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Rivian is about to put its new R2 into production – and it’ll be coming to the UK and Europe soon, too. Is this the biggest rival yet to the Tesla Model Y? With US prices from $45,000, Rivian could have a hit on its hands.
It might feel like a tired cliche to call a new electric car a Tesla rival. But Rivian is a company that shares more with Tesla than two motors and a skateboard chassis.
Founded in 2009, just six years after Tesla, Rivian had a slow start but by 2015 had received enough investor cash to start work on its first car, an electric SUV called the R1. This eventually became two cars with a shared electric platform: the Rivian R1S is an SUV and the R1T is a closely-related pickup truck.
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Deliveries began in 2021, and now the company has its sights set on expanding both its product range and its customer base. The next car is the R2, which is still an electric SUV but noticeably smaller than the R1. After that we’ll see the even smaller R3 electric crossover, but that’s not due to land until later this decade.
(Image credit: Rivian)
The R2 is much closer to reality, with the first deliveries due to begin later in 2026. It’ll go up against the Tesla Model Y and, unlike the R1 duo, this Rivian will be coming to the UK and Europe.
A model called the R2 Performance will be available first, and initially that’ll come in a configuration called the Launch Package. It’ll be priced at $57,990 (about £45,000 before tax and other import charges), and boast a dual-motor drivetrain with 650 horsepower and a 0-62 mph time of 3.7 seconds. Super car levels of performance, in other words.
That may seem like overkill – the sprint time is only just shy of the £62,000 Tesla Model Y Performance – but more sensible versions will be along soon after. These include variants of R2 called the Premium and the Standard, and for these prices start at $48,490 (about £38,000 before tax). Then, in 2027, an entry-level version will start at just $45,000 (£34,000).
Range figures vary from about 275 miles for the Standard, to 330 miles for the Performance and 345 miles for a long-range model. That’s using the United States’ EPA test cycle, which tends to be more conservative than the WLTP version used here, so those figures could be a bit higher once Rivian crosses the Atlantic.
As well as its sleek, modern design and attractive pricing, highlights of the Rivian R2 include a tech-heavy cabin with a large touchscreen running the company’s own operating system, a smartphone app and a high-end sound system with nine speakers, two midwoofers and a pair of subwoofers.
(Image credit: Rivian)
Optional extras include a large roof tent with ladder, a fold-out camping kitchen that can be stowed in the frunk and includes an induction hob powered from the R2’s battery, and a twin mattress and duvet set. In case you hadn’t noticed, Rivian loves the idea of its customers adventuring into the great outdoors. On that note, the R2 promises strong off-roading performance – something Tesla has never really spoken about with the Model Y – while maintaining on-road comfort too.
Rivian doesn’t yet have the scale (or the share price) to match Tesla. In truth, it’s only just getting started. But just as Tesla gambled everything on the Model 3 giving it the scale to succeed, Rivian is about to attempt the same with its R2, and later the R3. It’s going to be an exciting couple of years for Rivian, and I for one can’t wait to see the R2 land here in the UK.
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