Why Rivian Lease Deals Aren’t as Cheap as GM or Ford

If you’ve compared lease offers lately, you might’ve noticed something: Rivian’s deals often aren’t as compelling as what you’ll find from brands like GM or Ford. Despite recent price cuts and promotions, Rivian lease payments still trend higher. So what’s going on?

It starts with the price tag.

Rivian’s R1T and R1S both start around $70–90K, which is well above the MSRP of many electric vehicles from Ford (like the Lightning or Mach-E) or GM (like the Blazer EV or Silverado EV). Even if Rivian knocks a few hundred dollars off the monthly cost, it’s still a bigger chunk of money relative to the starting price.

Then there’s residual value.

Leasing is all about what the vehicle will be worth at the end of the lease. With Rivian being a newer brand and resale values still settling, banks take a cautious approach. That means lower residuals and higher monthly payments. Ford and GM, by contrast, have more predictable depreciation curves and can offer more aggressive terms.

Incentives matter too.

GM and Ford aggressively apply the $7,500 federal lease credit and often stack it with other promotions or dealer-level discounts. Rivian uses that credit too, but they’re not as consistent or flexible with how they apply it. And since Rivian sells direct without a dealer network, there’s less room for local offers or lease negotiation.

Scale and financing play a role.

Ford Credit and GM Financial are massive operations with tons of built-in flexibility and promotional tools. Rivian relies on JPMorgan Chase for leasing, which limits their ability to fine-tune terms or run region-specific lease programs. GM and Ford also operate at far greater scale, which helps them absorb losses on leases when needed just to move inventory.

Rivian is improving, but it’s not there yet.

To be fair, Rivian has made efforts to bring lease costs down—most recently with R1S pricing adjustments and limited-time offers. But until residual values firm up and financing terms get more competitive, don’t expect Rivian lease deals to match the big players.