The electric pickup’s 3.3-second blast to 60 mph takes the record from the 702-hp Ram 1500 TRX and its 3.7-second run.
- The 2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition reached 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, making it the quickest pickup truck Car and Driver has ever tested.
- Launch Edition models are equipped with a 128.9-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and four electric motors combining for 835 horsepower and 908 pound-feet of torque.
- It beats the previous record holder, the 702-hp Ram 1500 TRX, by 0.4 second to 60 mph and in the quarter-mile.
Welcome to Car and Driver’s Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We’ve been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here). A more comprehensive review of the 2022 Rivian R1T can be found here.
Rivian, an electric vehicle startup based in Irvine, California, beat Ford, General Motors, and Tesla to market with its R1T electric pickup truck. That truck will also best any gas-powered pickup offering available today in a straight line, including the 702-hp Ram 1500 TRX, making it the quickest pickup truck Car and Driver has ever tested.
We tested a Rivian R1T Launch Edition, which is initially the only model available. Unlike the previous record holder, the aforementioned TRX, which uses a 702-hp Hellcat supercharged 6.2-liter pushrod V-8, the Rivian has a 128.9-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and four electric motors, one powering each wheel. The result is a staggering 835 horsepower and 908 pound-feet of torque. A larger battery, roughly 172.0 kWh, will be available in 2023, and a smaller unit will join the lineup shortly after that.
The 7173-pound electric pickup is 307 pounds heavier than the TRX and pummeled the record by 0.4 second, reaching 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds. Our Launch Edition test truck rode on a set of 275/65R-20 Pirelli Scorpion all-terrain tires. It went through the quarter-mile in 11.9 seconds at 110 mph, also 0.4-second quicker than the Ram and 0.1 second in front of the 710-hp Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat. It hit its 111-mph top speed right at the quarter-mile. But at wide-open throttle, the Rivian whispers. Our test equipment recorded a peak of just 71 decibels inside the cabin compared to the TRX’s 83 decibels.
From a rolling start, the R1T does even better, shooting from 5 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds versus the TRX’s 4.6 seconds. As with many EVs, the R1T excels in passing maneuvers, too, squirting from 30–50 mph 0.5-second quicker than the TRX and 1.1 seconds quicker from 50–70 mph.
Rivian began initial deliveries of the R1T in September (an R1S SUV will arrive later), and pricing starts at $74,075. We have not yet tested other electric pickups such as the GMC Hummer EV pickup and Ford F-150 Lightning, but the electric pickup race will surely ramp up when they arrive.
Keyword: 2022 Rivian R1T Smashes Ram TRX to Become Quickest Pickup We’ve Tested