Rivian Repair Costs Shock CEO, Raise Questions 

Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince expressed dismay over a $4,200 quote to replace a cracked rear windshield on his Rivian R1T electric truck, shedding light on the startup automaker’s extremely high repair costs.

In a Twitter thread, Prince detailed his frustrating experience after discovering a simple rear windshield crack. His initial estimate from Safelite was $49 (with insurance) to replace it within 3 days. However, Safelite found that it could not source the glass from Rivian.  

Prince reached out to Rivian directly. After several weeks, they provided a repair estimate of $4,232.71. To put this into perspective, Safelite charges $1,700 for R1T rear glass, $560 for Tesla Model Y, and $460 for Toyota Rav4.

“I really want to love Rivian. I root for them. It’s a great product — as long as nothing goes wrong,” said Prince. However, he cautioned that until Rivian addresses its “outrageous service cost issues” and resulting high insurance premiums, he cannot recommend their vehicles.

He also own Porsche Taycan EV and pointed out that his Porsche is cheaper to insure than Rivian. Higher insurance cost on EV is nothing new, but should be fix to reduce true total cost of ownership.

Inability to quickly and cost-effectively service vehicles could severely impact Rivian viability as a mainstream automaker. The startup, which held a very successful IPO in late 2021, faces immense pressure to scale up manufacturing and deliveries in an increasingly competitive landscape.  

Meanwhile, I’m enthusiastically supporting Rivian due to their exceptional product. I might be in the minority, but I see their Electric Delivery Van as a crucial product in transitioning to clean energy. Why? Because delivery drivers cover significant distances, contributing substantially to mileage.

More Articles for You

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri Snatches Strong Win From Max In Miami F1 GP

With a strong victory at the Miami Grand Prix yesterday, Australia’s Oscar Piastri made it a hat-trick of wins as …

Cadillac F1 Team Unveils New Logo At Ritzy Miami Launch

During a star-studded event at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix on Saturday, the new Cadillac Formula 1 Team debuted their …

Lotus Emira Clark Edition Debuts As Tribute To Jim Clark

Scottish legend Jim Clark is considered as one of the greatest F1 drivers ever. Lotus has a rich history in …

All-New Isuzu D-Max EV Unveiled At NEC Birmingham 

Isuzu has just debuted one of its most important vehicles ever—a fully electric pickup truck. The brand unveiled The New …

VW Polo Celebrates 50 Years: Over 20M Units Sold Worldwide

Volkswagen’s diehard super-compact, the inimitable Polo, is celebrating in 50th birthday this year. Born in 1975, it burst onto the …

Toyota GR Supra Track Edition Arrives In Malaysia From RM698,000

Up until now, Toyota GR’s (Gazoo Racing) high performance division has offered a selection of bespoke models for heavy-duty fans.  …