Which charges faster on a DC fast charger, the Cadillac Lyriq or the Rivian R1S Dual Large?

The Cadillac Lyriq is the faster car across a real 10 to 80 percent fast-charge stop, even though the Rivian R1S Dual Large has the higher peak DC power rating on paper. The reason is sustained average: the Lyriq holds a notably high average through the window, while the R1S settles to a lower measured average than its peak rating would suggest. In the United States, both cars use CCS today and reach a growing share of the Tesla Supercharger network via a NACS adapter, so the network-access story is similar between them, and the in-session speed is the meaningful difference. On home AC charging the Lyriq also has the edge, since it carries the more powerful onboard charger of the two. Exact charging times for the United States are on this site's comparison tool.

Which one has more range?

Range is essentially a tie between these two on the EPA cycle. The Rivian R1S Dual Large carries the slightly larger battery and the Cadillac Lyriq is the more efficient on the EPA test, so the two headline figures land within a hair of each other. That means in the United States you can shortlist either car for long-distance reach without one obviously winning on brochure range. Both figures are EPA-rated, so the comparison is apples-to-apples, though EPA numbers run optimistic in real driving. Side-by-side realistic-range estimates are on this site's comparison tool.

Which is cheaper to charge?

Charging cost depends mainly on battery capacity and the electricity rate you use, not on the brand. Because the Rivian R1S Dual Large carries the slightly larger battery, a full charge from empty needs more total energy than the Cadillac Lyriq, although the cost to charge the same span, say 20% to 80%, follows the percentage rather than the battery size. Charging at home is far cheaper than public DC fast charging on both cars. Exact side-by-side figures for the United States are on this site's comparison tool.

Cadillac Lyriq vs Rivian R1S Dual Large: EV Comparison in the United States

The Cadillac Lyriq and the Rivian R1S Dual Large sit in the same luxury electric SUV segment in the United States, yet they represent two different American luxury philosophies. The Lyriq is a traditional American luxury marque entering the electric era on GM's Ultium platform, with the Cadillac dealer and service network behind it. The R1S is the new-American take: an EV-native startup built around a purpose-designed skateboard chassis, with adventure-utility woven into the brand identity. Both are five-seat-plus battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on a similar pack size, with EPA ranges essentially line-ball, so the decision is less about brochure reach and more about brand heritage, how each one charges on a road trip, and what kind of SUV experience each one delivers. This guide compares them qualitatively; the exact figures, including cost, time, and realistic range, are on this site's comparison tool and per-car pages.

By mht-dev, Frontend Engineer & Creator

A frontend engineer who bought a first electric car in March 2026 and built EV Charge Calculator while working out the real cost of charging it, writing every guide from an everyday new EV owner's perspective.

Traditional American luxury vs new-American adventure-luxury

Cadillac and Rivian both stand for American luxury, but they arrive at it from different directions. The Cadillac Lyriq carries the heritage of a legacy American luxury marque: a quieter, more deliberate interior, formal trim materials, and a Cadillac dealer and service network that has been in place for decades. It rides on GM's Ultium platform, the high-volume electric architecture shared across the GM family, so the Lyriq benefits from the scale and dealer footprint of a major automaker. The Rivian R1S Dual Large is the new-American take: an EV-native startup built around an in-house skateboard chassis designed specifically for an electric SUV, with an adventure-utility identity baked into the brand at every touch point.

Despite the very different brand stories, both are pure BEVs in the same five-seat-plus luxury SUV body shape, so each one charges at home on an AC wallbox and at a public DC fast charger out on the road. They also share their underlying battery chemistry in the trims compared here: both use an NMC (nickel manganese cobalt) pack. The practical upshot of shared chemistry is that long-term battery-care advice is the same on both cars. Charging to roughly the mid-to-high range for routine driving and saving a full charge to 100% for trips is the gentle habit on either SUV, so battery care is not a tiebreaker. The decision turns on platform philosophy, on how each car charges out on the road, and on which brand identity fits how you actually use a luxury electric SUV.

DC fast charging: peak rating vs sustained average

The two cars take meaningfully different approaches to DC fast charging, and the difference matters on long trips. The Rivian R1S Dual Large has the higher peak DC power rating on the brochure, so the headline number on a fast charger spec sheet is on the Rivian's side. The Cadillac Lyriq has the lower peak figure, but it holds a notably high SUSTAINED average through the 10 to 80 percent window. In practice, this is the inverse of what the peak-power headlines suggest: the Lyriq is the faster car across a full fast-charge stop because it does not fall away as steeply once the session passes its early stages, while the R1S in measured testing settles to a lower average than its peak rating would imply. So the Lyriq finishes the 10 to 80 percent block sooner, even though the R1S can briefly reach a higher number on the dashboard.

Network access in the United States is the other half of the road-trip story, and both cars are in a similar transition. Both ship today on the CCS connector and are part of the wider move to the NACS standard that opens the Tesla Supercharger network through an adapter. So whether you drive the Lyriq or the R1S, the road-trip plan looks broadly the same in 2026: a mix of CCS-native fast-charging networks plus an adapter-mediated path to a growing share of Supercharger sites. Neither car has the Tesla-native plug-and-play simplicity, and the deciding factor between them on a long drive is therefore the in-session charging speed, where the Lyriq's higher sustained average is the meaningful edge.

Home AC charging tilts the other way. The Cadillac Lyriq carries the more powerful onboard AC charger of the two, so on a suitably wired Level 2 wallbox it can take energy back faster overnight than the Rivian R1S Dual Large. For an owner who tops up at home most nights and only fast-charges on trips, that higher onboard AC rate can matter more day to day than the in-session DC difference. Either way an overnight charge is relaxed, but the Lyriq has the edge on raw home charging speed as well as on the DC stop.

Range, battery size, and efficiency

Range is essentially a tie between these two on the EPA cycle. The Rivian R1S Dual Large carries a slightly larger battery than the Cadillac Lyriq, and the two cars post EPA range figures that are within a hair of each other. That is unusual in the segment, where larger packs typically open a clear range advantage. The takeaway is that the Lyriq is the more efficient of the two on the EPA test: it returns essentially the same distance from a slightly smaller pack. The R1S, by contrast, uses its extra capacity to support the larger, taller, three-row-capable body and the higher ground clearance that come with its adventure-utility positioning. Different jobs, very similar headline reach.

Both ranges are quoted on the EPA cycle, so the brochure comparison is genuinely apples-to-apples between these two, which is not always the case across electric SUVs in the United States. Even so, EPA figures run optimistic relative to a real winter highway run with the heater on, so both cars will return less than the sticker in tough conditions. The slight efficiency edge to the Lyriq also has a charging implication: because the R1S carries more battery, a full charge from low to high transfers more total energy than the same span on the Lyriq, regardless of which charger is plugged in. To judge real efficiency rather than headline numbers, this site presents discounted realistic-range estimates side by side with each car's cost per charge, computed automatically from the official specifications.

Which one suits you?

The choice comes down to brand identity and charging character, because range is essentially line-ball. Pick the Cadillac Lyriq if you want traditional American luxury in the literal sense: the Cadillac heritage, a formal luxury interior, a Cadillac dealer and service network behind the car, a fast-charge profile that holds a high sustained average through the 10 to 80 percent window, and the more powerful onboard AC charger for faster home top-ups. The Lyriq's strength on a DC stop is that it finishes sooner across the real-world window, even though the peak power rating is the lower of the two. Pick the Rivian R1S Dual Large if the new-American adventure-luxury identity fits how you actually use a luxury SUV, you value the higher ground clearance and the off-road-credible chassis, and you are comfortable with a fast-charge profile where the higher peak rating settles to a lower sustained average. Because both use NMC batteries, long-term battery care is equal and not a differentiator between them.

To close the decision with real numbers, this site provides a comparison tool prefilled with the Cadillac Lyriq and the Rivian R1S Dual Large side by side, a per-car page for each, and a charging cost calculator that works it out using your own electricity rate and battery percentage.

Frequently asked questions

Which charges faster on a DC fast charger, the Cadillac Lyriq or the Rivian R1S Dual Large?: The Cadillac Lyriq is the faster car across a real 10 to 80 percent fast-charge stop, even though the Rivian R1S Dual Large has the higher peak DC power rating on paper. The reason is sustained average: the Lyriq holds a notably high average through the window, while the R1S settles to a lower measured average than its peak rating would suggest. In the United States, both cars use CCS today and reach a growing share of the Tesla Supercharger network via a NACS adapter, so the network-access story is similar between them, and the in-session speed is the meaningful difference. On home AC charging the Lyriq also has the edge, since it carries the more powerful onboard charger of the two. Exact charging times for the United States are on this site's comparison tool.
Which one has more range?: Range is essentially a tie between these two on the EPA cycle. The Rivian R1S Dual Large carries the slightly larger battery and the Cadillac Lyriq is the more efficient on the EPA test, so the two headline figures land within a hair of each other. That means in the United States you can shortlist either car for long-distance reach without one obviously winning on brochure range. Both figures are EPA-rated, so the comparison is apples-to-apples, though EPA numbers run optimistic in real driving. Side-by-side realistic-range estimates are on this site's comparison tool.
Which is cheaper to charge?: Charging cost depends mainly on battery capacity and the electricity rate you use, not on the brand. Because the Rivian R1S Dual Large carries the slightly larger battery, a full charge from empty needs more total energy than the Cadillac Lyriq, although the cost to charge the same span, say 20% to 80%, follows the percentage rather than the battery size. Charging at home is far cheaper than public DC fast charging on both cars. Exact side-by-side figures for the United States are on this site's comparison tool.