by Steven Perez
posted on April 14, 2024
R1T vs. F-150 Lightning vs. Hummer EV vs. Cybertruck
Since the Rivian R1T hit the market as the first electric pickup truck in 2021, three more battery-powered trucks have made it to the streets — the GMC Hummer EV, the Ford F-150 Lightning, and the Tesla Cybertruck. Millions of trucks are sold in the US each year, so it was only a matter of time before EVs broke into the segment.
These first electric trucks have stormed onto the scene with impressive force — all four models are extremely heavy, all are ludicrously fast for their size, and all are superb feats of engineering. Their prices range from high to downright exorbitant. They benefit from front trunks to augment the truck bed’s storage, but they differ significantly when it comes to focus on traditional truck qualities and trail capabilities (remember that off-roading is prohibited with cars booked on Turo).
Let’s discuss each electric truck, and you decide which is best — the Rivian, the Hummer EV, the Ford Lightning, or the Cybertruck. Consider the range, power, and performance — the most relevant stats for any new EV — then what truck qualities they possess, and finally the fun gimmicks that are ever-present in prestigious electric vehicles.
Rivian R1T
Range, power, & performance
The Rivian boasts the best maximum range of this group — three different battery pack options allow anywhere from 270 to a terrific 410 miles per charge. The dual-motor version makes 533 horsepower, while the quad-motor R1T gets 835 horses and over 900 lb-ft of torque and needs a laughably scant 3.0 seconds to hit 60 mph — quicker than a Mustang Shelby GT500. Impressive all around.
Truck stuff
The Rivian brand is decidedly focused on the outdoor adventure crowd. AWD is standard and the adjustable suspension provides up to 14 inches of ground clearance. Rivian owners laud the impressive trail capabilities, and there’s a built-in air compressor to air your tires up or down on the go. If you head to any upscale mountain town, you’re bound to see these around with tents mounted above the bed.
Gimmicks
A lovely design with Rivian’s signature light bars helps the R1T stand out. The clever “gear tunnel” storage area can come with the optional Camp Kitchen, which includes a collapsible sink, two-burner cooktop, cutlery, and more. Plus, the driver door hides a branded flashlight and a removable bluetooth speaker resides in the center console.
Ford F-150 Lightning
Range, power, & performance
The F-150 Lightning offers the lowest maximum battery range, the least power, and the slowest acceleration of these four competitors. You’ll get 452 horsepower in the Standard, and 580 horses and 775 lb-ft of torque in the top level, with 230-mile and 320-mile battery packs available. However, it feels rather silly giving this Ford work truck last place in the performance department, considering it only needs a flat four seconds to reach 60 mph.
Truck stuff
This is, of course, based on Ford’s best selling F-series pickups, and it can do almost anything the gas version can do — the electric Lightning is only limited by battery range and towing capacity. It has a laundry list of jobsite-ready features, which includes a tailgate with a built-in ladder, ruler, and tool mounts. The bed has copious outlets to charge tools, there’s a remarkable amount of exterior zone lighting, and the truck’s on-board scale tells you how much weight you’re carrying at any time.
Gimmicks
Of the four trucks here, the F-150 Lightning is certainly the most practical — Ford has kept this truck purpose-built and straightforward to use. Some of the work-related features could be called gimmicks, but most seem genuinely useful — Ford knows their stuff when it comes to trucks.
GMC Hummer EV
Range, power, & performance
Excess is the name of the game with Hummer. This 9,600-pound behemoth packs up to 1,000 horsepower, and in WTF mode (“Watts to Freedom”), does the sprint to 60 in 3.3 seconds. This is positively immense acceleration, but the Hummer EV’s immense size makes maneuverability as tricky as you’d expect. Depending on the version, this truck maxes out between 311 and 381 miles per charge.
Truck stuff
This is far from a traditional pickup — it’s a Hummer and meant to draw attention rather than serve jobsite duties. It does have a five-foot bed, but also comes in SUV form, which might be the more “practical” version. The Hummer’s not ideal for trails given its size, but it can be optioned with up to 18 cameras to give thorough 360-degree visibility around the truck for navigating obstacles.
Gimmicks
Besides the prodigious power figure, Hummer EV’s splashiest trick is the rear-wheel steering, which makes for tighter turning at slow speeds and allows for the “crab walk” mode — where all wheels turn the same direction for diagonal driving. It doesn’t seem to have a real-world use but it sure is cool. The electric Hummer also has T-top style removable roof panels that allow for open-air driving, much like the Wrangler and Bronco. And finally, the interior is festooned with moon-themed details like a topographical map of the Apollo 11 landing site on the speaker covers.
Tesla Cybertruck
Range, power, & performance
Incredible acceleration is a Tesla hallmark, and the Cybertruck is the quickest of these four very quick trucks. A 600-hp dual-motor version, called the AWD, does 3.9 seconds to 60 and maxes out at 340 miles, while the 845-hp Cyberbeast does the 60 sprint in a mind-bending 2.6 seconds with slightly reduced battery range. So it has far more punch than anyone knows what to do with, and that’s really what the Cybertruck is all about.
Truck stuff
It goes without saying that this is definitely not a traditional truck, and most will not use it for traditional truck stuff. The Cybertruck does come with 35-inch tires, and the adaptable suspension allows for a whopping 17 inches of ground clearance, so it’s lightyears more rugged than your neighbor’s Model 3. Like the Hummer, the Cybertruck’s rear-wheel steering allows for sharp turning in parking lots, but unlike the Hummer, it can fit a standard 4×8 piece of plywood with the tailgate down. So that’s something.
Gimmicks
This whole vehicle is sort of a gimmick compared to pickup trucks as we’re used to them, and it’s packed with Easter eggs and toys. The screen houses on-board video games like Asteroids and Centipede, a music studio of sorts with synthesized instruments and sounds you can record, and a Sketchpad feature where you create artwork on the touchscreen, which you can submit to Tesla “for critiquing.” With characteristic Tesla humor, the Emissions Testing Mode emits a series of flatulence sounds through the truck’s speakers and can localize it to various seats.
And finally there’s the Cybertruck’s shatter-resistant windows, which can withstand “class 4 hail” and small-caliber bullets. The windows failed spectacularly in a 2019 launch event demonstration, a moment which is memorialized in an Easter egg where you can tap and shatter the windows of the on-screen Cybertruck rendering.
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Steven Perez
Steven is an avid car guy and content maker at Turo. Between Golden State Warriors games he can be found getting lost somewhere in California.
