A Rivian R1T owner named Chris Apfelstadt recently shared the eye-popping bill he received for a minor accident involving his electric vehicle—a staggering $42,000.
Apfelstadt stated that the insurance company of the other driver initially estimated the repair expenses to be $1,600 and issued him a check accordingly. However, when he brought his Rivian to one of the three authorized repair shops in central Ohio, the actual repair bill turned out to be slightly higher.
Allegedly, the shop provided Apfelstadt with a comprehensive breakdown of costs, meticulously documented each repair step, and furnished photographic evidence for verification. The total repair cost of $42,000, coupled with the expenses for Apfelstadt's rental car, nearly reached the maximum limit of the other driver's $50,000 insurance coverage.
From The Drive:
"The biggest story here is that what appears to be a minor accident on the surface can be much more costly to fix. The truck is designed [to] absorb the impact to limit injuries to the driver and passengers. So in the event of a collision, they need to inspect a lot of parts to make sure they were not damaged," Apfelstadt told The Drive. "I understand the total repair cost is shocking, but the shop followed the book written by Rivian!"
One of the photos that Apfelstadt posted to Facebook, which is said to be from the repair shop, shows a completely disassembled bed, devoid of any body panels, and even missing its rear glass.
"The back quarter panel was damaged and that piece goes all the way from the tailgate to the front windshield," Apfelstadt told us.
However, Redditor and fellow Rivian R1T owner Earlgr3yh0t was also rear-ended a few months back, except their rear quarter panel had a basketball-sized dent just below the taillight. They took the R1T to a certified Rivian body shop who said the entire rear quarter panel, as well as some tailgate internals, needed replacing. The total cost of replacing an entire body panel and some tailgate bits was reportedly just over $14,000. So a $42,000 rear bumper replacement seems exorbitant, but Apfelstadt says he's happy with his truck.
"The shop did a really good job. The body, the paint, and every detail looks exactly like it did when the truck was brand new. These guys are experts in EVs and while I'm sure another shop may have done the work cheaper, I don't think anyone could do it better," he said.
II guess if you're loaded, shelling out that kind of cash for a repair wouldn't be much of a problem. But for us regular folks, dishing out $42,000 just to fix a rear bumper is downright outrageous. Especially when you consider that the Rivian R1T starts at $73,000. This guy practically paid over half the original price of the vehicle for a repair.
It's completely insane and makes you wonder how much repairs would cost on a more moderately priced electric vehicle.
