Two electric SUVs left the same car park at the same minute, held 70 mph on the same North Carolina interstate in 98 degree heat, and finished 57 miles apart. On paper the Rivian R2 should have won: Out of Spec Reviews notes it is rated at 330 miles against 306 for the Tesla Model Y Performance. Using a Porsche Cayenne as a distance reference to correct both cars' optimistic odometers, the channel puts the R2 at 253 real miles and the Model Y at 310. That works out to 77.3 percent of the Rivian's rating and 101.3 percent of the Tesla's, from two vehicles tested side by side in conditions the team describes as close to ideal.
How can two ratings be calibrated that differently? The answer sits in the rules rather than in either car. US testing lets a manufacturer pick between different procedures, and a company may also certify a vehicle below the figure its own test produced, so two automakers can follow the regulations honestly and still end up with window stickers that do not compare with each other. Out of Spec makes this argument directly, says the two cars were certified on completely different cycles, and is careful to place the fault with the rating system rather than with Rivian or Tesla. Worth adding for buyers: the R2 in this test wore the most efficient wheel and tire package available, on 21 inch road wheels supplied by Rivian rather than the all-terrains the owner originally took delivery on. Numbers on the rougher tires would be lower again.
The measured energy figures are as interesting as the distances. Out of Spec reports pulling 89.3 kWh from the R2, above the 87.9 kWh Rivian quotes as usable, and 82.2 kWh from the Model Y against a claimed 81.4 kWh. Corrected efficiency came out at 2.83 miles per kWh for the Rivian and 3.77 for the Tesla, a gap the channel attributes largely to aerodynamics. The team also ran a Rivian R1S dual motor Max Pack on the same route and reports it covered 358.6 miles, more than 100 further than the smaller and newer R2, at 2.62 miles per kWh. Both test cars were within about a thousand miles of each other on the odometer. The presenters say Rivian has seen the results and has not disputed them. The clock stops the moment a car can no longer hold 70 mph. For a second data point, State of Charge measured 259 miles from an R2 on all-terrain tires over a rougher Colorado loop.
The methodology is worth reading before anyone argues with the result. Both cars started at 100 percent, reset their trip computers on the same countdown, ran their most efficient drive modes, set climate to 68 degrees on auto and ran 42 psi in all four tires. The presenters flag two small handicaps and dismiss both: the Rivian used its hands-free driver assistance while the Tesla was driven manually, which Out of Spec measures at 200 watts peak and worth about 1.7 miles at most, and the Model Y no longer offers a driver-only climate setting, so passenger air conditioning had to stay on. The channel also notes the Model Y shut down abruptly while still holding 70 mph rather than tapering into a power limit the way it expected, and that the R2 dropped into a reduced-power mode before it finally slowed.
Bottom line: The R2 is not a bad car, and 253 highway miles will suit plenty of people fine. The problem is that nobody buying one advertised at 330 miles is planning around 253, and the shortfall shows up on precisely the trip where it hurts most. Efficiency is the least glamorous number on the sheet and the one you pay for every week you own the thing. Until a single test cycle is mandatory for everyone, treat window stickers as a rough sort rather than a comparison, and go find an independent 70 mph figure before you sign.
Commentary on a third-party video. Figures and claims are as presented in the source and have not been independently verified. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.