- The Kia EV9 and Rivian R1S are among the few three-row electric SUVs on sale.
- Edmunds compared them and the results are really close.
If you’re in the market for an all-electric, stylish three-row SUV, you should know that there aren’t a lot of choices out there. The American-made Kia EV9 and Rivian R1S are among the few offerings, alongside the Tesla Model X, Mercedes-Benz EQS and Mercedes-Benz EQB. There’s also the Tesla Model Y, but that’s more of a crossover than an SUV.
Our friends from Edmunds got their hands on the refreshed Rivian R1S and the all-new Kia EV9 and put them to the test to see which is better at handling the day-to-day requests of a family. The video is embedded below.
The two battery-powered SUVs are similarly sized but that’s where the similarities end. The R1S is more of an adventure-focused machine, while the EV9 is almost exclusively an asphalt cruiser. The differences continue inside, where the EV9 is available as a six-seater with captain’s chairs on the second row, while the R1S is only available with a bench on the second row.
Edmunds said it’s easier to get to the third row of the EV9 and that the Korean EV’s seats are more comfortable than the R1S. On the flip side, Rivian’s SUV has heated seats all around, including for the third row, while the EV offers heated and ventilated seats for the first and second rows.
The infotainment system in the EV9 is very easy to use and integrates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That said, you can’t precondition the battery on the way to a fast charger unless you use the built-in navigation system. There’s also no toggle to manually precondition the battery.
In the R1S, there’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but the standard navigation system is very good, especially at finding chargers. It even includes Tesla Superchargers.
Both have excellent surround-view camera systems and adaptive cruise control with the ability to make hands-free lane changes at the press of the signal stalk. However, Edmunds said the implementation of these features is what sets them apart.
In the Kia EV9, you can be sure everything will work as advertised all the time, while in the Rivian, the automatic lane change sometimes refuses to work. Moreover, the R1S only has one distance setting for the adaptive cruise control, and it’s pretty far away from the vehicle in front.
The R1S offers more cargo space, both in the trunk and in the frunk. It’s also more capable off-road and faster from zero to 60 miles per hour. That said, the EV9 GT-Line All-Wheel Drive can reach 60 mph in less than five seconds, so it’s not exactly a slouch.
When it comes to pricing, however, the Rivian R1S is more expensive than the Kia EV9. Granted, the entry-level version starts at around $76,000, but a dual-motor Performance model will set you back $100,000. Meanwhile, the EV9 starts at $55,000 and the top-spec GT-Line AWD is less than $74,000. In fairness, the EV9’s 379 horsepower doesn’t come close to the R1S’s figures, but it’s not every day you need the 533 hp of the base R1S or the 850 hp of the tri-motor version.
One is a little more road-oriented than the other, but the question at the end of the day is: which one would you choose?
