Rivian tops owner satisfaction survey, ahead of BMW and Tesla

By Nick Godt Published December 8, 2024

Can the same vehicle brand sit both at the bottom of owner ratings in terms of reliability and at the top in terms of overall owner satisfaction? When that brand is Rivian, the answer is a resonant yes.

Rivian ranked number one in satisfaction for the second year in a row, with owners especially giving their R1S and R1T electric vehicle (EV) high marks in terms of comfort, speed, drivability, and ease of use, according to the latest Consumer Reports (CR) owner satisfaction survey.

And love from Rivian owners doesn’t stop there: 86% of them would buy again from the California-based EV maker. That puts Rivian well ahead of BMW and Tesla, the next two contenders in terms of owner satisfaction.

Yet Rivian, a fairly new EV manufacturer, sinks to the bottom of the CR survey in terms of reliability.

“Since EV technology is still relatively new, automakers continue to work the bugs out of their powertrains and platforms,” says Steven Elek, who oversees auto data analytics at Consumer Reports. “But we also see issues with their non-EV components, such as the latest infotainment and electronic features.”

CR’s survey gathered data from owners of about 300,000 vehicles of the 2022 to 2024 model years. For reliability, it measures 20 trouble areas, ranging from nuisances — squeaky brakes and broken interior trim — to major bummers, such as potentially expensive problems involving out-of-warranty engines, transmissions, EV batteries, and EV charging.

As CR notes, Rivian wasn’t the only automaker receiving mismatched ratings in terms of satisfaction and reliability. BMW, which came in second in terms of satisfaction, also received mediocre ratings for reliability. By contrast, Subaru was ranked as the most overall reliable brand, while receiving average satisfaction ratings.

“Owner satisfaction ratings for a brand or particular car might not always match up with its reliability, especially for new models,” CR says. “Even cars that require frequent trips to a dealership repair shop can make owners happy because the new-car warranties take the financial sting out of an unreliable vehicle.”