Ownership experience with Rivian R1T ute is best overall among EV buyers in US, says JD Power
Despite being on sale for little more than a year, the Rivian R1T has been judged the most satisfying battery-electric vehicle to own in the US, according to JD Power’s latest satisfaction survey.
Scoring an impressive 794 points out of 1000 in the premium EV segment, the 2023 Rivian R1T – which is expected to go on sale in Australia in the next couple of years – beat the Tesla Model 3 (759 points) and the Tesla Model Y (754), as well as other premium rivals like the Audi e-tron (735).
In the mass-market category, the MINI Cooper Electric led its class for satisfaction, scoring an impressive 782 point to place ahead of the Kia EV6 (762) and the Ford Mustang Mach-E (742).
The investigation into electric car ownership in the US also rated the Hyundai IONIQ 5 the fourth most satisfying electric car (738), narrowly beating the Volkswagen ID.4 (735).
The Ford F-150 Lightning, meanwhile, was only judged seventh in its mass-market category with 723 points, with owners placing it below average for satisfaction.
It’s only the third time JD Power has specifically studied EV ownership, and this year participants were asked to focus on the first year of ownership, scoring (out of 10) their opinion on the range, driving experience, safety and technology, vehicle technology, quality and reliability of their cars.
How easy it was to find a public charger also contributed to the overall rating.
According to the American owners questioned, the biggest grievance with mass-market EVs was issues with the infotainment ,while in the premium segment was squeaks and rattles – indicating poor build quality.
The rise of electric utes such as the R1T and F-150 Lightning has also shed light on owners’ experience with towing an EV.
As it turned out, satisfaction was higher among EV pick-up truck owners who have used their vehicle for towing (779 points) compared to those who haven’t towed (753).
This comes after many reports of the detrimental impact on driving range when hauling a trailer.
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Keyword: Rivian EV buyers more satisfied than Tesla owners