Rivian R1T Meets Rural Britain: Brilliant Truck, Wrong Country

The Rivian R1T is a spectacular piece of engineering. In Britain, it’s also roughly the size of a small barn — and that’s exactly the tension AutoTrader’s Rory Reid plays with in a new review of an imported example driven around UK villages and parking bays.

At around 18 feet long, the R1T dwarfs most of what shares its road space in Europe. Reid manages to wedge it into a standard roadside spot, but the process is clearly a negotiation. Threading it through narrow village streets, he compares the experience to piloting a stretch limo. You know the truck can do it. You just feel every inch of the effort.

Big power, big weight, plenty of theatre

This is not the newer Gen 2 truck. It’s a first-generation R1T with the quad-motor setup and 835 horsepower on tap. Reid’s 0–60 mph run lands at 3.31 seconds, and the laughter on camera tells you more than the number does. Nobody needs that in a vehicle with a cargo bed. Everybody wants it.

Key Specs: 835 hp quad-motor · 0–60 mph in 3.31 s · ~18 ft long · first-generation R1T

Dynamically, the R1T can’t hide its mass. Reid reports hearing the tires straining through quicker corners, yet he still rates the body control highly. The softer stuff scores well too — supportive seats, linear power delivery, light steering, a sharp accelerator and regenerative braking strong enough to bring the truck to a full stop just by lifting off.

The clever bits that actually matter

Where the R1T shines is in the details that make a pickup livable day to day:

• Gear Tunnel: a lockable storage space running behind the cab
• Onboard air compressor: useful for tires and whatever else needs inflating
• Powered bed cover: keeps the load area secure
• Extensive camera coverage: a real asset in a vehicle this size
• Separate driver display: a small win Reid singles out for praise

The criticisms land where space is wasted rather than where it’s used. There’s no glovebox, and rear-seat room doesn’t live up to what the truck’s vast exterior suggests.

The bigger picture is straightforward. Rivian only officially sells the R1T in the US and Canada, and its European plan rests on the smaller R2, which suits the continent’s narrower roads far better. A UK launch hasn’t been confirmed, and the company’s British site lists no arrival date.

So the R1T remains a visitor here — an outsized one. Reid’s conclusion is essentially this: it doesn’t fit Britain, and he’d still like to see more electric pickups built like it. Hard to argue with that.