Rivian Audio Options: Standard vs Premium Audio With Dolby Atmos

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Rivian provides two audio options on all its new vehicles – a standard audio package, and the premium audio package. The amount of time that is spent listening to audio in a vehicle makes the audio system an important decision in a new vehicle purchase.

So, grab your favorite music track (preferably with Dolby Atmos), and let’s take a listen at what Rivian is packing in their vehicles.

Rivian Standard Audio

Rivian offers a standard audio package by default, which was previously a system by Meridian, but was later replaced by an in-house solution in February 2023, so all second-generation Rivians will include the newer system. Rivian’s in-house standard audio is the one we’ll be looking at here, not the older Meridian system.

Rivian’s new in-house system is named Elevation and has had mixed reviews after the removal of the Meridian system – which also went by the name of Elevation. Rivian’s standard audio tends to distort sounds at higher volumes — regardless of the audio source. In addition, the bass response is muddier and weaker than one might expect, especially given the internal size of the R1T and R1S. This is likely due to the base sound system only including 10 speakers on a 600-watt system, which doesn’t include a dedicated subwoofer.

However, the standard audio setup on a Rivian is far better than the standard or even premium setups from many other manufacturers. Many owners have noted that when transitioning from vehicles at or below the price point of the R1T or R1S Dual Large, the standard audio system is not only better designed, but also delivers superior sound quality.

Overall, for what you get by default with Rivian’s standard offering, you’re getting a pretty good – but not fantastic – audio system that can keep up with other manufacturer’s standard offerings. However, don’t expect to get anything premium here and Dolby Atmos support is not included – after all, that’s the next package up.

Rivian Premium Audio With Dolby Atmos

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The other package that Rivian offers on all its vehicles is the Rivian Premium Audio Package, which costs an additional $1,750 USD or $2,600 CAD. Audio fans and Rivian fans alike were quite happy when Rivian unveiled this new Premium Audio package, which promised to solve all the gripes people have had with Rivian’s standard offering.

One of the biggest pluses for the premium package is the inclusion of Dolby Atmos – an immersive, 360-degree experience that adds more depth, clarity, and details to songs that support its use. Users on X have found that the new Dolby Atmos support – which was just enabled a short while ago in update 2024.27 – has been fantastic.

As a note, Dolby Atmos support is only available in Apple Music and Audible only for now. While Tidal does support Dolby Atmos, there isn’t support for it within your Rivian just yet. The last option – Spotify – doesn’t support Hi-Fi audio or Dolby Atmos. Keep in mind that you’ll need a subscription to Rivian’s Connect+ in order to take advantage of Dolby Atmos.

Overall, the updated premium audio system has been extremely well reviewed so far, with many mentioning that the updated 18-speakers and 960-watt output feel like they properly fill the soundstage within the R1S. The smaller cabin of the R1T features a 16-speaker system with the same 960-watt output.

If you love listening to music and are on the fence about which audio package to choose, we recommend visiting a Rivian Space or Service Center and asking to listen to both versions – and make sure to listen to a song with Dolby Atmos support. The surround sound experience with Dolby Atmos is one of the things that helps differentiate Rivian’s audio system.

If you’re someone who loves modding or upgrading your vehicle’s audio, we still recommend picking up Rivian’s Premium system. Having access to all 18 speakers, as well as Dolby Atmos support is something you’ll want, even if you’re putting in more power than Rivian’s 960-watt system.

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Rivian R3 and R3X: Price, Specs, Battery, Motors & Release Date

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The Rivian R3 and R3X are part of Rivian’s upcoming platform of smaller and more affordable vehicles, which were announced on March 7^th, alongside the Rivian R2.

The R3 is a midsize crossover, designed with tighter dimensions, and an even lower price point than the R2 – which is supposed to start at $45,000 USD. Meanwhile, the R3X is the performance variant of the R3 – it's supposed to be Rivian’s tech demonstrator that is meant for vehicle enthusiasts, capable of working both on- and off-road.

Price and Specs

While pricing information for the Rivian R3 hasn’t been released just yet, industry estimates line up the starting price around $37,000 USD, and it should go up to $45,000 USD after battery and motor options. The R3X will be a bit more expensive, similar to the current R1T or R1S Quad Max Ascend trims, which have everything included. We’re estimating the R3X to be in the $50,000 to $60,000 range, depending on fit and finish. These numbers, for now, are just best guesses.

Battery Specs

We expect Rivian’s offerings to vary widely based on both the battery and motor packages. Today, Rivian offers a Standard Pack, Large Pack, and Max Pack on the R1S and R1T. For the R3, and the R2 platform in general, Rivian will launch two battery packs. The larger pack will be the one that obtains both the 300+ miles (382 km) of range and the 3-second 0-60mph acceleration on its quickest configuration. This could change in the future, but for now, this is Rivian’s plan, as they intend to offer fewer configuration options to reduce manufacturing complexity.

The R3 will also feature a structural battery based on Rivian’s new 4695 cells, which they say will offer significant improvements in both energy density and output. Rivian intends to focus its efforts on this new cell size going forward.

The R3X is only expected to be available in the top-level battery pack trim.

The Rivian R3X prototype

Rivian

Motor Options

On the R1T and the R1S, Rivian offers three motor options — dual-motor AWD, tri-motor and quad-motor. However, for the R3, Rivian will be offering a single-motor (RWD), dual-motor (AWD), and tri-motor (two rear, one front) configurations for the R3. This lets Rivian reduce the R3’s starting price, making it as cost-efficient as possible.

The R3X, meanwhile, will only be offered in a tri-motor option, emphasizing performance and robustness both on and off-road.

EV Rebates and Tax Credits

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It's still uncertain whether the R3 will qualify for the U.S. Federal EV Tax Credit or Canada's iZEV rebate. While the Canadian rebate is more flexible, it offers a lower value of $5,000 CAD ($3,600 USD). In contrast, the U.S. rebate, a tax credit, depends on battery material sourcing and vehicle production. Right now, we expect the R3 to qualify for the full $7,500 USD ($10,000 CAD) USD tax credit.

Charging Capabilities

One of the most important things for the R2 platform, including the R3 and R3X is the inclusion of Tesla’s NACS port and built-in Supercharger functionality. Additionally, the charge port will be moved to the rear left quarter panel – matching the location of Tesla’s NACS port. This will make it easy to fit the R2 and R3 at Tesla Supercharger stalls without blocking an adjacent spot.

The R3 and R3X will both be CCS compatible but will require a CCS-to-NACS adapter. At this point, Rivian does not intend to provide an adapter with the R2, so a third-party adapter will be required unless Rivian releases an OEM option.

Rivian has said that the R3 will be able to charge – on the right chargers – from 10% to 80% in less than 30 minutes. Overall, it’s a reasonable charge rate, and one that we can expect will get better as Rivian improves both the performance and software behind the new 4695 cells.

Autonomy / Self Driving

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Rivian built up an entirely new autonomy hardware system with its second-generation R1 platform, including 11 cameras, 5 radars, and an updated compute unit. While they haven’t revealed the autonomy capabilities that will be included in the R2 and R3, we expect them to be on par or the same as the current 2025 R1 vehicles.

This is an upgraded autonomy package from the first-generation R1S and R1T MobilEye EyeQ4 “Mid” system. The new system uses MobilEye’s EyeQ5 High, or “MobilEye SuperVision”.

Rivian’s custom compute package also includes hardware from Nvidia, but supposedly this board will be in training mode and non-functional until Rivian launches its own autonomy solution. The MobilEye hardware will be responsible for Rivian’s autonomy features, including full-surround perception, autonomous lane changes, and highway and traffic jam assist – which is essentially an advanced highway lane-keeping assist. Rivian intends to eventually phase out the MobilEye hardware, but we’re not sure when this will happen.

We’ll be diving deep into Rivian’s Driver+, their autonomy solution, in another article soon.

Release Date

The R3 isn’t expected to begin production until 2027. The R3X is expected to launch first, as early as late 2026, or early 2027. Rivian intends to launch the R2 first, sometime in mid-2026, across North America.

A European launch is expected sometime by the end of 2026 for the R2, with deliveries in 2027. This schedule will likely follow for the R3 and R3X, with European deliveries toward the end of 2027 or early 2028.

Unlike the R2, Rivian isn’t taking reservations for the R3 and R3X yet. However, they have mentioned that current owners will be given priority over others, so if you’re interested in a future R3 or R3X at launch, you could look at Rivian’s R1T or R1S Gen 2 today.

We're incredibly excited to see Rivian's R3 and R3X in the future – they have the potential to become some of the world's best-selling vehicles.

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Rivian Battery Options: Range, Cost and Battery Pack Sizes (kWh)

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Rivian offers a variety of battery packs and motors to give customers the range they need at the lowest price point possible. Let's take a look at the various battery sizes Rivian offers, their costs, and the range you’ll get with each package.

The battery options differ on Rivian’s Gen 1 and Gen 2 vehicles (model year 2025+), so we’ll break it down by vehicle generation. One thing to note is that even though Gen 2 has smaller battery sizes in general, the vehicles are far more efficient than the first generation, so you’ll be able to travel further on the same battery size.

Rivian divides its models by the number of motors and battery pack size. The motor options are Dual, Tri, and Quad, while the battery options are Standard, Large, and Max. So, when selecting a model, you’ll see names such as Dual Standard (two motors and the Standard battery) and Dual Large or Tri Max (three motors and the Max battery).

Here are your battery options for the current generation of vehicles (R1S and R1T) and their range and cost.

Gen 2 Battery Options

You’ll note that the upcoming Quad Motor Ascend vehicles aren’t listed here just yet. Rivian hasn’t unveiled the details of the Quad Motor battery packs and pricing yet, but we’ll update the table above once that information arrives.

The Max Tri-motor models include the same battery pack as the Dual Max models, but their range is reduced due to the additional weight of the extra motor and the vehicle's performance tuning. The Tri-motor vehicles also include a variety of standard options, such as the Dynamic Glass Roof, Premium Audio, the Ascend interior, and others, which drives the price up to the $30,000 premium over the Dual motor variant.

Of note, the only official EPA range estimates are for the R1T’s Standard pack and the R1S’ Standard and Max packs.

Gen 1 Battery Options

Rivian offered more options in its battery lineup in Gen 1, and the range of its lowest-level offering was a bit bigger – 258 miles in Gen 2 compared to 270 miles in Gen 1. That difference is mostly due to the smaller pack size – 105kWh in the Standard Gen 1 vehicles, while only 92.5 kWh in the Gen 2 vehicles.

The battery ranges above are all EPA estimates.

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