REVIEW: FORD LIGHTNING VS RIVIAN RIT

Tesla, the first high-volume EV maker, was early to promise a zero-emission pickup, but it was Rivian, an American startup, that delivered the first mass-production EV truck. With impressive range, dazzling performance and innovative features, the R1T has attracted both conventional truck shoppers and early adopters.

Ford’s all-electric F-150 Lightning, was the second EV pickup to arrive this year. It achieves competitive range and power, while packaging clever features in a traditional full-size pickup body. Which truck is the better buy? Experts compared them to find out.

POWERTRAINS & RANGE

Rivian is currently delivering the R1T as a four-electric-motor model only. There’s a motor at each wheel to give the truck all-wheel drive as well as a staggering combined output of 835 horsepower. That’s enough for the R1T to dash from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds in testing. The R1T’s so-called Large battery pack is good for an EPA-estimated 314 miles on a full charge. In real-world range test, the R1T slightly beat that estimate, going 317 miles.

The F-150 Lightning is equipped with two electric motors and all-wheel drive as standard. Customers can choose from two levels of output and range: The standard-battery model produces 452 horsepower and an EPA-estimated 230 miles of range, while the extended-range battery jumps to 580 horsepower and up to 320 miles of range. Experts tested a Lightning in the Platinum trim, which has the big battery and 300 miles of range. It was slightly slower than the R1T, needing 4 seconds to get to 60 mph, but went 332 miles in range test.

Both trucks are impressively rapid and have enough range to make long-distance driving realistic. The R1T’s quicker acceleration helps it eke out a win here. 

Winner: R1T