GMC Hummer EV SUV (2025) vs Rivian R1S Tri-Motor (2025): Extreme Electric SUV Guide
Electric SUVs have a horsepower problem — in the best possible way. The 2025 GMC Hummer EV SUV and the 2025 Rivian R1S Tri-Motor are both go-anywhere electric SUVs, and both make more power than most supercars from a decade ago. The Hummer EV SUV 3X packs 830 horsepower and a party trick called CrabWalk. The Rivian R1S Tri-Motor answers with 850 horsepower and a 2.9-second sprint to 60 mph. If you want the quickest, most extreme electric SUV under roughly $110,000, these two are the entire short list.
And yet they could not be more different in philosophy. The Hummer EV SUV is a 9,000-pound statement piece: boxy, upright, removable roof panels, and an off-road hardware list that reads like a military surplus catalog. The R1S is the quieter overachiever — a family adventure SUV that happens to outrun a Corvette, with a usable 371-mile EPA range and a frunk you could camp in. One is theater; the other is efficiency with a dark side.
Here's our early verdict: buy the Rivian R1S Tri-Motor if you want the better all-around electric SUV — it's faster, goes farther on a charge, seats seven, and is easier to live with every day. Buy the Hummer EV SUV if maximum presence and maximum off-road capability are the point — nothing else at this price does what it does off the pavement. Keep reading for the full breakdown, because the right answer depends entirely on how you'll actually use it.
Quick Verdict
- Performance: Rivian R1S Tri-Motor — 2.9 s to 60 mph (instrumented), vs ~3.5 s for the Hummer 3X. The Rivian is decisively quicker and feels it.
- Range: Rivian R1S Tri-Motor — 371 miles EPA vs 312 miles for the Hummer 3X, with a smaller 141.5 kWh usable pack. The Rivian is simply the more efficient machine.
- Off-Road Capability: Hummer EV SUV — Extract Mode gives up to 15.9 inches of ground clearance, with 49.6°/49.0° approach/departure angles, CrabWalk, and 18 underbody cameras. The Rivian is capable, but the Hummer is the trail specialist.
- Daily Usability: Rivian R1S — seven seats, a more maneuverable footprint, better charging-curve consistency, and native trip-planning software built for EV road trips.
- Value: Tie — both land within a few hundred dollars of $107,000 with destination. Neither qualifies for the federal EV tax credit at this price.
At a Glance: Key Specs
| Specification | 2025 GMC Hummer EV SUV 3X | 2025 Rivian R1S Tri-Motor |
|---|---|---|
| Motors | 3 (1 front, 2 rear) | 3 (1 front, 2 rear) |
| Horsepower | 830 hp | 850 hp |
| Torque | 11,500 lb-ft (wheel torque) | 1,103 lb-ft |
| 0–60 mph | ~3.5 s (Watts to Freedom) | 2.9 s (instrumented) |
| Battery (usable) | ~170–177 kWh (est.; GM undisclosed) | 141.5 kWh |
| EPA range | 312 miles | 371 miles |
| Max DC fast charging | 300 kW | 220 kW |
| Max towing | 7,500 lbs | 7,700 lbs |
| Max payload | 1,300 lbs | 1,764 lbs |
| Ground clearance | 10.2–15.9 in (Extract Mode) | 8.8–14.7 in |
| Approach / departure | 49.6° / 49.0° | 35.6° / 34.3° |
| Seating | 5 | 7 |
| Base price (incl. destination) | $104,650 + $2,295 = ~$106,945 | $105,900 + $1,800 = $107,700 |
Design & Exterior: Theater vs Understatement
The Hummer EV SUV does not do subtle. At 86.5 inches wide (before mirrors), with 22-inch wheels standard on the 3X and 35-inch Goodyear mud-terrains available through the Extreme Off-Road Package, it looks like it drove straight out of a proving ground. The illuminated H-U-M-M-E-R light bar, the squared-off everything, the Infinity Roof with four removable Sky Panels that store in the frunk — every inch of it is engineered for attention. It is also a packaging compromise: all that width makes tight trails and downtown Cleveland parking structures an exercise in patience, though standard four-wheel steering and a 35.4-foot turning circle genuinely help.
The Rivian R1S takes the opposite path and might be the better-looking vehicle for it. Its design is soft where the Hummer is hard — rounded shoulders, the signature stadium headlights, a drag-friendly silhouette that slips through the air instead of fighting it. At 200.8 inches long it's actually a touch longer than the Hummer SUV (196.8 inches without the rear spare), but its 81.8-inch width makes it noticeably easier to place on the road. The R1S looks like a premium adventure wagon; the Hummer looks like a dare.
Practical exterior notes favor different buyers. The Hummer's removable roof panels deliver open-air driving no other EV SUV offers. The Rivian counters with a power liftgate plus fold-down tailgate, a powered frunk (the Hummer's is the cleverly named Power eTrunk at 11.3 cubic feet vs the Rivian's 9.9), and standard 22-inch aero wheels. Both look their best in darker colors — the Hummer in anything that emphasizes its menace, the Rivian in Forest Green or the California Dune treatment.
Interior, Comfort & Technology: Command Center vs Minimalist Lounge
Climb into the Hummer EV SUV and the first impression is scale — everything is big, chunky, and proud of it. A 13.4-inch infotainment screen with Google Built-In sits beside a 12.3-inch driver cluster, and the cabin is full of physical switchgear, including the chunky mode controls for Terrain Mode, CrabWalk, and Extract Mode. Materials are genuinely nice (the bronze accents and lunar-surface etchings are a fun touch), and the 14-speaker Bose system is excellent, but this is a five-seat cabin. There is no third row, full stop — the massive battery pack and short rear overhang rule it out.
The R1S cabin is the anti-Hummer: minimalist, calm, and built around a 15.6-inch touchscreen that handles nearly everything, plus a 12.3-inch cluster and a 6.8-inch rear climate screen. There are seven seats as standard, and the third row is genuinely usable for kids and short hops — a real advantage for Ohio families who need the space. Fit and finish on the second-generation (2025) truck improved meaningfully, with better materials and quieter cabins. The trade-off: no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto (Rivian wants you on its Connect+ subscription for Apple Music and Google Cast), and nearly every control lives in the touchscreen.
Technology highlights split along brand lines. The Hummer gets Super Cruise, GM's excellent hands-free highway system, standard — and it works on hundreds of thousands of miles of mapped roads. The Rivian counters with its second-generation Autonomy Platform (11 cameras, 5 radars) and Enhanced Highway Assist delivered over the air. For off-roading, the Hummer's UltraVision system with 18 cameras including underbody views is unmatched; the Rivian's Gear Guard security camera and Camp Mode features are the better everyday companions.
Performance & Driving Feel: Two Kinds of Violent
On paper this looks close: 830 hp vs 850 hp, tri-motor layouts on both. In reality, it's not close at all. The Rivian R1S Tri-Motor's 2.9-second 0–60 run is instrumented-test verified by Car and Driver — that is supercar territory, in a 7,000-plus-pound family SUV. The Hummer 3X's ~3.5-second claim comes from GM's own testing with Watts to Freedom launch mode engaged, and while it feels outrageous from behind the wheel, the Rivian simply walks away from it.
Physics explains why. The Hummer EV SUV 3X weighs roughly 9,063 pounds — its battery pack alone is nearly 3,000 pounds. The Rivian carries around a ton less mass and a more aerodynamic body, so its 850 hp goes further. A quick torque note, because the numbers are misleading: the Hummer's quoted 11,500 lb-ft is wheel torque after the reduction gearing, not motor torque, so it cannot be compared directly with the Rivian's 1,103 lb-ft. Compare the stopwatch instead — it doesn't lie.
Driving feel diverges even more. The Rivian is the driver's SUV: tighter body control, better steering feel, and a ride that stays composed at speed. The Hummer is the experience SUV: hilariously quick in a straight line, surprisingly maneuverable thanks to four-wheel steering, but ultimately a tall, heavy machine that leans on its air suspension through corners. Off the pavement the script flips — the Hummer's Extract Mode (15.9 inches of clearance), front and rear e-lockers, underbody armor, and CrabWalk diagonal-drive mode make it the more capable rock crawler by a wide margin. The Rivian handles dirt, snow, and moderate trails beautifully, but its 35.6°/34.3° approach/departure angles are ordinary next to the Hummer's 49.6°/49.0°.
Range, Charging & Efficiency: The Rivian's Home Turf
This is where the comparison gets lopsided. The R1S Tri-Motor is EPA-rated at 371 miles from a 141.5 kWh usable pack — and independent testing by Edmunds returned 361 real-world miles. The Hummer EV SUV 3X is rated at 312 miles from a pack estimated at 170–177 kWh usable (GM doesn't officially disclose it). Do the math: the Rivian carries roughly 20 percent less battery and goes roughly 20 percent farther. On a Columbus-to-Chicago run, that's the difference between one comfortable charging stop and two, possibly three.
Charging hardware favors the Hummer on paper: 300 kW peak on its 800-volt-capable Ultium architecture vs 220 kW for the Rivian. But paper peaks don't tell the charging story — charge curves do. Independent testing of the Hummer found real-world sessions averaging far below the peak, with GM's "100 miles in 14 minutes" claim taking roughly twice as long in practice. The Rivian's 220 kW peak holds more consistently, adding about 140 miles in 20 minutes. Both vehicles get Tesla Supercharger access via adapters (the Rivian includes its NACS-to-CCS1 adapter free; the Hummer's arrived for 2025), which matters enormously for Ohio road trips along I-70 and I-71.
One honest note for the Rivian column: Edmunds measured 43.6 kWh/100 mi in its range test, making the R1S one of the least efficient EVs it's tested — but the Hummer, moving 9,000 pounds on mud-terrain-capable rubber, is unquestionably thirstier. Neither of these is an efficiency play; the Rivian is just the less bad offender, and its 371-mile rating gives it real breathing room the Hummer lacks.
Safety & Driver Assistance
Both vehicles come loaded with modern driver-assistance tech. The Hummer EV SUV includes Super Cruise hands-free highway driving as standard, plus automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, and the UltraVision camera suite that's as much an off-road tool as a safety feature. The 2025 R1S brings Rivian's second-generation Autonomy Platform (11 cameras, 5 radars), standard automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, blind-spot monitoring, and Enhanced Highway Assist delivered over the air.
Neither vehicle has a full IIHS or NHTSA crash-test scorecard published as of this writing — normal for low-volume models. For family duty, the Rivian's seven seats and Pet Mode get the practical nod.
Pricing, Trims & Value: A $755 Coin Flip
Here's the remarkable part: with destination, the Hummer EV SUV 3X costs about $106,945 and the Rivian R1S Tri-Motor costs $107,700 — a difference of $755 on six-figure SUVs. Both blow past the $80,000 MSRP cap for the federal EV tax credit, so neither qualifies. Both will depreciate like luxury EVs do — steeply in years one through three — so buy the one you'll keep, or lease and let the bank eat the depreciation.
The Hummer lineup is simple: 2X at $96,550 (570 hp, 315 miles of range) or 3X at $104,650 (830 hp, 312 miles), plus $2,295 destination and an optional $9,995 Extreme Off-Road Package. The Rivian ladder is broader — Dual Standard from $75,900 up through the Tri Max at $105,900 — which means you can get 90 percent of the R1S experience (the Dual Max makes 665 hp with the Performance package) for about $18,000 less than the Tri-Motor. There is no Hummer equivalent of that value play; the 2X is still a $96,550 truck.
Ownership costs favor the Rivian: better efficiency means cheaper charging, and Rivian's direct-sales model avoids dealer markups (a real issue for the Hummer at some GMC stores). Warranty-wise, the Rivian's high-voltage battery carries 8 years/120,000 miles of coverage. But note the caveat from owner reports: early Tri-Motor trucks have seen drive-unit replacements and software gremlins — Rivian's service network is still maturing, while every GMC dealer in Ohio can at least look at a Hummer (whether they know what they're looking at is another question).
Pros and Cons
2025 GMC Hummer EV SUV — Pros
- Unmatched off-road hardware: CrabWalk, Extract Mode (15.9″ clearance), e-lockers, underbody cameras
- Removable Infinity Roof panels — open-air driving no rival offers
- Super Cruise hands-free driving standard
- Absurd presence; nothing else looks like it
- 300 kW peak DC fast charging on 800V architecture
2025 GMC Hummer EV SUV — Cons
- 312-mile EPA range from a ~175 kWh pack — poor efficiency
- 9,000+ lb curb weight dulls handling and braking feel
- Only five seats; no third-row option
- Real-world charging well below the 300 kW headline figure
- No federal tax credit; dealer markups still occur
2025 Rivian R1S Tri-Motor — Pros
- 2.9-second 0–60 (instrumented) — the quicker SUV, decisively
- 371-mile EPA range; 361 miles real-world per Edmunds testing
- Seven seats standard with a usable third row
- Excellent everyday driving dynamics and road-trip software
- Free NACS adapter and broad Supercharger access
2025 Rivian R1S Tri-Motor — Cons
- No Apple CarPlay / Android Auto — everything runs through Rivian's software
- Ordinary off-road geometry vs the Hummer (35.6°/34.3° angles)
- Service network still maturing; some early Tri-Motor reliability complaints
- $107,700 as tested — big money, no tax credit
- Minimalist interior won't suit buyers who want physical controls
Who Should Buy Which?
Buy the 2025 Rivian R1S Tri-Motor if: you want the fastest, longest-range, most livable electric SUV at this price. It's the family choice (seven seats), the road-trip choice (371 miles, consistent charging, great trip planner), and the driver's choice (2.9 to 60, composed chassis). If your "off-roading" is gravel driveways, ski trips to Snowshoe, and the occasional muddy soccer field, the Rivian does everything you need while embarrassing sports cars at stoplights.
Buy the 2025 GMC Hummer EV SUV if: you want the most capable and most outrageous electric SUV money can buy. Real rock-crawling hardware, removable roof panels, CrabWalk, and a presence that stops traffic — the Hummer is a toy for grown-ups who actually use it. Just go in eyes open: the range is merely adequate, it's enormous to park, and every mile costs more electrons than the Rivian's.
Final Verdict
Extreme electric SUVs are a two-horse race, and the horses are running different races. The Rivian R1S Tri-Motor wins on the stopwatch, the range meter, the spec sheet's practicality rows, and the daily-driving scorecard — it's the better electric SUV by most objective measures, and for most Ohio buyers it's the one we'd take home. Seven seats, 371 miles of range, and 2.9-second acceleration for $107,700 is a combination nothing else touches.
But the GMC Hummer EV SUV doesn't lose so much as refuse to compete on those terms. It's the only vehicle here that can crab-walk out of a tight spot, lift itself to nearly 16 inches of clearance, and take its roof off afterward. If your weekends involve trails that would high-center a normal SUV, or if you simply want the most dramatic vehicle on the road, the Hummer is worth every one of its 9,063 pounds.
Our pick: the Rivian R1S Tri-Motor for the head, the Hummer EV SUV 3X for the heart. Most buyers should follow their head — but we completely understand those who don't.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is faster, the Hummer EV SUV or the Rivian R1S Tri-Motor?
The Rivian R1S Tri-Motor, decisively. It hits 60 mph in 2.9 seconds in instrumented testing; the Hummer EV SUV 3X needs about 3.5 seconds with Watts to Freedom engaged.
Which has more range, the Hummer EV SUV 3X or the R1S Tri-Motor?
The R1S Tri-Motor: 371 miles EPA vs 312 for the Hummer EV SUV 3X — from a smaller 141.5 kWh pack, making the Rivian substantially more efficient.
Can the Hummer EV SUV and Rivian R1S use Tesla Superchargers?
Yes — both 2025 models support Supercharger access via NACS adapters (Rivian's adapter is free; the Hummer's arrived during 2025). The R1S moves to a native NACS port for 2026.
Does the Hummer EV SUV really make 11,500 lb-ft of torque?
That figure is wheel torque after the gear reduction, so it can't be compared directly with the Rivian's 1,103 lb-ft motor torque. Compare 0–60 times instead.
Which is the better family SUV?
The Rivian R1S, without question: seven seats (the Hummer seats five), 104.7 vs 81.8 cubic feet of max cargo, longer range, and easier charging. The Hummer is the better toy.
For more electric-SUV reading, see our 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV vs Hyundai Ioniq 5 buying guide for the affordable end of the segment, our CT5-V Blackwing vs Corvette Z06 showdown for American performance at its peak, and the Corvette E-Ray vs Acura NSX Type S comparison for another take on electrified speed.
By Stefany Aurora, ABBOhio Editorial. Specifications verified from GMC, Rivian, EPA, KBB, Edmunds, and Car and Driver published data for the 2025 model year.
Head or heart — which one would you take home, and why? Tell us in the comments.
