacting almost 35,000 units.

Rivian says that on certain examples of the EDV, the driver’s side seat belt pretensioner could be damaged from repeated misuse. It notes that misuse could include the driver sitting on the seat belt while it’s buckled underneath them.

If the pretensioner cable is damaged, it may not adequately restrain the occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Read: Rivian Recalls Thousands Of Cars For A BMW Feature No One Asked For

While Rivian notes that “a damaged pretensioner may be visibly detectable to the driver in some cases”, it presumably won’t be noticeable in others. Even so, the carmaker says it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issue.

The initial probe, launched by the NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation, involved 17,198 examples of the 2022 and 2023 model year Rivian EDVs. However, the recall also impacts 2024 and 2025 models. All of them were manufactured between December 10, 2021, and November 8, 2025, and a total of 34,824 units are affected.

According to Rivian, it has already released an over-the-air update that enables automatic detection of driver seat belt misuse and has committed to inspecting and, if necessary, replacing the driver’s seat belt pretensioner assembly at no cost. It will also reimburse any owners who have paid out of pocket to fix the issue.

Rivian initially developed the EDV exclusively for Amazon, with the retailer placing an order for 100,000 examples, all of which are scheduled to be delivered by 2030. However, it’s now also available to other companies and sold as the ECV, or electric commercial van.

It seems to be that time of year for Rivian again. Fresh off unveiling its limited-run Miami Edition, the company has decided it’s time for a new splash of color, one that might actually be its best yet. Called Borealis, it’s a deep, moody shade of purple inspired by the Northern Lights, offered on the Tri and Quad variants of the brand’s EVs.

Purple tones aren’t as popular as some other colors in the car industry, but when done right, they can look superb. We’ll reserve full judgment on Borealis until we see it under natural light, but based on early images, it flatters the R1S slightly more than the R1T, whose pickup shape doesn’t highlight the color in quite the same way.

Read: Rivian Turns One-Off Miami Showpiece Into A Very Pricey Limited Run

Like every Rivian finish beyond the standard LA Silver, Borealis comes at a premium, $3,000, to be exact. That puts it in line with other paid options such as Red Canyon, Rivian Blue, and Storm Blue.

The company hasn’t confirmed whether Borealis will filter down to the more affordable Dual Standard and Dual trims, though it’s easy to imagine that decision hinging on how buyers respond to the initial rollout.

Rivian’s new purple looks especially nice when accented against its available 20- and 22-inch burnished bronze wheels. Paired with a set of bright blue brake calipers, shoppers can get a Rivian that really stands out.

A New Lease Deal

The addition of a new color isn’t the only thing that prospective Rivian owners can get excited about. The company has announced that several 2026 R1T and R1S models are eligible for a $5,000 Lease Bonus if customers take delivery by December 31.

Models eligible for the deal include the 2026 R1S and R1T Tri, R1S and R1T Dual Standard, and both the R1S and R1T Dual with the Large battery and Performance Upgrade. Importantly, Rivian notes this deal is only available while supplies last.

Even with that bonus, leasing an R1T or R1S remains a costly proposition. For example, the R1T Dual Standard, priced at $72,990, still comes to $709 per month over 36 months, with $8,604 due at signing, an effective monthly rate of $948 before adding the $1,895 destination fee and state taxes.

For those willing to sacrifice a little cargo space for a lower payment, the R1S Dual Standard presents a slightly better deal. Its lease terms come in at $699 per month with $3,594 due at signing, translating to an effective monthly rate of $798, plus destination.

Cast your mind back to September and you might recall Rivian’s designers having a bit of fun with an R1S to celebrate the opening of a new store in South Florida. The automaker created a one-off concept SUV with a 1980s Miami-inspired paint scheme that made it look like the EV had jumped right out of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Also: Insurance Offered $1,700 For This R1T Mishap, Rivian Wanted A Fortune

But that tropical fantasy is no longer a one-off. Rivian has confirmed it will build a limited run of purchasable replicas. Naturally, there’s a cost attached to owning one of these beach-party specials.

What Makes it Special?

Called the R1S Quad Miami Edition, the colorful SUV is, as the name suggests, based on the top-spec, Corvette-scaring quad motor R1S, whereas the original concept was built around a three Motor R1S Tri model. But there are no changes to the life’s-a-beach visuals that you’ll either love or hate.

Only 10 examples will be built, each featuring the same Glacier White body accented by splashes of aqua and pink on the doors, 22-inch Miami Edition wheels and front bumper. While the doors stick to aqua blue stripes, the wheels get both colors, as does the nose, where a pink towing eye pokes from a blue bumper.

Even the interior doesn’t escape the Miami makeover, though if we’re honest we think Rivian seemed to lose interest once it got to the cabin. The sole flourishes appear to be a stripe of pink on the headrest and some floormats that look like they’re made from the same material as straw beach mats (hopefully they’re more substantial).

Having four electric motors rather than three means the Miami Edition gets 1,025 hp (1,039 PS / 764 kW) instead of 850 hp (862 PS / 634 kW), dropping the zero to 60 mph (97 kmh) time from 2.9 to 2.6 seconds. Not that you’d get much opportunity to feel the difference when you’re cruising South Beach.

The Price of Standing Out

But the fun graphics will definitely turn more heads than any stock R1S Tri or Quad, and you’d hope they do given the pricing markup.

Rivian is asking $134,990 for the Miami Edition, which is $13,000 more than you’d pay for a regular R1S Quad. It’s only building 10, so it’ll probably have no trouble selling them, but do you think it’s a good deal?

It’s been clear for years that electric vehicles aren’t just efficient, they’re mind-blowing fast. Now, Rivian is proving it all over again with a truck that weighs over 7,000 pounds (3,175 kg) once the driver jumps in.

Results from a fresh independent test make it hard to argue otherwise: the R1T Quad Motor Max Pack is astonishingly fast. So fast, in fact, that it can line up against the 655 hp Corvette E-Ray hybrid in a drag race and come away even. Just think about that for a second.

How Fast Is It Really?

The folks over at Car and Driver just managed to sprint from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in the R1T in just 2.6 seconds. That’s the exact same time that the Tesla Cybertruck managed, but past 60 mph, the Rivian leaves the angular Tesla for dead.

More: Rivian And VW Are Teaming Up To Reinvent The New Electric Golf Mk9

By 70 mph (113 km/h), the R1T is already ahead of the Cybertruck, and by 100 mph (161 km/h), it’s 0.9 seconds out in front. When the Rivian crosses the quarter mile, the Tesla is still 0.6 seconds behind despite weighing less.

In the end, the Rivian covers the standard quarter mile in just 10.6 seconds, crossing the line at 128 mph (206 km/h). Yes, that’s a ten-second truck, and it’s as wild as it sounds. That figure represents a huge leap forward, at a full 1.1-second and 17-mph improvement over the previous-generation quad-motor version.

The fact that the automotive world now produces something like this shows just how far things have come since the Fast and Furious era first imagined it.

This level of performance comes from a massive 1,025 horsepower (764 kW) and 1,198 lb-ft (1,625 Nm) of torque. By comparison, America’s everyday supercar in hybrid form, the Corvette E-Ray, pairs a 6.2-liter V8 with an electric motor for a combined 655 hp (488 kW) and 594 lb-ft (806 Nm).

Today, the R1T Quad Motor Max Pack is quick compared to just about everything. The Corvette E-Ray, initially touted as the quickest of its kind, can do 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. By the time it gets to the end of the quarter mile, the Rivian has actually caught it and tied it exactly down to the trap speed.

Few Gas Cars Can Follow

If we get away from electrified sports cars and look at gas-only options, very few cars in the world come even close to keeping up. The Ford F-150 Raptor R needs 3.6 seconds to get to 60 mph. The standard Corvette Stingray needs 2.8. A Porsche 911 GT3 RS needs 2.7.

Put simply, the R1T can do what just about every other car on earth can do, short of tow things a long long way without refueling or, you know, escape a simple fender bender without being a write off.

Australia has long been a stronghold for pickup trucks, but Rivian’s all-electric lineup remains out of reach for local buyers. For now, at least. Without any right-hand-drive models in its range, the American EV maker hasn’t officially broken into the Australian market.

More: Rivian Is Getting Bigger But Its Service Workforce Is Getting Smaller

That could shift in a roundabout fashion, courtesy of a batch of Rivian R1T trucks that ended up stranded Down Under. They might soon be offered to the public. Just one small hitch; you can’t legally drive them on the road, which tends to put a dent in the whole ownership experience.

How Did They Get Here?

So, how did a bunch of Rivianland in Australia in the first place? The short answer is MEVCO, a Perth-based startup launched in 2022 with plans to supply fully electric light commercial vehicles to the mining sector.

The company purchased 13 Rivian R1Ts in 2024 for local trials, alongside three electric Toyota Hilux utes converted by SEA Electric. But MEVCO’s ambitions didn’t last. After struggling to raise funds and drowning in debt, the company collapsed into administration in September 2025.

As part of the liquidation, the entire fleet is now heading to auction. The Rivians will be sold through Grays Auctions in Western Australia, giving local EV enthusiasts a rare chance to pick up one of the U.S.-built trucks, if they can live with some serious restrictions.

Can You Actually Use One?

MEVCO via Drive.com.au

Under Australian law, left-hand-drive vehicles can only be registered for road use if they’re over 30 years old. There are limited exemptions for rare imports, but as these Rivians are mass-produced, they likely won’t qualify.

That means buyers will be confined to using them on private property, think farms, mine sites, remote tracks, or driveways outside the public road network.

More: Rivian CEO Gets A Musk-Style Pay Deal, But Minus A Few Zeros

Technically, converting them to right-hand drive could make them street legal, but that’s not a cheap process.

As reported by Australian outlet Drive.com.au, which broke the story, the Rivians will go under the hammer in Western Australia through Grays Auctions.

The Rivians in MEVCO’s fleet are second-generation models equipped with dual electric motors, with several adapted for use in Australian mining operations.

Press photos show a range of added gear, including a bull bar, sports bar, Kevlar underbody protection, wiring harnesses for auxiliary equipment, and a custom sliding drawer mounted behind the cabin.

Michael Fernandes, State Operations Manager for Grays Auctions in WA, told Drive.com.au, “We’re currently working closely with the administrator and completing our legal and compliance due diligence to ensure that when these vehicles hit the open market, ownership will pass to buyers as smoothly as these vehicles drive.”

He added that more details about the auction sale would be made available once the formal process allows.

Rivian owners take on a risk that many may not fully appreciate when they buy one of these trucks. It’s not just about the company being young, or its future still being written. Those are expected gambles.

The real hidden concern and surprise comes when something goes wrong, and not mechanically, but physically. Damage that would be a quick fix on a Ford, a Toyota or most other legacy carmakers can turn into a financial nightmare with a Rivian, sometimes severe enough to write off the vehicle altogether.

Read: Guess How Much It Costs To Repair This Rivian R1T?

It’s becoming an increasingly common problem, and the ordeal one owner continues to face shows just how complicated it can get.

When Simple Damage Isn’t Simple

Back in May of this year, the employee of a Rivian R1T owner backed into his electric truck. The damage appeared quite straightforward in the rear quarter panel. However, this is a Rivian R1T, so “straightforward” doesn’t really apply in this case.

The rear quarter panel is part of one giant piece that actually includes the roof. In other words, fixing a dent in it, especially a large one, isn’t a simple job. We’ve seen instances of paintless dent repair (PDR) being a savior in some cases. This isn’t one of them.

The owner of the R1T says that his employee’s insurance company initially quoted just $1,700 for the repair. Considering that many of these situations end up in the five-figure range, he knew that was potentially problematic. To that end, he contacted Rivian, and things only got worse from there.

The True Cost of Rivian Repairs

The automaker explained that there was only one certified repair shop within 300 miles (about 480 km), and their estimate came in at a whopping $16,000. Given the huge gap, the owner started asking PDR shops for help, but none would touch the R1T.

Also: Rivian Owner’s DIY Repair Saves Thousands After Mishap And Teaches Us A Lesson

That said, the owner decided to go ahead and go with the certified repair shop, hoping that the final bill would come in lower than the estimate. Instead, the shop found additional damage once the truck was in the building.

The total came to $22,000 after a seven-week repair process. The ordeal wasn’t even over after all that because insurance refused to pay that amount.

Can You Ever Win Against Insurance?

Instead, it offered $13,000 and said that the certified repair shop’s rates were excessive. Faced with either paying the $9k himself or entering arbitration that would delay pickup indefinitely, the owner paid the difference, retrieved the truck, and launched an appeal.

His letters were ignored. A second, more forceful letter outlining what he considered an unfair settlement? Also ignored. Only after filing a complaint with his state’s Secretary of State did the insurer finally respond, this time offering an additional $5,100 to make the issue go away.

The state recommended accepting the offer, and the owner did. “I really enjoy this truck, but this is bonkers,” he says. “I hope Rivian improves design to allow for less expensive repair costs for common dings.”

No doubt, plenty of other Rivian owners hope the same thing.

Photo Reddit u/RepresentativeCat940

It’s been a year since Rivian and Volkswagen joined forces on a new zonal electronic architecture for their future electric models. Initially, the partnership only called for future EVs to use the American brand’s software, and while this will still happen, VW has said it may also use the software for its upcoming ICE models as well.

The software stack itself is being developed by the joint venture known as RV Tech, which has set up shop in Berlin and already counts 1,500 employees.

The team is preparing for its first major milestone: winter testing in early 2026, using vehicles from VW, Audi, and Scout to ensure the new system performs reliably in freezing conditions.

Read: VW’s Future EVs Might Run On A Platform It Didn’t Even Build

One of the first vehicles to benefit from the new system will be the all-electric VW ID.Every1 that’s scheduled to hit the market in 2027.

VW will also use the same RV Tech technology stack for other EVs based on its new SSP platform, which can support up to 30 million vehicles. Further down the line, ICE models could follow, using the same software.

“For sure, it is an extremely capable architecture and we could allow for future use to also use it for ICE, but as we already outlined our clear focus is on BEV implementation and whatever comes after that is to be decided at a later stage,” co-chief executive of the RV Tech joint venture, Carsten Helbing, told Autonews.

“The architecture is highly capable of also driving additional drivetrain configurations. So we do not see a huge issue there, but of course, it’s additional work on the component side and on the platform side.”

Rivian Models Also Getting The New Tech

Of course, it’s not just VW models that will use the new system. Rivian will also use the technologies being developed by RV Tech for its R2, R3, and R3X models and will update its current fleet with the latest software.

“We remain incredibly excited by the work coming out of our joint venture with Volkswagen Group,” Rivian boss RJ Scaringe noted.

“RV Tech has gone from strength to strength over the last 12 months and is raising the bar in automotive technology. We’re incredibly excited about the launch of R2 in the first half of next year, which will showcase the advancements the joint venture has made,” he added.

Source: Autonews

Tesla CEO Elon Musk made history last week after securing a pay deal that could result in him making a staggering $1 trillion over the next decade. Now the boss of rival Rivian has bagged a similar performance-related package, though the $$$ numbers aren’t anything like as epic.

Also: Elon Musk’s Trillion Dollar Pay Hinges On A Bet That Could Break Tesla

Not that Rivian CEO JR Scaringe won’t be an extremely wealthy man if he hits the targets the company has set for him. His basic salary doubles to $2 million under the terms of the new package, and he stands to make around $4.6 billion if he’s ticked every box a decade from now.

As with Tesla’s offering to Musk, Rivian won’t hand out that thank you in cash, but instead as share options. Scaringe is receiving options to buy up to 36.5 million shares of Class A stock at $15.22 per share, but the award depends on Rivian’s stock price hitting milestones between $40 and $140 over the next 10 years.

What Needs To Happen First?

When you consider that Rivian’s share price is currently hovering around $15, having once been as high as $129 after its 2021 IPO, you can see that this is not going to be a walk in the park for Scaringe. He is also required to smash various operating income and cash flow targets, Reuters reports.

Unlike Tesla’s Musk deal, this one didn’t require shareholder approval and was decided by a Rivian board that wants to keep Scaringe focused on growing the company and ensuring the smooth development and rollout of next year’s Model Y rival, the R2.

More: Rivian Tore Apart A Xiaomi EV And Discovered What America Can’t Match

This isn’t the Rivian CEO’s first performance-related pay deal. A previous package inked in 2021depended on the automaker’s share price reaching $110-295, but this new contract recognizes that Scaringe had little chance of hitting even the lowest of those targets.

Rivian is currently dealing with the loss of federal EV tax credits and recently showed 600 employees the door in a cost-cutting drive.