Rivian R2 vs R1S: Storage, Power, Range, Price and Features Compared

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When Rivian officially unveiled the R2 this week, everyone immediately began comparing the new midsize SUV to its older, larger sibling, the R1S. But during the reveal event, one of Rivian’s engineers dropped a fascinating piece of trivia that completely recontextualizes the relationship between the two vehicles: "R1S was actually born from R2. The team has been working on R2 since 2017."

While the R1S beat the R2 to the market alongside the R1T to establish Rivian as a premium adventure brand, the R2 is the vehicle the company was originally founded to build. Now that the production specs are finally public, it is clear that these two SUVs target vastly different demographics.

If you are torn between putting down a $100 reservation for the R2 or taking immediate delivery of an R1S, here is a definitive section-by-section comparison of Rivian’s expanding SUV lineup.

Price & Variants

The most obvious difference between the two vehicles is the price tag. The R1S is a premium, luxury-tier vehicle. Currently, the flagship SUV starts at roughly $74,900 for the base Dual-Motor configuration and can easily push past $90,000 if you opt for the Quad-Motor or Max battery pack options.

The R2, on the other hand, is built for the mass market. It arrives with three primary variants: a Single-Motor Standard trim starting at $45,000, a Dual-Motor Premium trim at $53,990, and a high-performance Dual-Motor variant capping out at $57,990. 

However, it is worth noting that the $45,000 base R2 will not arrive until late 2027, while the R1S is available right now.

Size & Storage

The R1S is a massive, three-row family hauler. Measuring 200.8 inches long, it comfortably seats seven passengers and offers an enormous amount of cargo space, making it a direct competitor to the larger EVs like the EV9 or the Escalade IQ.

The R2 shrinks down significantly to compete with the Tesla Model Y. At 185.9 inches long, the R2 seats only five passengers across two rows. However, Rivian engineered some clever storage tricks to maximize the smaller footprint. 

Despite the R1S being larger, the R2 features dual glove boxes and a hidden dash drawer, things the R1S notoriously lacks for internal storage and ease of access.

Battery & Charging

The R1S offers massive battery packs to offset its weight and size, with options up to 149 kWh for around 400 miles of range. The R2 was engineered for the modern EV landscape. It features a much smaller 87.9 kWh battery pack, but because the vehicle is nearly 2,000 pounds lighter than the R1S, it can still achieve up to 345 miles of range. 

Rivian recently transitioned the R1 series to the NACS port, and the R2 follows suit, featuring a native NACS port. That means you can plug into a Supercharger or other NACS charging site without needing an adapter.

R2’s port also features bi-directional AC power, allowing R2 owners to use the new Field Outlet accessory to plug standard 120V devices right into the side of the car, a feature the R1S does not physically support.

Motors & Hardware

When it comes to raw power, the R1S is a monster. The Quad-Motor setup delivers over 830 horsepower and a 0-60 time of roughly 3.0 seconds, making a 7,000-pound SUV move like a supercar.

The R2 opts for a more practical approach. It maxes out with a Dual-Motor AWD setup on the Performance trim, delivering 656 horsepower and a 3.6-second 0-60 mph time. While not quite as violently fast as the top-tier R1S, the R2 Performance is still incredibly quick for its price bracket.

Offroading Capability

If you are serious about adventure, the R1S is still the undisputed king. It features an incredibly useful air suspension system that allows the vehicle to raise its ground clearance to a staggering 14.9 inches on the fly.

To hit its lower price point, the R2 completely ditches the air suspension. The Standard and Premium R2 trims rely on traditional static springs, while the Performance trim uses a Semi-Active setup. 

Regardless of the trim, the R2 has a fixed ground clearance of 9.6 inches. Furthermore, the base R2 completely lacks the iconic front tow hooks found standard on every R1S. The R2 is perfect for dirt roads and snowy trails, but the R1S is built to conquer Moab.

Autonomy Capability

The R1S features Rivian's standard RAP+, which works wonderfully on mapped interstates but relies on a slightly older sensor suite.

The R2 is taking a massive leap forward in autonomy. It launches with Rivian’s next-generation perception stack, featuring 11 cameras and 5 radars. This new hardware powers Autonomy+, an upcoming software suite designed to allow for hands-free driving on a much wider array of roads, putting it closer in competition to Tesla's FSD hardware.

Beyond the Spec Sheet

Beyond the spec sheet, the R2 introduces a handful of major quality-of-life updates that standard R1S owners have been begging for. The R2 features a brand-new steering wheel with haptic scroll wheels, finally solving the frustrating interface issues of the R1. 

The R2 also introduces dedicated MagSafe wireless charging in the center console, fixing the notoriously slippery R1 charging pad.

Finally, while the R1S features a split-folding tailgate, the R2 introduces a much-loved drop glass feature, where the entire rear window rolls down into the liftgate to allow for an open-air driving experience or to easily transport long items like lumber or surfboards. However, a Rivian executive recently mentioned a tailgate could arrive in the future, potentially even in the Standard model, which doesn’t include the drop glass feature.

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Rivian Preps for R2 With Big Insurance and Warranty Overhaul

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As Rivian prepares for its biggest production ramp yet, the company is quietly building out the executive team needed to support a massive influx of new owners. A recent move to fill two high-level leadership positions signals that major updates are on the horizon for both Rivian Insurance and Rivian Care, the company’s in-house protection programs.

The expansion was first highlighted by Rivian enthusiast Chris Hilbert (@Hilbe), who shared a call for talent from Mike Slattery, Rivian’s Head of Insurance. Slattery’s announcement makes it clear that the company is looking to move beyond "business as usual" by leveraging its connected vehicle platform to rethink how insurance and warranties work.

Building a "High-Impact" Support Engine

The first of the two roles, the Sr. Program Operations Lead for Rivian Care, will serve as the "operational engine" behind the company’s vehicle protection products. This includes scaling high-impact programs like service contracts, windshield protection, and wheel and tire plans across multiple markets.

Currently, Rivian — whose name reflects a focus on the adventurous spirit of the Indian River — offers Rivian Care as a pilot program powered by Assurant. It is designed to protect vehicles like the R1T and R1S beyond their standard manufacturer’s warranty, covering critical components like the high-voltage battery and drivetrain. With a dedicated operations lead now joining the team, it’s likely that this pilot phase is nearing an end in favor of a more robust, permanent program.

The Future of Connected Insurance

The second position is an Insurance Agency Leader based on the ground at Rivian’s manufacturing hub in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois. Slattery noted that this leader will be tasked with driving profitability while keeping the owner experience central, all while "leveraging vehicle intelligence to fundamentally change how vehicle protection products actually work!"

Rivian Insurance is already a licensed agency available in all 50 U.S. states, but its potential is only just being tapped. Much like Tesla Insurance, which recently released its Safety Score 3.0 to further reward drivers who use the company’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system, Rivian is looking to use data-driven rates via its Driver+ system. By using the vehicle’s internal intelligence, Rivian can offer custom policies tailored to the exact risk profile of its drivers, making the transition from R1 to the mass market much smoother.

Ramping Up for the R2 Era

This focus on internal infrastructure comes at a pivotal moment. Rivian recently beat Q1 delivery estimates and is now shifting its entire focus toward the R2 midsize SUV. The R2 is the company’s first truly mass-market offering, and deliveries are slated to begin with the Performance Launch Package later this spring.

A mass-market vehicle brings a much broader audience, many of whom will expect first-party extended warranties and competitive insurance rates right out of the box. By scaling these leadership roles now, Rivian is ensuring it has the "operational engine" ready to handle tens of thousands of new R2 owners. This proactive hiring suggests that when the R2 configurator opens later this year, it will likely be accompanied by a more integrated and transparent suite of protection products than ever before.

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Rivian Factory to Reuse EV Packs for 10 MWh Grid Battery

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Rivian is taking a major step toward closing the loop on battery life. The electric vehicle maker has officially announced a partnership with Redwood Materials to deploy a first-of-its-kind energy storage system at its Normal, Illinois, manufacturing facility. By repurposing more than 100 "second-life" battery packs from its vehicles, Rivian will create a 10 megawatt-hour (MWh) storage reservoir to help power the very plant where its cars are built.

This partnership is a massive win for sustainability. EV batteries are designed to be incredibly durable, often outlasting the vehicles themselves. Even when a pack is no longer ideal for high-performance driving, it still holds significant value for stationary storage. By utilizing these assets, Rivian is ensuring its environmental footprint remains as small as possible.

Repurposing for the R2 Ramp

The timing of this installation is particularly critical. Rivian’s Normal plant is currently gearing up for mass production of the R2, the company’s first affordable, mass-market SUV. After recently beating Q1 delivery estimates, the factory is under immense pressure to scale.

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The new 10 MWh system will provide "dispatchable energy," meaning Rivian can pull power from these batteries during peak demand periods. This will not only lower energy costs for the company but also reduce the overall load on the local electrical grid, supporting reliability for the surrounding community.

“EVs represent a massive, distributed and highly competitive energy resource,” said Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe. “As energy needs grow, our grid needs to be flexible, secure, and affordable. Our partnership with Redwood enables us to utilize our vehicle’s batteries beyond the life of a vehicle and contribute to grid health and American competitiveness.”

Solving the Industrial Growth Constraint

The "secret sauce" behind this setup is Redwood’s proprietary Pack Manager technology. This system acts as a universal translator, allowing Redwood to communicate with and control different battery packs regardless of their original voltage or state of health.

JB Straubel, the founder and CEO of Redwood Materials (and former Tesla CTO), highlighted that the grid is currently struggling to keep up with the demands of modern manufacturing. “Electricity demand is accelerating faster than the grid can expand, posing a constraint on industrial growth,” Straubel said. “Our partnership with Rivian shows how EV battery packs can be turned into dispatchable energy resources, bringing new capacity online quickly, supporting critical manufacturing, and reducing strain on the grid without waiting years for new infrastructure. This is a scalable model for how we add meaningful energy capacity in the near term.”

A Scalable Model for the Future

This 10 MWh project is just the beginning. Redwood estimates that by 2030, the U.S. will need over 600 GWh of storage to stabilize the grid — a massive amount of energy equivalent to the Hoover Dam running for two months straight.

By turning old EV batteries into stationary assets before they are eventually recycled, companies can defer billions of dollars in costly infrastructure upgrades. As Rivian prepares to hand over the first R2 keys later this spring, its factory will be running on a smarter, more resilient energy loop that proves the "second life" of a battery is just as important as the first.

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