Comparing the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T makes little sense. Sure, both are electric pickups (the third and first to hit the market), but beyond that, they have about as much in common as we do with American Journal of Botany.
The Rivian R1T, our 2022 Truck of the Year, is an immensely capable pickup with a lifestyle-oriented bent. It’s great to drive on-road and damn near unstoppable off-road, and it can tow and haul far more than a vehicle barely bigger than a Toyota Tacoma has any right to. That’s why it vanquished the GMC Hummer EV pickup—a similarly lifestyle- and off-road-oriented EV—in our first-ever electric pickup truck comparison (August).
The Lighting is, well, different. If the R1T aims to “electrify the outdoors,” the Ford aims to electrify the modern American full-size pickup—the bestselling one on the market, at that. The Lightning is intended to work, with the definition of “work” left to the owner’s imagination—F-150s are just as likely to tow horses or explore country two-tracks as they are to haul lumber or whisk families away on interstate road trips.
Although these pickups are built for different purposes, they’re priced similarly, which means they’re inevitably going to be cross-shopped. With that in mind, we got our hands on a 2022 F-150 Lightning Lariat extended range—likely the most widely available Lightning for the foreseeable future—and snagged the keys to our long-term 2022 Rivian R1T Launch Edition (effectively an R1T Adventure with unique paint).
To most pickup buyers, the Lightning Lariat extended range ought to feel quite familiar. Solely available in the popular crew-cab, short-bed (5.5-foot) configuration, the subtle tells that this F-150 is electric are minor styling changes, full-width light bars front and rear, some badging, a faux grille, and a 14.1-cubic-foot frunk (complete with four 120-volt outlets, no less).
The Lightning isn’t so different under the skin from gas-powered F-150s, either. It rides on a specialized version of the gas F-150’s frame, with an optional 131-kWh battery pack stacked neatly between and on top of the frame rails. Power comes courtesy of two permanent-magnet motors mounted where you’d find differentials in conventional four-wheel-drive F-150s; the two motors combine here for a healthy 580 hp, 775 lb-ft
