4 reasons I want a Rivian R3 instead of the R2

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Summary

Above all, the Rivian R3 seems like a more financially sound decision, especially since I don’t need that much cargo space.
The R3’s compact size is better for city and garage parking, while also keeping drivers closer to the road.
Its style feels a little less generic to me, though other opinions are valid.

If Rivian isn’t the electric car maker du jour, it’s certainly in the running. A lot of people are flocking away from Tesla, and Rivian’s R1T and R1S are pretty much ideal if you want American-made alternatives to the Cybertruck and Model X. Heck, while I avoid pickup trucks as a rule, I’d still gladly consider an R1T if it was an easy swing in my budget.

That, of course, is the big catch with Rivian in 2025. You’re looking at spending at least $71,700 on an R1T, and even more on an R1S — way more than the average American can afford. The company is aiming to bring prices back down to Earth with the R2, due in 2026, and the R3, which should be out by 2027.

Personally, if I do get one of the new Rivians, it’ll almost certainly be the R3. That’s despite the R2 nominally being the better vehicle on paper, as I’ll explain.

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1

The pricing is more reasonable

A perennial challenge of EVs

Rivian

You were probably expecting this point, but it’s still worth making. The R2 should be relatively affordable for an electric SUV at $45,000 — but the R3 is slated to be even cheaper. How much? Rivian hasn’t offered any specifics yet, but for the gap to be meaningful, the R3 will probably have to sell for less than $40,000. Some predictions have put the price closer to $35,000, not much more than the cheapest American EVs.

It’s just plain smart to minimize your debts, and for me, a car is mostly a way for me to get my family and cargo from A to B.

Even when money is flowing, I prefer to be cautious when buying a car. It’s just plain smart to minimize your debts, and for me, a car is mostly a way for me to get my family and cargo from A to B. I’m willing to spend a little more on technologies like an all-electric drivetrain, but if I can get away with the base version of that, I will. I don’t need the cargo space of the R2, and I certainly don’t need the ability to fold down the front seats for a sleepover.

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2

A compact crossover suits me

Bigger isn’t always better

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Having been inside a few, I’ve long felt that most pickups and SUVs are too big to be practical, cargo benefits aside. Sitting higher in the cabin, I feel disconnected from the road, and they can make parking a serious challenge. Back when I lived in Austin, I used to park on the street or in outdoor lots for some concerts — and I had a hell of a time doing that with a Honda Fit or Nissan Leaf sometimes, never mind choosing a mid-sized SUV. Cadillac Escalade owners must be masochists.

Larger pickups and SUVs make me feel disconnected from the road, and can potentially make parking a serious challenge.

Being a compact crossover, the R3 is much better suited to my lifestyle than the R2. That includes taking care of it at home. Here in Edmonton, it’s an absolute must to keep an EV inside during the winter when you’re not driving. The R2 would probably be too big to fit in my single-car garage, whereas the R3 at least has a hope of fitting in with a little room to walk around.

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3

Performance will be close enough

Not trying to do a coast-to-coast run, here

Rivian

Rivian is still being cagey on final specs, for obvious reasons, but both the R2 and R3 are slated to be available in single-, dual-, and tri-motor configurations. You’ll also be able to top 300 miles (483 kilomters) of range with better battery configurations. By the time they’re ready to roll, it’s possible that all trims will break 300 miles — the best versions of the R1T and R1S already top 400 (644 kilometers). Rivian would also look a little weak if it couldn’t beat the Chevy Equinox EV, which gets 319 miles despite starting under $34,000.

From a performance perspective, it’s hard to imagine the R2 being dramatically better than the R3. It should — in theory — have more room for a larger battery, but that could be offset by increased weight. Regardless, I don’t need an EV to go much past 300 miles — I could make it from Edmonton to Calgary in January with charge to spare.

I’ll worry about hitting 400 miles when I’m crazy enough to drive all the way back to Texas.

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4

The R3 is actually more stylish

Money doesn’t buy you taste

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This is extremely subjective, but I do find the R3 more appealing on an aesthetic level. Both the R2 and R3 borrow design cues from the R1 series — to me, though, the R2 looks a little too much like the R1S, which in turn looks like a boxy, generic SUV apart from its tires and headlights. Note that I didn’t say the R2 and R1S are ugly. Rather, there’s just nothing to get excited about on the outside that you couldn’t get from rival SUV makers.

I’d like to see Rivian push its design further, but that’s probably going to have to wait for an R3 Gen 2, or maybe an R4.

The R3’s sloped rear hatch gives it a bit of retro flair. In fact, it reminds me a bit of the Plymouth Horizon my parents owned when I was kid, and I’ll bet this was deliberate on Rivian’s part. The company really wants to sell us the “adventure” aspect of its vehicles, and old hatchbacks certainly evoke images of 20-somethings hitting the beach or going on a camping trip. There’s a reason one of its promo images prominently features surfboards jutting out the back — despite the fact that most Americans live nowhere near a surfable tide.

I’d like to see Rivian push its design further, but that’s probably going to have to wait for an R3 Gen 2, or maybe an R4 — assuming it’s possible to strip down the Rivian platform any further.