2026 R2 pricing, range & specs! $57,990 Performance Launch Edition / $53,990 Premium / $48,490 Standard / $45,000 Standard (Smaller Battery)

[jdog]

what kind of tires r on it ? AT or AS?

Not a lot of options for the 21" on the R1S. why would they bring it back after discontinuing it.

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[tivoboy]

TAKE MY MONEY!

 

[centex_r2]

You then said that the launch edition price was $12K higher than you expected. That math don't math...

$7500 from losing the tax credit + $5000 over expected = $12500 more than when deposit was placed. Not entirely Rivians fault of course, but it is what it is.

 

[Hodog16]

Very good price.

Those expecting the launch edition to be $45k were not living in reality.

Let’s see how this leases tomorrow, then I have some thinking to do especially since it comes in purple.

 

[VegasWeezy]

R2 Launch Edition
$57,990 excluding $1,495 delivery
DEFINITY NOT A TESLA KILLER

R2 Standard (late 2027)
$45,000
THE PROMISED $45K R2 IS WELL OVER A YEAR AWAY. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT.

Agreed. It won't be a Tesla killer. The LE seems to be a great value, but the rest of the pricing could be a bit disappointing depending on the paint color and option costs.

As others have said too, the R2 Standard is going to be a major disappointment and will be cancelled fairly quickly. They had to hit that $45k price point to save face. But 265 miles of range, in late 2027 no less, plus stripped down features (no ventilated seats, heated only in front, 5 speaker sound system, etc.) equals dead on arrival.

I think the LE will sell fantastically to those that are Rivian fans, EV enthusiasts, and/or have had deposits down for 2 years. Beyond that, the pricing and specs of the rest of the lineup does not seem to equate to mass market success.

The Toyota RAV4 was the number 1 selling SUV in America in 2025 at 479k units. Assuming full production capabilities of the R2 line by 2028, I would be surprised if they sold 150k+ units of the R2 that year.

 

[Ecupip]

I'm confused once again by the brake caliper colors. Either they are showing a tri in the photos, or now they are adding yet another motor variant to the yellow caliper club LOL

 

[impulsoren]

As already mentioned, ugh 21 inch wheels. There are going to be a couple people keeping their cars longer than one set of tires last, we want tire choice! Hopefully there is a 20 inch option for LE that doesn’t drive the price way up. And looks good.

 

[blipit]

So the hype was partially based on $45k starting price(base model). Now that model is being delivered with only 265miles. Is the hype going to die down?

That range number is Toyota EV levels. What gets their EVs mocked for.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Not a lot of options for the 21" on the R1S. why would they bring it back after discontinuing it.

It's a smaller diameter tire with a lower load rating. There's quite a few options.

 

[jaredm]

I feel like the hp difference between LE and Performance is too large. 200hp is insane. Even on the R1 it's ~100 different.

Will you need a performance software unlock on the performance trim? Seems counterintuitive on the naming, like the performance doesn't actually come with performance. And that unlock will make it LE pricing for less vehicle.

Or maybe I'm missing something.

 

[jjwolf]

4400 lbs tow rating makes me sad. So much for hoping to drag my camper around locally with it.

The R1 has great towing capacity and is getting pretty affordable on the used market.

 

[jjwolf]

It's a smaller diameter tire with a lower load rating. There's quite a few options.

Narrower you mean? 21" is the diameter. Or do you mean the sidewall height?

 

[Dark-Fx]

Narrower you mean? 21" is the diameter. Or do you mean the sidewall height?

21" is the rim diameter. Tire diameter is 32". R1's tire for 21" rims is 33" diameter.

 

[PaganRites]

It's no longer on the Arstechnica site but I had it cached in my RSS reader.

R2 Performance / Launch Edition
$57,990 excluding $1,495 delivery
87.9 kWh battery
330-mile range
29 mins (10 to 80 percent)
656 hp / 609 lb-ft
Matrix LED headlights
21" inch wheels
Heated/ventilated front seats, heated rear
185.9 inches long, 78.1 inches wide, 66.9 inches tall, 115.6-inch wheelbase
9.6 inches ground clearance
4,400 pounds towing

R2 Premium (late 2026)
$53,990
87.9 kWh battery pack
330-mile range
450 hp / 537 lb-ft
No semi-active suspension
20" inch wheels
Fewer drive modes than Performance model (no Rally, Soft Sand or Launch Mode)

R2 Single Motor RWD (next year)
$48,490
87.9 kWh battery pack
345 miles
350 hp / 355 lb-ft
19" inch wheels
All-black interior
Only heated front seats
Five speakers (instead of nine),
No all-terrain drive mode,
No drop-down rear glass window

R2 Standard (late 2027)
$45,000
Smaller than 87.9 kWh battery pack
265 miles


The article in full:
Between a certain car company's antics and the industrial chaos set off by COVID (and then compounded by Russia's invasion of Ukraine), it's easy to be cynical about production timelines. Yet when Rivian showed off a midsize electric vehicle in 2024 and said it would be available in the first half of this year, it meant it. Deliveries of the first R2 SUVs will begin this spring.

As a new automaker, Rivian often does things its own way, but with the R2 launch, it's following industry practice and starting with the superlative version first. That's the R2 Performance, which starts at $57,990 with the launch package (excluding a $1,495 delivery charge). You get quite a lot of electric SUV for that, however: up to 330 miles (531 km) from a single charge of the 87.9 kWh battery pack, with 656 hp (489 kW) and 609 lb-ft (825 Nm) from the dual motor powertrain. Fast charging takes 29 minutes from 10 to 80 percent.

AWD first
The Performance features semi-active suspension, a rear window that drops into the tailgate, an interior with birch accents, heating for the front and rear seats and ventilation for the former, a nine-speaker sound system, matrix LED headlights, and some other neat touches like the flashlight that lives in the side of the door, similar to how some cars hide an umbrella there.

You can add Autonomy+ (the automaker's partially automated driver assist), the tow package (4,400 lbs/1,995 kg), and some other colors as optional extras to the Performance trim (they're silver by default). The launch package includes a lifetime subscription to Autonomy+, the tow package, and another optional body color.

The R2 Premium will go on sale in late 2o26 for $53,990. It has the same 330-mile range and 87.9 kWh battery pack, but it generates just 450 hp (355 kW) and 537 lb-ft (728 Nm) from its dual-motor powertrain. The R2 Premium does without the semi-active suspension, arrives on 20-inch instead of 21-inch wheels, and features fewer drive modes, doing without rally, soft sand, and launch modes. Otherwise, it shares its specs with the faster, more expensive R2 Performance.

RWD in 2027
The single-motor R2s arrive next year, with the $48,490 R2 Standard that uses the same 87.9 kWh battery pack as the AWD R2s. Without a motor for the front axle, the RWD R2 goes a little further: 345 miles (555 km) on a single charge. The motor sends 350 hp ( kW) and 355 lb-ft to the rear axle. Standard R2s come with an all-black interior and only heat the front seats. The sound system has five speakers instead of nine, there's no all-terrain drive mode, it rides on 19-inch wheels, and the glass in the rear window doesn't drop down, so you'll want a roof rack for your surfboard.

In late 2027, an R2 Standard with a smaller battery enabling around 265 miles (426 km) will be available for $45,000. For now, we don't know much about that one other than its price.

The R2 SUV is attractive, sharing a lot of its looks with the larger three-row R1S, both inside and out. And it's a rather clever one, too; Volkswagen Group invested $5 billion in Rivian specifically to gain access to its software-defined vehicle technology and expertise.

An AI assistant will come to Rivian's in-house infotainment system in a future update, running locally via edge computing. (The company actually said the "R2 is outfitted with 200 sparse TOPS of edge AI compute dedicated to the in-cabin experience," but I don't like "compute" as a noun.) That processing power will also enable Rivian's Autonomy+. And since this is now Rivian's fourth product, we can be confident in its ability to deliver its regularly praised cadence of software updates.

With that Launch Edition price it's going to be very difficult to hold out for a LIDAR model.

 

[LL75]

Not a lot of options for the 21" on the R1S. why would they bring it back after discontinuing it.

I'm surprised that they still go for 21" However, I'm sure it is not 275/55/21 like the R1s and R1t Most likely 275/50/21 imo which has a little more selections. Should have gone to 20" though.

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