What is the paint quality on the Rivian R1T Electric Truck?

Key Highlights

• The Average Car Guy, a YouTube personality, takes a comprehensive look at the Rivian R1T, focusing on the paint quality, panel alignment, and overall external fit and finish.
• Rivian launched R1T electric pickup truck in September 2021.
• If you look closely, you'll notice orange peel on every panel of the vehicle, and the owner claims the R1T has more orange peel than any other automobile he's ever owned.

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The Average Car Guy, a YouTube personality, takes a comprehensive look at the Rivian R1T, focusing on the paint quality, panel alignment, and overall external fit and finish. He says that he's had numerous inquiries about the truck's paint condition on Rivian forums. Is it deserved?

Rivian launched the R1T electric pickup truck in September 2021. While the company may appear new to many, it has been around for many years. Nonetheless, Rivian is one of a few possibly successful startup automakers focused only on electric vehicles. As a result, it only makes sense to scrutinise the build quality and fit and finish of its trucks.

Tesla has been under fire for years due to its high-priced "luxury" automobiles falling short of German premium rivals. This is true not only for the interior design and materials used by Tesla, but also for the paint, panel alignment, inside trim fitment, and general build quality of the cars.

Some may claim that most automobiles have panel alignment, paint, and interior fitment flaws, but they are not evaluated as frequently or as thoroughly as Tesla's models. Others maintain that Tesla's fit and quality are among the worst in the industry. Additionally, experts such as Sandy Munro have noted that, while Tesla's automobiles were undoubtedly weak in the past, the firm has made significant strides.

Now that EV startup firms like Lucid and Rivian have launched their first vehicles, it's time to take a closer look at these Tesla rivals' build quality.

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The video demonstrates an abundance of orange peel on the R1paint, T's, albeit it is not immediately apparent without a close study. If you look closely, you'll notice orange peel on every panel of the vehicle, and the owner claims the R1T has more orange peel than any other automobile he's ever owned.

If you're unfamiliar with the term "orange peel," it refers to the fruit's skin, not its hue. Essentially, vehicle paint can dry with an uneven texture. It's at 2:40 in the video above. It's considerably more noticeable on the truck's door handle, which you can see in the video beginning at 5:45.

Additionally, the truck's frunk lid has a coin-sized ding. While it is evident from the correct perspective and in the right light, the majority of people will probably miss it unless they are looking for it. Panel gaps are consistently spaced and aligned in the majority of cases. On the other hand, the charging port door, on the other hand, and the driver's side door handle both appear to sit somewhat deeper than they should.

Finally, Average Car Guy acknowledges that he is unconcerned about minor fit and finish flaws with the R1T. According to him, if you pay great attention, you may undoubtedly uncover a plethora of reasons not to enjoy the possessions you own.

Interestingly, it appears that some video watchers share this sentiment. One observes that they would be far less worried about a small amount of orange peel than with evident panel gaps or other flaws.

Watch The Video:

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What are your thoughts? Are folks exaggerating the paint and panel gap situations? What would enrage you the most? Should consumers anticipate an increase in the number of these high-priced EVs?