Why This Midsize Electric SUV Stands Out In 2025

Like any field in the automotive world, there are always the top dogs that stand at the forefront. Whether it’s due to popularity, its innovative technology, or even its class-leading range, there are various electric car brands that many people could guess deserve a spot as the EV SUV that stands out already this year. Brands such as Tesla have a strong community, which is deserving because the American manufacturer has a strong hand in how an electric vehicle should behave.

Other brands, such as Hyundai, show what an EV looks like on the opposite side of the world, with futuristic designs and technology that seem like it’s from the future. While there is no right or wrong answer for what EV stands out in 2025, there is one other car brand that does practically everything right and has been a crowd favorite since its debut.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Rivian and other authoritative sources, including FuelEconomy.gov, J.D. Power, and IIHS.

The 2025 Rivian R1S Is The Midsize SUV To Buy In 2025

The

2025 Rivian R1S is the electric SUV
that stands out in 2025 primarily due to it rolling over from last year. Rivian, an American electric car brand, offers some of the most unique models on the market, like the R1T,

R2, and R3
. If you’ve ever looked into its models or tried specing out which model would best suit you, you may have been left confused or with a headache. Rivian provides its models, much like the R1S, with an assortment of configurations that best suit the consumer. Get your notebook ready because you’ll have to take some notes in order to keep up.

The R1S Offers Up To A Whopping 1,025 Horses

You might be thinking it’s exaggerated about how complex the 2025 Rivian R1S is, but it’s not a joke. To start, this isn’t a bad thing; it’s just that Rivian doesn’t make it easy for you. The R1S is broken down into four trims: Dual Standard, Dual, Tri, and Quad. As you can imagine, each name represents how many electric motors it comes with. The Dual Standard is the base, which houses two electric motors producing 533 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque. This trim utilizes the “Standard battery,” a 92.5-kWh battery. The R1S Dual is where things start to pick up. It also houses dual electric motors but can come with a performance upgrade that raises its base horsepower from 533 to 665 horsepower. This trim is equipped with an upgraded battery that offers a capacity of 108.5 kWh.

That’s pretty straightforward so far, but things like the battery and horsepower keep rising. The R1S Tri is the next step up with its triple motor configuration and massive battery, which offers an overall capacity of 140.0-kWh. This trim is capable of 850 horsepower and 1,103 pound-feet of torque. The last trim is the R1S Quad, which houses four electric motors, which, in return, produce 1,025 horsepower and 1,198 pound-feet of torque. From the base model to the unreleased and upcoming Quad model, these electric SUVs are crazy fast, with 0-60 mile-per-hour sprints ranging from 2.5-4.5 seconds.

Performance Specifications

410 Miles Of Range To Keep You On The Road For Longer

Okay, that might’ve seemed like a lot to take in, but if you’re going to explore and learn about the 2025 Rivian R1S, it’s necessary to receive a quick rundown of each trim and what they have to offer. If an electric SUV is going to stand out in 2025, it’s likely going to provide some impressive driving ranges. That’s the case for the Rivian R1S, and much like its performance breakdown, the fuel economy and range are even more confusing.

The EPA rated 22 configurations of the Rivian R1S, which means, as of now, there are twenty-two ways you can set up the R1S, in which it changes its fuel economy or range. Just so you’re not caught up in a scenario similar to the one above, long story short, the Rivian R1S offers full driving ranges of 258 to 410 miles. When it comes to its fuel economy, the Rivian R1S offers a combined efficiency of 72- to 79 MPGe, depending on the trim.

Rivian Provides Plenty Of Customization For The R1S

It’s apparent or becoming evident that it makes sense why the Rivian R1S would stand out over some of its rivals. You probably can guess if Rivian offers that many configurations on the R1S, then there must be a variety of customization and personalization that can be had on this electric SUV. This is true, and it technically starts with what motors and batteries you want to be equipped on your R1S. The good thing for you is that you got that out of the way already and can head to the fun stuff. These include a variety of exterior paints, five-wheel configurations, and, of course, interior tidbits.

The Luxuries Start To Appear Within The Cabin

If you didn’t know, Rivian is a luxury car brand. If you’re not sold on it, wait until you explore the interior of the R1S. Rivian draws its inspiration from its evolved colors and finishes from the natural world. The electric SUV can be seen with rich textures and patterned stitching to elevate the cabin even more. Basically, Rivian makes it to wherever your eye lands; you’ll notice the attention to detail in every nook and cranny.

Technology is another central theme inside of the R1S, and much like everything above, it is a lot to unpack. If you really are serious about the R1S, your best bet is to go to your nearest Rivian showroom, which there aren’t too many in the States, and explore it yourself. If the technology was a 300-page book, and you needed a one-page overview of it, many of the takeaways include the premium surround sound, convenient infotainment screen, and cameras that offer 360-degree views of the surroundings of the SUV.

The R1S Is Perfect For Adventure Seekers

Of course, there was much more to explore with the technology on the R1S, but even Rivian strays away from explaining each detail and category when showcasing it on its website. Another area Rivian capitalizes on is the idea of adventure seekers. Some of these features could also fall into practicality, with individuals finding themselves in snowstorms or stuck in the mud.

Based on its appearance, it’s evident that the

R1S can go on the beaten path
. Depending on the trim, Rivian offers several drive modes that cater to all-terrain, snow, soft sand, rock crawl, and more. The exterior is equipped with mounting points for crossbars and roof racks. For people always on the road, the R1S offers incredible towing for an EV, with a towing capacity of up to 7,700 pounds. This may become repetitive, but even the features surrounding adventure and off-road are so much that a simple paragraph couldn’t do it justice.

J.D. Power Rated It High On The Best Electric Midsize SUVs

Taking a break and stepping outside of the Rivian R1S for a second, you’ll learn that credible automotive reviewers such as J.D. Power rated the R1S with immense praise. The 2025 Rivian R1S received an overall score of 81 out of 100. This score breaks down even further into subcategories such as reliability, driving experience, and resale value. The area in which it excelled was its resale value, which came out at 91 out of 100, and its driving experience, which was 88 out of 100. The last area was its reliability, which landed itself at 72 out of 100.

IIHS’ Top Safety Pick

There are a handful of must-haves for individuals when buying a new car, and one that stands out is safety. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put the 2025 Rivian R1S as a Top Safety Pick. Other models, such as the Subaru Forester, were among the few models to land on this list. Another area that would take a long time to discuss is Rivian’s Driver+ System. This system provides the operator with an assortment of driving aids that range from lane departure warnings, blind spot warnings, driving assistance, collision warnings, and emergency braking. There are many other aids within this system, which pushed the Rivian R1S to be even safer.

The 2025 Rivian R1S’ Expensive Price Tag Is Worth Every Dollar

So, Rivian was able to accomplish performance, range, personalization, luxury, and even areas such as appreciation of the great outdoors. This electric SUV might be out of some people’s reach, with price tags ranging from $75,900 to $105,900, but it doesn’t hurt to sit back and appreciate it for what it is. As stated in the beginning, this isn’t arguing which is the best electric SUV in 2025 or the electric SUV that stands out the most; rather, it’s one of the few models that deserves all the praise it gets. Of course, every model has its kinks and issues, but looking at the 2025 R1S, brand new, on paper, it seems nearly perfect.