- A Rivian owner received a massive repair bill after bumping into a parking garage pillar.
- His R1T now needs servicing that would be unaffordable for many potential truck buyers.
- EV repair costs are often higher due to complex designs, limited service centers, and parts.
It’s no secret that EVs can rack up higher repair bills than their gas-powered counterparts. In fact, a study last year found that fixing an electric car after a crash costs, on average, about 20 percent more. Now, we have yet another real-world example that reinforces that finding, this time featuring a familiar repeat offender.
The vehicle in question is the Rivian R1T, a truck already notorious for pricey repair bills. Thanks to specialized parts, limited repair centers, complex labor, and tightly integrated components, fixing even minor damage can quickly spiral into a financial headache—not to mention the countless forum complaints about the painfully long wait times Rivian owners have to endure on top of it all.
Read: Can You Believe This Rivian R1T Damage Repair Cost $21,000?
Some of you might remember back in May 2023 when we reported on an unlucky Rivian owner who got rear-ended at low speed while sitting in his truck. The damage? A slightly banged-up bumper and barely noticeable dents in the sheet metal. The bill? Over $40,000! Then, almost a year later, another R1T owner with a more severely damaged rear quarter panel somehow got off easier, with a repair cost of “only” $21,149.
This Time, It’s Just a Tail Light… Right?
That brings us to today and yet another R1T owner dealing with a deceptively minor-looking repair. This time, the culprit was a concrete pillar in a parking garage, which left the truck with what appears to be nothing more than a cracked rear tail light, plus a few minor chips on the tailgate and bumper.
The owner shared an image on Reddit, highlighting the damage and the outrageous repair bill. Take a look at the photo below and guess how much you’d expect to pay for what appears to be a simple tail light housing replacement. From what we can see, there doesn’t seem to be any significant sheet metal damage. At most, there might be a few small paint chips below the broken light housing.
However, without the full repair estimate, it’s unclear what’s inflating the cost or if there’s any hidden issues behind the bumper.
Despite what appears to be minor damage, the repair is set to cost several times more than the initial $1,400 estimate from his insurance company. The final bill from an authorized Rivian repair center came in at a staggering $7,490.34. That’s right, the cracked light housing you see, along with whatever other damage they found, will cost as much to fix as a decent used car.
So, what would you do in this situation? Would a repair bill like this be enough to make you rethink Rivian ownership? Let us know your thoughts below.
