Rivian Offers Up To $5k Credit For Gas-Powered Trade-In: Which Trucks And SUVs Are Eligible

While electric cars are increasing in popularity for North America, the vast majority of vehicles sold in this region continue to be good ole cars that sport traditional internal combustion engines. One of the major impediments preventing existing ICE car owners from making the switch is the lack of familiarity with EVs, and the fact that taking the first step into uncharted territory is often fraught with risks.

Electric truck maker Rivian wants to fix this issue: Right around World Earth Day, the company announced an upgrade offer that should make it easier for the owners of select pickup trucks sold in the U.S. and Canada to switch to one of Rivian's electric vehicles.

Called the Rivian Electric Upgrade Offer, as part of this deal, owners of select gas-powered vehicles will get up to $5,000 off the price of one of Rivian's modern electric SUVs when they trade in their gas-powered cars. In addition to the reduced cost of acquisition, also included as part of the deal is unlimited access to Rivian's growing charging network — called the Rivian Adventure Network (RAN) — for a period of one year from the date of purchase.

For anyone wanting Rivian's Electric Upgrade Offer, potential customers need to meet a handful of requirements. To begin with, users won't be able to trade in any old ICE car in their garage for a new Rivian R1 vehicle. In fact, all vehicles that qualify for this trade-in happen to be SUVs that were manufactured in 2018 or later — and, in some way, compete against Rivian's existing SUV offerings.

Among the cars that are eligible for this include the Ford F-150, Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition, and the Ford Bronco (the Ford Bronco Sport doesn't qualify). If you are a Toyota person, these are the cars that qualify for the trade-in: Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra, Toyota Highlander, and the Toyota 4Runner. Three models from Jeep are also eligible for this offer: the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and the Jeep Gladiator. Rivian has also included three models each from Audi and BMW, including the Audi Q5, Q7, and Q8, as well as the BMW X3, X5, and the X7.

Also pertinent to note that only select trims of the Rivian R1T and the Rivian R1S are eligible for this trade in offer. These qualifying models and the maximum trade-in discount they would be eligible for are as follows. The Rivian R1T Max Pack qualifies for the largest discount, with buyers getting up to $5,000 off upon trade-in. With a potential $4,000 discount, the Rivian R1T Large Pack also gets a significant discount. Two models qualify for up to a $3,000 discount: the Rivian R1T Standard, and the Standard+ Pack. The lowest discount of $1,000 is applicable on the Rivian R1S Large Pack.

Now that you know the ICE vehicles and Rivian's cars that are eligible for the aforementioned trade-in discount, there are a couple of other things that are also important. To begin with, to be eligible for this trade-in, all eligible Rivian configurations should be selected and purchased via Rivian's online shop. More importantly, the reservation also involves paying Rivian a $1,000 deposit; which is non-refundable, in case you decide to cancel your booking.

As outlined earlier, all Rivian cars purchased using this trade-in offer will also be eligible for free charging at Rivian's RAN charging sites across the U.S. for one year. The offer will expire one year after the owner uses the charging benefits for the first time. To qualify for this offer, the deliveries of these Rivian R1 SUVs should be taken between April 22, 2024, and June 30, 2024. Vehicles that have been delivered before or after the aforementioned dates are ineligible for this offer.

In addition to the U.S., this offer is also available for Rivian customers in Canada.