Rivian will begin sending order invitations to R2 reservation holders on June 9, the same day it starts customer deliveries and opens public test drives, the company announced on Wednesday.
The date marks the formal commercial launch of the Rivian R2, the midsize electric SUV the automaker is counting on to expand into a higher-volume segment of the US market.
Invitations will go out by email on a rolling basis, with the company sending them in batches as deliveries ramp up.
Once an order is confirmed, customers can expect to take delivery within two to six weeks.
The announcement follows weeks of buildup, including the opening of the online configurator and reports that R2 units were spotted on car carriers ahead of the first test drives.
How Invitations Work
Reservation holders will receive an email from Rivian inviting them to finalize their configuration and place an order.
“Make sure your information is up-to-date in your Rivian Account and your spam filters are unblocked. Keep an eye on your inbox starting June 9,” the company stated.
There is no deadline to act once an invitation arrives, though the company cautioned that specifications and pricing are not fixed until an order is placed and confirmed.
“You can order whenever you are ready, however trims, options and pricing can change based on availability,” Rivian said. “Your configuration and pricing are not locked until you place your order and receive a confirmation from us.”
The first vehicle available to order is the R2 Performance with the Launch Package, which includes Rivian’s Autonomy+ driver-assistance suite as standard.
The model debuted at $57,990, with a Premium trim priced at $53,990 expected in late 2026 and a $45,000 Standard variant expected in late 2027.
Reservation holders who receive an invitation but prefer to wait for a later trim, additional paint options or upcoming technology will retain their place in line, the company said.
Delivery Timeline
Rivian clarified that the two-to-six-week delivery window begins once an order is confirmed, not from the moment an invitation is received.
“Once your order is confirmed, you can expect to take delivery within 2-6 weeks,” the company said. “We will reach out directly to complete the process and schedule your delivery.”
The automaker also noted it will not offer factory pickup at launch. Vehicles will instead ship to local delivery centers through its logistics network.
“We love your excitement to see where the magic happens, however we are not offering factory pickup at this time,” Rivian said. “Instead, we ship your vehicle directly to your local delivery center through our dedicated logistics network. Once it arrives, you’ll pick it up at your nearest Rivian Service + Demo Center, where our team will give you a personalized, hands-on walkthrough of your R2.”
Priority Clarification
The two primary factors determining when a customer receives an invitation are their reservation timestamp and delivery location.
Areas surrounding Rivian Service + Demo Centers will generally receive invitations sooner, the company said, as proximity allows it to deliver vehicles more quickly during the early ramp.
Several additional factors influence priority. Current and former R1 owners will receive accelerated delivery timing.
However, the EV maker clarified on Wednesday that the treatment is balanced against deliveries to non-owners to avoid stalling the broader queue.
“Current Rivian owners will receive accelerated delivery timing, balanced alongside deliveries to non-owners to keep the line moving for everyone,” the company said.
Rivian’s earlier ‘R2 Priority Delivery Offer’ tied accelerated timing to whether a customer currently owns or leases — or previously owned or leased — an R1 vehicle, placing previous and current R1T and R1S owners above reservation holders who signed up over the past two years.
The arrangement has drawn scrutiny on owner forums.
One R2 reservation holder said they received a sales call from Rivian encouraging them to buy an R1, and were told that customers who reserved after January this year were looking at deliveries no earlier than 2027.
Another reservation holder, who said they secured a reservation within the first 15 minutes of the R2 reveal, questioned where that left non-owners if buyers who purchase an R1 now can move ahead in the R2 queue.
Customers with expiring leases can also enter that information in their Rivian Account, and the company said it will factor it in where possible. For Rivian-originated leases, no action is required.
A randomly selected group of reservation holders will additionally be brought into early batches.
“We want to give everyone the most accurate picture of when they can order their R2,” the company said. “To do that, we’re bringing a randomly selected group of reservation holders into early batches, which will help us refine our timing estimates so that everyone can benefit from a clear and transparent purchase process.”
Test Drives Open to All
June 9 also marks the start of public test drives.
R2 units will begin appearing at Rivian showrooms that day, allowing customers to view the vehicle in person and get behind the wheel.
All customers can schedule a test drive, with priority access given to reservation holders who have already received order invitations.
The configurator has been open for two weeks now, letting prospective buyers save and share a build by selecting color, interior, wheels and options ahead of receiving an invitation.
Production Ramp
Rivian began volume and saleable production of the R2 on April 22 at its plant in Normal, Illinois, with employee deliveries starting the same day.
The company is reported to have built more than 500 units ahead of external deliveries.
Rivian has said it expects to deliver 20,000 to 25,000 R2 vehicles this year, with the majority arriving in the second half.
Ahead of launch, the company’s autonomy and software leaders told R2 buyers that early models will not miss out on self-driving, addressing the gap between the first vehicles shipping this spring and LiDAR-equipped versions arriving later in the year.
The R2 will also debut a next-generation operating system that the EV maker plans to extend across the R1 lineup by year-end, alongside infotainment additions including Amazon Music and, later, YouTube Music.
Reservations for the R2 have been open since March 2024, when the model was first unveiled, with a $100 refundable deposit.
