While Rivian has had some hiccups in its first few years of operation, this is a significant victory for the electric truck. The 2022-2023 Rivian R1T electric pickup earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick Plus award for 2022. See what kind of rigorous crash tests the Rivian pickup went through to achieve this accolade.
Rivian R1T Electric Pickup Is IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus Winner
In its second year on the market, the Rivian R1T is causing a sensation. Not only that, but the updated Insurance Institute for Road Safety (IIHS) tests have even tripped up some veteran cars, trucks and SUVs. Some of the current crash tests include a small overlap for the driver and passenger, moderate overlap, and head, side, and roof restraints.
The Rivian electric truck received the highest score of “good” in all categories. In newer testing areas, such as headlamps and vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian frontal crash avoidance, the 2022-23 Rivian R1T received the highest score again.
Headlights have been a major source of headache for automakers, with the IIHS awarding LED projector headlights instead of the traditional ones. The low beams of the Rivian headlights provided good visibility on both sides of the road. The low beams did not exceed glare limits and the high beams received similarly positive feedback. These helped Rivian’s R1T achieve a Top Safety Pick Plus award.
Rivian’s R1T electric truck performed well in the areas of frontal crash prevention
The IIHS recently introduced forward collision avoidance into testing. Analyze how the Rivian R1T performed in preventing vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian crashes. IIHS tests the requirements for forward collision warning by simulating crashes at 12 and 25 mph.
The truck was tested against a child jaywalker, an adult jaywalker, and a parallel adult in the frontal collision avoidance vehicle-pedestrian test. Rivian’s R1T electric pickup truck avoided all three pitfalls.
Speaking of kids, the truck also received high marks for the child seat attachment hardware (LATCH). Tests found the tether anchors easy to find and attach, earning it a high score. This is an essential modern test for those who install child seats in the truck at any time.
Rivian is in good company with the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra
Only five trucks have been extensively tested and awarded in the full-size pickup truck category. The 2022-23 Ford F-150 Crew Cab and Crew Cab are IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus winners, along with the 2022-23 Ram 1500. Only one other truck, the 2022 Toyota Tundra Crew Cab, is a Top Safety Pick Plus winner, so far. Rivian’s R1T is also the only electric truck on the list (for now).
Only the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Crew Cab for Small Trucks won the Top Safety Pick award. Crash tests like these are generally not forgiving to trucks, resulting in lower scores. Automakers have been working to change that of late, hoping to deliver safer trucks in the coming years.
Testing is ongoing at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, so expect more news on cars, trucks, and SUVs soon. For now, this is a big win for the 2022-2023 Rivian R1T electric pickup truck.