One Year and 17,000 Miles With My Rivian – Wins, Woes, and What’s Next
Ventilated seats, 351‑mile range, and a gear tunnel I cannot live without. A candid look at 17k miles of Rivian ownership.
Introduction
Seventeen thousand miles. That equals four round‑trips from Houston to Denver plus enough weekend errands to keep my son Diego’s toy collection in constant rotation. Since taking delivery of my Rivian R1T last August, it has been our daily driver, family road‑trip rig, and conversation starter at every charging station and grocery store parking lot. In this post I look back at what has worked brilliantly, what still needs polish, and which upgrades I plan next.
Software quirks
Rivian’s in‑house OS covers my daily needs. I am perfectly happy without Apple CarPlay, but quirky moments still pop up: the center screen has frozen twice and the truck decided to soft‑reboot during one grocery run. All of these were addressed either by a soft reset when I got home or a software update pushed to my Rivian.
On the plus side, over‑the‑air updates have added Apple Music support and Dolby Atmos. Road‑trip playlists now sound lush enough that Diego occasionally stops asking "Are we there yet?" and we just jam to Explosions in the Sky or, our favorite, the Formula 1 Theme Song.
Comfort and interior space
Houston summers made me a lifelong ventilated‑seat evangelist—literally. I don't know how I went this long without them but I know they are a must on any future cars.
The seats are plush yet supportive, the cabin is whisper‑quiet, and the rear seat leaves enough room for my family's items plus a small zoo of stuffed dinosaurs.
The back row feels comfortable, even with my son's car seat taking up some space on one end. My average height (5 ft 8 in) and my wife's less‑than‑average height means anyone in the backseat has plenty of leg room.
More than enough real‑world range
Officially rated at 351 miles, our Max Pack shows 325‑330 miles after a 90 percent charge. Even on our longest run—Houston to San Antonio and back in a day—I never saw the state‑of‑charge dip below 15 percent. For road trips, I don't have range anxiety. For daily driving in Houston, there's no amount of driving I could do in a single day that would require a mid‑day top‑up before plugging in at home each night.
Chris Huerta
Charging network access
Access to the Tesla Supercharger network has changed the game for many EV manufacturers, Rivian included. We still top up at home 90 percent of the time, but knowing Superchargers are an option strips away any charging‑planning stress. Third‑party stations are growing in and around Houston, but reliability and location quality still lag behind Tesla stops at Buc‑ee’s and Target. For longer road trips, I know that the Tesla Supercharger network will have us covered.
Everyday practicality
I can't think of enough reasons this vehicle is so practical.
- Storage: The gear tunnel functions as my mobile garage, swallowing folding camp chairs, soccer balls, wet beach clothes and water toys with room to spare. Up front, the frunk handles grocery bags while keeping them upright, and the truck bed is always available and covered.
- City‑friendly footprint: Despite looking like a full‑grown pickup, the R1T slips easily into downtown parking garages and tight H‑E‑B slots. Four‑wheel steering, a tight 21‑foot turning circle, and a 360‑degree camera system make parallel parking feel almost unfair.
- Climate comfort on demand: Houston summers are brutal, but the Rivian app lets me pre‑condition the cabin while I transition my son to our next activity. We step into a 68‑degree oasis instead of a rolling sauna, and the cooled seats keep the backs of our legs from si
- Looks & vibe: The truck manages to be both practical and—let's be honest—adorably quirky. The oval head‑lights and yellow badge still draw smiles and thumbs‑up at stoplights, which is exactly the low‑key fun vibe I'm after at this stage of life. It has been referred to as the "cute truck" by moms at my son's daycare.
Maintenance so far
At the 17,000‑mile mark my maintenance log is refreshingly short.
I have rotated the tires twice, roughly every 6,250 miles, to keep wear even, topped up the windshield‑washer reservoir whenever Houston's bug population used my windshield for target practice, swapped the cabin air filter in a quick ten‑minute DIY job, and scheduled a quick service appointment to install the powered tonneau cover that came with my original purchase at no extra cost.
That's the entire list; no oil changes, belts, or spark‑plug replacements—just a handful of straightforward tasks that took less time than choosing a road‑trip podcast.
Accessories that level up the experience
A handful of inexpensive add‑ons have made daily life in the R1T noticeably easier.
My fold‑out windshield sunshade earns its keep on 100‑degree Houston afternoons, shielding the steering wheel, vegan‑leather dash, and, most importantly, my legs from the broiling sun.
A 1 TB portable SSD lives in the center console, automatically capturing every dash and Gear Guard clip; I have not needed it for an insurance claim yet, but it did prove that I was the genius who left a laptop on the tonneau cover before driving away.
Rounding things out is a slim MagSafe charging pad tucked beneath the center screen that locks my iPhone in place, delivers a steady 15 W, and blends in so well that most passengers assume it came straight from the factory in Normal, Illinois.
What is next
The wish list is short and very practical.
First is a powered cooler that can slide neatly into the gear tunnel. Houston grocery runs can feel like a slow bake, and I'd love for our strawberries and ice cream to arrive home still chilled. The tunnel already includes the space and a 12‑volt outlet, so installation should be simple plug‑and‑play.
The only other looming expense is a fresh set of tires. The factory Pirellis are wearing evenly and should last around 23–25 k miles, but when they finally bow out I will likely replace them with Michelin all‑terrain rubber. Michelins have served me well on earlier vehicles, offering quieter highway manners and better wet‑road grip.
That is genuinely it. I have begun binge‑watching Becki Peckham's (Nothing Epic) overlanding builds and occasionally dream about rooftop tents and skid plates, but those remain aspirational. For now my R1T upgrades are grounded in everyday Houston life, not expedition fantasies.
Closing thoughts
17 k miles in, the Rivian R1T still feels special each time I press the pedal. It blends pickup versatility with EV smoothness and tech‑y freshness better than anything I have driven. Yes, the software can hiccup and non‑Tesla fast chargers remain unpredictable, but overall the experience is overwhelmingly positive. If you are on the fence about an electric truck, consider this a friendly nudge toward the electrified side.
