Rivian Matrix Headlights: What They Are and How to Tell If You Have Them [VIDEO]
Rivian has recently added support for matrix headlights in their vehicles, letting the vehicle’s headlights adapt to road environments and keeping high beams on longer without blinding other vehicles.
Matrix headlights are headlights composed of a matrix of LED lights, which can be turned off and on at a software level. This enables a vehicle to instantly adapt the headlight beam to suit the road ahead. This lets the vehicle keep its high beams on for certain parts of the road and darker them or turn them off completely for other regions of the road that may include a person or oncoming vehicle. This drastically increases safety by illuminating the road better for the driver while also reducing bright lights or glare for other vehicles.
Since 2022, the U.S. has allowed manufacturers to include adaptive headlights that adapt to other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and road conditions in their vehicles.
Matrix Headlights Requirements
In August 2024, Rivian enabled its matrix headlights with software update 2024.27.30. This is only applicable to Rivian Gen 2 vehicles with matrix headlights, model years 2025 and later.
Several vehicle manufacturers include matrix headlights, but manufacturers have only recently started enabling them after NHTSA’s 2022 ruling. In Canada, adaptive headlights have been allowed since 2018.
How to Tell if You Have Matrix Headlights
Rivian’s matrix headlights are available on their Gen 2 vehicles. Sadly, Gen 1 vehicles do not have Matrix headlights installed, even though they look similar. You can tell Gen 1 and Gen 2 vehicles apart in a few ways.
First enabled Matrix headlights in the US! Quite the accomplishment from @Rivian soooo cool! pic.twitter.com/SltxdbpYqD
— Chris Glazebrook (@aethervisor) August 16, 2024
Gen 2 vehicles are model year 2025 and newer – Gen 1 vehicles are model year 2024 and older – which makes the process straightforward. Other ways to tell the vehicles apart is by opening up either of the front doors and looking at the top of the B-pillar. Gen 1 vehicles have a Rivian logo stamped onto the metal pillar.
Gen 2 vehicles also have a different light bar in front of the vehicle. Instead of being flat from one side of the vehicle to the other, there’s an indentation at the bottom, which allows the vehicle to show its state of charge.
You can also go to the Vehicle Info tab in the vehicle and check the vehicle’s model year.
Matrix Headlights in Action
Take a look at these videos from @murphybre96 and @aethervisor on X to see the new Matrix Headlights in action. Pay attention to how the lit area of the road changes as the vehicle drives along and encounters other vehicles. The transitions are smooth and help prevent blinding other drivers and while also brightening the road for the driver. It’s an amazing system and one of the big additions Rivian added to their Gen 2 vehicles.
The @Rivian R1S matrix headlights are SO cool! They make driving at night so much fun! Watch as the headlights follow my steering patterns. I love driving this car at night! The ambient lighting around the car is so cool as well! Well done Rivian! pic.twitter.com/N5oc0P554Q
— murphybre (@murphybre96) September 11, 2024
