Compare the2026 Kia EV9VS 2025 Rivian R1S

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the EV9 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The R1S doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The EV9 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The R1S doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Kia EV9 achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, outperforming the Rivian R1S which scored only an “Acceptable” in these critical safety features.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The EV9 Wind/Land/GT-Line has standard Parking Collision-Avoidance Reverse that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The R1S doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the EV9’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The R1S doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the EV9 and R1S have rear cross-traffic warning, but the EV9 has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The R1S’ Rear Cross-Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the EV9 uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The R1S uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the EV9 and the R1S have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

Warranty

The EV9 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The R1S’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the EV9 2 years longer than Rivian covers the R1S. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the R1S ends after only 8 years.

There are over 8 times as many Kia dealers as there are Rivian dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the EV9’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Rivian vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 93 more problems per 100 vehicles, Rivian is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Rivian vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 16 places higher in reliability than Rivian.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the EV9 gets better mileage than the R1S:

			MPGe
EV9
	RWD	Light Long Range Electric Motor	100 city/78 hwy
		Light Electric Motor	101 city/76 hwy
	AWD	Land/Wind Electric Motors	94 city/75 hwy
		GT-Line Electric Motors	92 city/72 hwy
R1S
	AWD	Dual Max 22" Wheels Electric Motors	91 city/77 hwy
		Dual Large Plus 22" Wheels Electric Motors	89 city/75 hwy
		Dual Standard 20" Wheels Electric Motors	85 city/72 hwy
		Performance Dual Large 20" Wheels Electric Motors	85 city/72 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the EV9’s brake rotors are larger than those on the R1S:

	EV9	R1S
Front Rotors	14.2 inches	13.5 inches
Rear Rotors	13.6 inches	12.9 inches

The EV9 stops much shorter than the R1S:

	EV9	R1S
70 to 0 MPH	167 feet	173 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	144 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the EV9 GT-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the R1S (285/45R21 vs. 275/50R22).

The EV9’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the R1S’ 65 series tires. The EV9 GT-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the R1S Ascend Quad Max’s 50 series front tires.

Suspension and Handling

The EV9’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The R1S doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The EV9 GT-Line AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the R1S Ascend Tri Max pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The EV9 GT-Line AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the R1S Ascend Tri Max (26.3 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 26.7 seconds @ .74 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the EV9’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the R1S Quad Max Ascend’s (40.6 feet vs. 41.3 feet). The EV9’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the R1S’ (40.6 feet vs. 43.3 feet).

Chassis

The Kia EV9 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1000 to 1350 pounds less than the Rivian R1S.

The EV9 is 3.6 inches shorter than the R1S, making the EV9 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The EV9 is 8.4 inches shorter in height than the R1S, making the EV9 much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the EV9’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The R1S doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

For excellent aerodynamics, the EV9 has standard flush composite headlights. The R1S has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

Passenger Space

The EV9 has .1 inches more front headroom, 4.5 inches more front hip room, 1 inch more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 6.2 inches more rear legroom, 3.7 inches more rear hip room, 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room, .9 inches more third row headroom and 3.9 inches more third row shoulder room than the R1S.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the EV9’s middle and third row seats recline. The R1S’ third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The EV9’s cargo area provides more volume than the R1S.

	EV9	R1S
Behind Third Seat	20.2 cubic feet	17.6 cubic feet

Both the EV9 and the R1S offer second row automatic folding seats. The EV9’s optional third row seats also fold up or down at the press of a switch. The R1S doesn’t offer automatic folding third row seats.

The EV9’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The R1S’ tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the EV9’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The R1S doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its tailgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the EV9 to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Rivian doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the R1S.

Ergonomics

The EV9 GT-Line has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The R1S doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The EV9’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the R1S’ headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The EV9’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The R1S doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the EV9 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The R1S doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the EV9 Land/GT-Line is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The R1S’ mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The EV9 has standard front air conditioned seats and the EV9 Land/GT-Line also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The R1S doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The EV9 GT-Line has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the R1S.

The EV9 is equipped with both FM and AM stereo radios, offering access to more content and better coverage than the R1S, which solely provides FM radio. With AM radio, you can enjoy a wider variety of stations featuring news, talk shows, sports commentary, native language programing, automated traffic guidance, and emergency broadcasts. AM waves travel further and penetrate buildings and obstacles more effectively than FM signals, especially at night. Having both FM and AM stereo radios the EV9 offers a more comprehensive listening experience compared to only FM in the R1S.

HD Radio boasts several benefits over conventional radio: superior sound quality with clearer and consistent FM broadcasts, CD-quality audio, and Multicast Channels offering up to four streams from a single station, adding programming choices. Cars like the EV9 equipped with HD Radio provide an improved in-car entertainment experience. The R1S, devoid of this technology, foregoes these benefits. Selecting the Kia EV9 empowers drivers to enjoy a more immersive and enjoyable listening experience while on the go.

Compared to the Rivian R1S’ traditional radio, the Kia EV9 equipped with standard SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks.

The EV9 (except Light/Wind)’s optional Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The R1S doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The EV9 is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The R1S doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 Kia EV9 retains 35.24% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 29.52% resale value of the 2026 Rivian R1S after five years, which can save the Kia’s owner up to $17940 in depreciation.

Recommendations

The EV9 was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024. The R1S has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the EV9 as the 2024 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The R1S has never been chosen.

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