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It was just a normal evening, me on Facebook, scrolling through the “RIVIAN Electric Vehicles Discussion” group, when a post from a fellow owner stopped me in my tracks. I wasn’t looking for a story. But this one found me.
Chris Kadera, a Rivian driver, had shared something that got my attention right away. It wasn’t about his truck’s range or charging speed or even some quirky software bug. It was about a billing issue, and a pretty serious one at that.
He had signed up for the free TuneIn Premium trial that comes standard with new Rivian vehicles. After it expired, instead of being offered a chance to subscribe or being billed a normal monthly fee, Chris realized he was being charged the full annual subscription amount every single month.
Here’s what he posted: “PSA: When the TuneIn trial that came with my Rivian ended, they rolled me into an annual subscription that they charged me for MONTHLY (i.e., a yearly cost every month). Check your CC bills to see if others were caught up in the same error. I had to submit a blind service ticket using the desktop site to resolve it with TuneIn.”
Think about that for a second. That’s over $1,200 a year for a streaming service most people expect to cost ten or fifteen bucks a month. And unless you're scanning your credit card statement with a magnifying glass, you might not even notice.
The Subscription Trap That No One Warns You About
Chris’s story quickly spread through the group, and it was clear he wasn’t alone. Many Rivian owners have enjoyed the perks of a TuneIn Premium trial, especially while cruising around in near silence with no engine noise to drown out your podcasts. It’s part of the tech-forward experience that makes Rivian ownership feel modern.
But when the trial ends, there’s no pop-up message. No alert in the app. No email that says, “Hey, just a heads-up, you’re about to be charged $105 a month.” Instead, it just happens.
And unless you’re careful, it could happen to you too.
In the comments, Chin summed it up best: “TuneIn Premium is great, but not $105/month great, haha. Glad I locked into a $2.99/month forever rate ($3.30/month after tax and fees).”
If you're paying attention, it's a reminder to double-check everything, from your apps to your billing cycle. If you're not, it's an easy way to get blindsided by a service that was supposed to be free and then affordable.
This kind of thing isn’t unique to Rivian. As vehicles become more like rolling smartphones, with integrated apps, media platforms, and remote features, there are more chances for subscription models to quietly sneak into the picture.
It’s part of the growing trend we’re seeing across the auto industry, where features that used to be included upfront are now often pay-to-play. And while most of these services are optional, they’re rarely handled with enough clarity.
Just ask anyone who’s struggled with over-the-air feature failures on their brand new Rivian R1T. It's another example of how tech-driven vehicles can surprise you—sometimes in ways you weren’t prepared for.
How to Check If It’s Happening to You
If you’ve activated a TuneIn trial in your Rivian, or even if you’re not sure, you’ll want to take five minutes to do this:
- Review your credit card or bank statements. Look for any recurring charges from TuneIn, especially if they’re higher than you expect.
- Log into your TuneIn account on a desktop browser. You won’t find the right options through the app.
- File a support ticket through their site. Chris called it a “blind ticket” because there’s no clearly labeled option for this issue, but it’s the only way to flag it and ask for a refund.
It’s not the most user-friendly system, but it works, at least in Chris’s case. And that small action could save you hundreds.
Growing Pains of Modern Vehicle Ownership
To be clear, this article isn’t about calling out Rivian. They’re not the ones directly billing owners for TuneIn. But this does show how important it is for companies to vet the experience from start to finish, especially when partnering with outside services.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen friction between Rivian’s tech ecosystem and real-world use cases.
For instance, take the story of the owner whose Rivian R1S took over an hour to fast charge at a Level 3 station. The vehicle was fine, but the frustration was rooted in infrastructure and communication—or lack thereof.
And there was another case where a routine charging mishap led to a total system malfunction, leaving a dog trapped inside the locked R1S. It wasn’t about hardware, it was about how systems interact in unpredictable ways.
The point is, small things matter. Whether it’s a billing glitch, a software misfire, or a missing notice, the little stuff adds up. Especially when your car isn’t just a car anymore, it’s a rolling service platform.
Where Does the Responsibility Fall?
In Chris’s case, the charges came from TuneIn, not Rivian. So technically, the subscription side of the problem is TuneIn’s issue. But in the world of integrated technology, lines get blurry.
Rivian includes the TuneIn trial as part of the ownership experience. So when that experience goes sideways, even through a third-party provider, it reflects back on the brand. That’s the tradeoff of offering so many built-in features, when they work, it’s seamless. When they don’t, it’s hard to know where to point the finger.
It’s a bit like what happened to a new owner who noticed a sudden 10% battery drop on their R1S right after taking delivery. It wasn’t clear if it was a calibration issue or something more, but either way, it left questions.
These stories highlight how being an early adopter of new tech comes with both excitement and the occasional eyebrow raise.
A Reminder to Stay on Top of Subscriptions
If nothing else, Chris’s post is a timely reminder. We live in a world of invisible payments. From Netflix to cloud storage to mobile games, we’re constantly opting into things, sometimes without realizing it.
Cars are now part of that landscape. With services like TuneIn, SiriusXM, Spotify, and even premium software features being bundled in, it’s easy to assume they’re “free.” But once trials expire, it’s up to you to monitor what comes next.
That’s why stories like this matter, just like the one about the Rivian owner who put down a deposit on the R1S Gen 2 and debated whether the $4K premium sound upgrade was worth it. These aren't just product decisions. They’re financial decisions too.
What We Can Take Away From This
So, what’s the big picture here?
It’s not about blaming the brand or canceling the service. It’s about being proactive. If your vehicle comes with a free trial, ask what happens when it ends. Check what the next billing tier looks like. And if something doesn’t feel right, say something. Chris did. And now, more people are checking their own accounts, maybe even saving a few hundred dollars along the way.
Whether you drive an R1T, an R1S, or you're just interested in the EV space, this is a good reminder that digital features are now as much a part of the ownership experience as the tires or touchscreen.
And for those of us keeping track of the industry, this fits into a broader theme. As Rivian continues evolving and refining their approach, something we’ve seen from ongoing legal stories like the Tesla vs Rivian employee poaching case—the ownership experience is constantly being shaped by both the big headlines and small user reports like Chris’s.
Two Questions for You:
1. Have you ever been overcharged by a third-party app or subscription tied to your vehicle, and how did you catch it?
2. If you’re a Rivian owner, what tech surprises, good or bad, have you run into that other owners should know about?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments. Your story might help the next person avoid a costly surprise.
Narek Hareyan is a young automotive journalist with experience in a golf cart dealership and an interest in the automotive industry. Follow Narek on X for daily news coverage about cars.
Image source: Chris's Facebook Post & Rivian
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