Rivian‘s R2 Standard reached 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and covered 248 miles in a highway range test, 28% below Rivian’s own estimate, in the first independent test figures published for the entry trim of the SUV.
The results come from MotorTrend, which tested a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive R2 Standard against Tesla‘s Model Y Standard in a comparison published on Friday and ranked the Rivian first.
The trim is not yet on sale. Rivian lists the Standard for 2027 on its website, and MotorTrend gives the second quarter of 2027 as its on-sale date. Customer deliveries of the R2 began on June 9 with the dual-motor Performance, the only version sold so far.
MotorTrend named the R2 its 2027 SUV of the Year on Wednesday.
Not the Cheapest R2
The car tested was a Standard fitted with the optional Long Range battery, an 87.9 kWh pack shared with the rest of the R2 line, which Rivian estimates at up to 345 miles.
MotorTrend lists its base price at $49,985 and the price as tested at $52,485, including the $2,500 Autonomy+ driver-assistance package.
That is well above the entry price Rivian advertises. The Standard starts at $44,990 before a $1,495 destination fee with a smaller battery that Rivian says targets 275 miles. That pack’s capacity is not public and its range is not final, according to MotorTrend, and nobody has published a test of it.
Rivian said on November 11 that the Long Range configuration starts at $48,490 before destination and arrives in spring 2027, with the $44,990 version following in summer 2027.
Its March lineup release had put the cheaper version in late 2027.
Rivian also lists dual-motor all-wheel drive with 450 horsepower as an option on the Standard.
The Model Y Standard in the comparison cost $41,380, with no options. The Rivian as tested was 26.8% more expensive.
Tesla introduced the Model Y Standard in October 2025 at $39,990, $5,000 below the previous entry price. The $41,380 in the test is that price plus $1,390 in fees.
The Tesla was a 2026 model rated at 321 miles. Tesla’s order page now lists the entry Model Y at $39,990 before fees with an estimated 348 miles, three more than the R2 Standard Long Range.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) database still lists the 2027 Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive at 321 miles and 136 mpg-e combined. Tesla also removed its $41,990 all-wheel-drive version this week, so the cheapest all-wheel-drive Model Y is now the $49,990 Premium.
Quicker Than Rivian’s Estimate
The R2 Standard’s single rear motor makes 350 horsepower and 355 pound-feet of torque. Its 5.5-second run to 60 mph beat Rivian’s own estimate of 5.9 seconds and the Model Y’s 6.2 seconds. The Tesla also beat its maker’s figure, which is 6.8 seconds.
It covered the quarter mile in 13.8 seconds at 107.8 mph, against 14.3 seconds for the Tesla. It was also quicker from 45 to 65 mph, at 2.1 seconds against 2.3.
The Rivian is the heavier car by 763 pounds, at 4,770 pounds. It needed 124 feet to stop from 60 mph, five more than the Model Y, and generated 0.80 g of lateral grip against 0.84 g.
Range Gap Persists
Range was the Rivian’s weak point. In MotorTrend‘s test, run at a steady 70 mph from 100% to 5% charge, the R2 Standard Long Range traveled 248 miles, or 72% of Rivian’s 345-mile estimate.
The R2 Standard has no official EPA rating yet. The agency’s database lists only two R2 Performance versions for the 2027 model year, at 330 and 307 miles. MotorTrend labels the 345 miles an EPA estimate.
The Model Y went 270 miles on a smaller 77.0 kWh battery, 16% short of its 321-mile rating. Its combined efficiency rating is 138 mpg-e, against the 111 mpg-e MotorTrend lists for the Rivian.
The Tesla has beaten its rating elsewhere. In a different test procedure run by Edmunds last December, the Model Y Standard covered 337 miles, 16 more than its EPA estimate.
The result is in line with earlier tests of the dual-motor version. An R2 Performance reached about 69% of its rating in a cool-weather highway run by Out of Spec in October.
Charging was close. The R2 went from 5% to 80% in 29 minutes on a DC fast charger with a peak of 220 kW, two minutes quicker than the Tesla. The Model Y added more miles in the first 15 minutes, 139 against 128, because it uses less energy.
Where the Two Differ
The two SUVs are close in length, but the Rivian is the taller and boxier car. It stands 66.9 inches high against 63.8 for the Tesla, on a wheelbase 1.8 inches longer, and sits 9.6 inches off the ground against 6.4.
That shape shows in the cabin. The R2 has 40.4 inches of rear headroom against 38.7 and 79.4 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats folded against 70.8. Its front trunk holds 5.2 cubic feet against 4.0. The Model Y has slightly more room behind the rear seats, at 29.5 cubic feet against 28.7.
The batteries differ in size and chemistry. The Rivian’s 87.9 kWh pack uses NCMA cells and the Tesla’s 77.0 kWh pack uses NCA cells. The Model Y is rated at 148 mpg-e in the city and 129 on the highway, against the 120 and 99 that MotorTrend lists for the R2.
Peak charging power is almost the same, at 220 kW for the Rivian and 225 kW for the Tesla, as are the onboard chargers at 11.0 kW and 11.5 kW.
The running gear is where the cost choices diverge.
The R2 Standard rides on 19-inch aluminum wheels with 255/65 Pirelli tires, the Model Y on 18-inch steel wheels with 235/55 Hankook tires.
The Tesla has four-piston fixed front brake calipers against two-piston sliding calipers on the Rivian, and much quicker steering, at 2.4 turns lock to lock against 2.8.
Inside, the Rivian has an 11.5-inch driver display and a 15.6-inch center screen. The Tesla has a single center touchscreen that also serves as the instrument cluster. The Model Y has nine airbags to the R2’s six.
Both can tow 3,500 pounds, according to the companies’ websites. Rivian’s Premium and Performance versions are rated for 4,400 pounds, and Tesla charges $1,000 for a tow hitch. Rivian offers a tow package that raises the Standard to 4,400 pounds as well.
Rivian covers the battery and drive unit for eight years or 120,000 miles. Tesla’s cover runs eight years or 100,000 miles.
The two price driver assistance differently. Rivian sells Autonomy+ for a one-time $2,500, while Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is a $99 monthly subscription. Premium connectivity costs $14.99 a month at Rivian and $9.99 at Tesla.
Why It Won
MotorTrend preferred the Rivian for its ride and handling, its roomier cabin and an interior that does not look like a base model. It said the Standard left its editors “questioning why you’d need any more R2 than this.”
The Tesla was judged cheaper and more efficient but visibly cost-cut, with steel wheels under plastic covers and a driver’s seat adjusted through a touchscreen menu.
The R2 Standard gives up some equipment too. It has a passive suspension, a simpler audio system, smaller 19-inch wheels and no off-road drive modes, tow hooks or cooled seats, according to the review.
Rivian’s release lists a 525-watt, five-speaker system on the Standard against 975 watts on the Premium, and four drive modes without the Premium’s All-Terrain setting.
It also lacks the power-lowering rear window of the Premium and Performance and carries a conventional rear wiper instead. That wiper is the detail that identified a Standard photographed on test plates in Illinois last month.
Both companies charge subscriptions for connected features, and neither car offers phone mirroring. MotorTrend said it did not count those paid features in its ranking.
Where the Standard Fits
The R2 Performance is the only version on sale, at $57,990. The dual-motor Premium is due in late 2026 at $53,990, and the Standard follows in 2027, according to Rivian’s website.
“We had great results with R2 becoming our best selling vehicle by volume in the third quarter,” Founder and Chief Executive Officer RJ Scaringe said in the company’s third-quarter results release. He called the MotorTrend award “a full-circle moment.”
Rivian delivered a record 19,248 vehicles in the third quarter, up 46%, and raised its 2026 delivery guidance to 67,000 to 70,000 on October 29.
Rivian shares closed at $12.18 on Friday, down 38.2% this year from $19.71. Their 2026 closing high was $20.14 on July 6, and their closing low was $11.43 on October 26.
