Toronto, Ontario — In what was certainly a long journey to reach Canadian roads, both for prospective owners and the OEM itself, Rivian can proudly boast that its 2022 R1T electric pickup earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award this past week.
In addition to a strong showing in the driver-side small overlap front impact test, the R1T comes equipped with “good-rated” LED projector headlights and a standard front crash prevention system that the institute said also posted “superior” results.
The all-electric pickup was shown to withstand the small overlap quite well, as a video released by the IIHS saw the occupant compartment of the R1T remain secure, while its driver-facing airbags successfully kept the test dummy cushioned from the brunt of the impact.
In order to be eligible to earn a Top Safety Pick award, a vehicle must earn “good” ratings in six IIHS crashworthiness evaluations, including the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint tests.
It must also be available with a front crash prevention system that earns “advanced” or “superior” ratings in both the vehicle-to-vehicle and daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations.
For the lower-tier Top Safety Pick, at least one good or acceptable headlight system must be available. For the higher-tier Top Safety Pick+, good or acceptable headlights must be standard across all trims.
