Rivian’s US EV Sales Surge From 10th To 2nd As R2 Arrives

Q3 deliveries, booming commercial vans, and early R2 sales help Rivian pass traditional rivals in the shrinking US electric market.

By: Brian Potter

Oct 21, at 6:53am ET

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Rivian delivered 19,248 vehicles in the US during the third quarter, a figure that put the company in second place among individual EV brands, trailing only Tesla. The result came in a contracting but rebounding market. Overall EV sales are still far below last year but higher than in the spring.

Cox Automotive's separate estimate of 19,239 units lines up almost exactly. Either number is enough to leapfrog Chevrolet, which held that spot a year ago. For shoppers wondering if Rivian can supply a car at scale, this quarter answers that question.

From 10th To Second In A Single Year

2027 Rivian R1T

Photo by: Rivian

A year earlier, Rivian sat in 10th place among US EV brands. Its climb to second came while nearly every other automaker posted lower EV volume for the quarter. Rivian's deliveries rose 45.7 percent compared with Q3 2025, giving the brand a 7.2 percent slice of the US EV market according to Cox Automotive estimates.

That share is worth separating from General Motors' own numbers. Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC still outsell Rivian when GM's brands are added together. Rivian's rise reflects a single nameplate passing a single nameplate, not the whole portfolio losing ground. The gain still counts, since GM's own EV demand has been slipping brand by brand.

Toyota, Lexus, Mercedes and Subaru were the other brands that grew EV sales in Q3, each driven by a specific new model. Rivian's growth carries over into the year-to-date totals too, up 26.8 percent through the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same stretch last year.

The R2 And Commercial Vans Did Most Of The Work

Amazon EDV

Rivian's Q3 total breaks down into four distinct products. The R1S SUV remains the volume leader at 5,582 units, with the R1T pickup adding 1,732. The R2 contributed 3,456 sales in what Cox Automotive calls its first full quarter on sale, with only the pricier Performance trim available so far.

The bigger surprise sits in the delivery van business. Rivian's EDV 500 and EDV 700 commercial vans sold 8,469 units in Q3, up 220.9 percent year over year. That single product line now outsells either of Rivian's own passenger vehicles. Year-to-date van sales have already topped 15,000 units.

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Those vans support Rivian's commercial work with Amazon and other logistics and fleet buyers. It's a sign the company is building revenue outside the retail showroom. Through the first three quarters of 2026, the R1S has logged 17,259 units and the vans 15,685, roughly matching each other for the year.

The R2's real test is still ahead. Rivian has cheaper R2 variants coming, and only the top-dollar version has shipped so far. Once Rivian reaches the roughly $50,000 trims, volume could climb well past this quarter's 3,456 units.