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Owners are now taking delivery of the first Rivian electric trucks, but they’re not keeping them. Several Rivian R1T electric trucks are showing up on auction websites like Cars & Bids, eBay, and Bring a Trailer for a huge premium. How much of a premium? Nearly double the purchase price in some cases. You can place a bid today for a 2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition truck, but it’s already bid up beyond $100,000. With two days to go.

In April, a used R1T Launch Edition sold for $138,000 at Cars & Bids. It cost $76,075 new.

The Rivian R1T is a hot, hot, truck

A Rivian R1T at an auction site
A Rivian R1T on Cars & Bids | Cars & Bids

Rivian electric trucks are today’s hot EV. It’s the first electric pickup truck to market, and though they’re in short supply, Rivian beat Ford and Chevrolet to the punch. Demand outstripping supply is one reason they’re expensive at auction sites.

The R1T is faster than a Corvette to 60 miles-per-hour. It has a quicker charging system than Teslas. It can be ordered as a four-motor, four-wheel-drive, truck with off-road chops. It also looks good. Unfortunately, while the company has been trying to ramp up production, there are thousands more orders in the queue than trucks available.

Rivians aren’t the only electric trucks commanding big money at auction

A 2022 GMC Hummer EV electric truck sold for $260,000 at Cars & Bids.
Hummer EV Pickup at Cars & Bids | Cars & Bids

Rivians aren’t the only trucks that command a premium at auction. At Cars & Bids two 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickups recently sold for $260,420 and $235,000, respectively. That’s Lamborghini money for a truck that sold new for $112,595. Of course, the 2022 Hummer EV has 1,000 horsepower from three motors, four-wheel-drive, four-wheel-steering in CrabWalk mode, and can hit 60 miles-per-hour as fast as most Lamborghinis, but can carry four friends and tow boat at the same time.

How much are Rivian electric trucks?

A gray 2022 Rivian R1T electric pickup truck is driving.
The 2022 Rivian R1T | Rivian

Rivian electric trucks start at $67,500 for the base two-motor truck, according to Rivian. But good luck finding one for that if you didn’t plunk down $1,000 to reserve yours two years ago. The Explore is the base model, and it starts at $67,500 with the standard battery pack and a dual-motor package. The Adventure is the next step up and it adds better audio and some trim goodies for $73,000. According to Rivian, Adventure and Explore trucks are available.

The one everyone wants, though, is the Launch Edition. The Launch has four motors, one for each wheel for true all-wheel-drive, and a host of special Launch Edition options. The Launches are easily identified by the Launch Green paint and 20-inch or 22-inch wheels. The R1T was named Truck of the Year by MotorTrend.

The company reported about 83,000 reservations at the end of 2021, and it has plans to make 600,000 vehicles at both of its plants. But, as of March the company only produced 2,425 trucks and said it delivered 920. That means that a lot of people are still waiting for delivery of the R1T or R1S, despite placing orders years ago.

Could the Ford F-150 Lightning be next?

Using the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning to power homes is expensive.
2022 Ford F-150 Lightning | Ford

Ford said that it’s shipping F-150 Lightning electric trucks to dealers now. We’re expecting the Lightning to become the next darling of the auction sites, too. So far, Ford said, the company has more than 200,000 F-150 Lightning trucks on order. A reservation was $100. But, it has produced only 2,000 trucks so far. That means there is huge pent-up demand for Ford’s EV.

The Lightning starts at $39,974 for the Pro, which is the work truck version. Ford is also playing in the luxury-truck sandbox with Rivian and for $90,874 it will sell you a fully-loaded Platinum version of the F-150 Lightning. In Ford speak, that means you get everything, including the Pro Power Onboard system that lets you power electric tools at the job site. Then, you can cruise home in Premium Nirvana Leather seats and use every technology package Ford can add, all while being serenaded by a B&O stereo.

Related

Can’t Buy a Rivian R1T Electric Truck? Rent one!

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.