Compare the2025 GMC Sierra EVVS 2024 Rivian R1T

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 Sierra EV are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The R1T doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Sierra EV’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the front seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The R1T doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sierra EV has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The R1T doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Sierra EV and R1T have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Sierra EV has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The R1T’s Rear Cross-Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Sierra EV and the R1T have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The GMC Sierra EV weighs 1924 pounds more than the Rivian R1T. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Rivian vehicles. With 65 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks GMC higher than Rivian.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Rivian vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks GMC 4 places higher in reliability than Rivian.

The Sierra EV’s electric motors produces 221 more horsepower (754 vs. 533) and 175 lbs.-ft. more torque (785 vs. 610) than the R1T Dual Motor’s standard electric motors. The Sierra EV’s electric motors produces 89 more horsepower (754 vs. 665) than the R1T Dual Motor Performance’s standard electric motors.

The Sierra EV can travel longer on a full charge than the R1T on a full charge:

For better stopping power the Sierra EV’s brake rotors are larger than those on the R1T:

The Sierra EV’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the R1T’s 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sierra EV has standard 24-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the R1T. The R1T’s largest wheels are only 22-inches.

The GMC Sierra EV’s wheels have 8 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Rivian R1T only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Sierra EV has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The R1T doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sierra EV’s wheelbase is 9.9 inches longer than on the R1T (145.7 inches vs. 135.8 inches).

For better maneuverability, the Sierra EV Denali’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the R1T’s (42.4 feet vs. 44.9 feet).

For excellent aerodynamics, the Sierra EV has standard flush composite headlights. The R1T has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

The Sierra EV has 2.5 inches more front headroom, 3.5 inches more front legroom, 6.4 inches more front hip room, 3.4 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 7.7 inches more rear legroom, 6.6 inches more rear hip room and 4.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the R1T.

The Sierra EV has a much larger cargo box than the R1T shortbed (57.5 vs. 54.5 cubic feet).

The Sierra EV’s cargo box is larger than the R1T’s in almost every dimension:

The GMC Sierra EV has a standard midgate with a removable rear window that allows the front of the cargo box to be folded down in order to extend the length of the cargo box to allow it to safely carry longer cargo. The Rivian R1T doesn't offer a way to extend the cargo box into the rear seat.

A standard locking glovebox and optional locking center console (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Sierra EV. The R1T doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Sierra EV has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning, navigation instruction, infotainment 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 R1T doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Sierra EV’s standard Keyless Open and Start allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, unlock the tailgate, and start the truck, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. An advanced key system standard on the R1T doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

The Sierra EV’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The R1T doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

When the Sierra EV with available tilt-down mirrors 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 R1T’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Sierra EV’s Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Automatic Parking will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The R1T doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The GMC Sierra outsold the Rivian R1S/R1T by over six to one during 2023.