Rivian Recap: 06/19/2026
Hey there,
Here's your weekly Rivian Recap for June 19th, 2026.
Used EV prices are going up, my R2 order is in, R2 affordability break down (full analysis), 21" vs 20" survey results, and autonomy testing group?
Let's dive in!
Software
After last weeks deep dive and hands-on with R2, getting back into our existing R1 vehicles was a nice reminder about much R1 has improved since launch.
Practically speaking, this is the worst shape R2 software will ever be.
And even with that, the speed of input response and latency is top tier.
Yes, there are some very key missing features at launch that I consider make or break such as; pet comfort mode, climate hold, Rivian Assistant, and more.
In this software story though, there are two key areas I hope R2 can iterate on quickly instead of just playing catch up with R1 features.
Digital Key / Profile Selection
I've harped on this in the past, but the move to Digital Key has been a double edge sword. On one hand, the hit rate for walking up to the vehicle when not in the home "touch to unlock" scenario has been rock solid.
But it's almost been too solid, in the sense that the range increased and the eagerness to unlock at home became untenable, forcing us to use the "lock only" at home.
However, leaning on the feature where you can touch the groove of the driver side handle to wake the vehicle up and unlock when nearby, has been laggy and spotty at best.
This experience, coupled with the inability for a reasonable hit rate of driver profile selection can make the entry experience pretty frustrating.
More than 50% of the time, both of our vehicles will choose my wifes profile (who is 5' 2") instead of mine (6' 4").
It's to the point now that for my primary vehicle, I have actually disabled her proximity keys, at her request, just to stop the madness.
Even then, it took it almost a day to flush that setting and stop choosing her profile more than 50% of the time.
More than any other bug, this entry and profile selection is easily the most frustrating part of owning a Rivian right now.
It's worth noting that while not perfect, Tesla is very good at this.
Audio Performance (Especially default audio settings)
Not everything has to be compared to Tesla, but like me, many Rivian owners are coming from a Tesla as their previous vehicle.
And while not absolutely elite, Teslas have really solid audio systems across their lineup that just about everyone can fire up and enjoy on day one.
This has not been the case with Rivian ever since they dropped Meridian early on in Gen1 production. Rivian seems to have removed the support documentation about this change all together.
I also can't seem to find the original video where Wassym claimed that "most users preferred Elevation Audio over Meridian".
In practice, this was very much not true based on real user feedback.
For Gen2, things got even worse.
One of my early videos of my 6-month review, I called the launch version of Gen2 audio the worst audio system I had heard in any vehicle at any price point.
What is remarkable, is just how much they've improved things over the past 2 years for Gen2 audio.
It's still not great, or worthy of the nearly 6-figure average selling price of R1, but it is at least no longer insulting for the price when you option the "premium" sound system.
With R2, we are seeing a similar story as before but the starting point is far better than we had with any of the prior two generations of in-house audio.
The early builds of R2 on the "block party" tour had these signs pop up after community criticism.
It does seem that the version I drove on launch day has a newer build of software that is better than the pre-production builds, while still leaving notable room for improvement... particularly at higher volumes.
Originally, I said it was about a 7/10 below volume 18 and a 4/10 for volumes above that because the sound stage and balance falls apart.
Independently, it seems that others agree with this sentiment.
I find it a bit confusing why over 3 years since Meridian was dropped, Rivian seems to still struggle with audio.
In most cases, you can get noticeably improved audio by messing with settings (such as turning Dolby Atmos/Spatial OFF), and tweaking the EQ.
This same experience was noticed by Jordan Schiefer who now works for Kelly Blue Book and delivered a top-tier early review out of the Utah media event.
Jordan agrees that after some tweaking the R2 audio system sounds acceptable, but that the default experience is not good enough.
While not the same as an actual owners perspective, if you're only going to watch one video of launch R2 content, this should be a contender.
I want to be careful here to not make this feel like I hate on Rivian software.
Outside of Tesla, no other automaker in North America is even remotely close to what Rivian is doing.
Tesla still wins for stability and convenience, but Rivian has beat Tesla to the punch on a few really nice features (Google Casting support comes to mind).
However, the remaining software issues are frustrating because they stick out on an otherwise terrific package.
Should Rivian find a way to finally smooth out these final few edges and reach reliability parity with Tesla, it would make the landscape very interesting.
One quick note about the Autonomy roadmap for Rivian.
We keep hearing that point-to-point will happen in a "limited roll out" by the end of the year, but it was unclear what they meant by limited.
The language could've inferred either a small group of people, or perhaps a more limited operating domain where it was allowed to be used.
Given that there was no evidence of scaffolding for group control outside of the extremely small beta testing community, I assumed it would be geo locked.
But, because Chris Hilbert is driven to read every dang Rivian job posting he can find, he tripped over something interesting.
It appears that Rivian is putting together a "Rivian Intelligent Vehicle Evaluation Team (RIVET)", that would perfectly suit the idea of a limited roll out in 2026.
Given we are looking at Universal Hands Free "Phase 2" happening in the next quarter or so, with support for stop sign/light control, lane change on command anywhere, and auto highway lane changes... things could get interesting.
If you care about Autonomy, the next 6-9 months should be exciting!
Hardware
At the forefront of most people's mind right now is EV affordability.
That is really impacted by two parts.
First, is the used EV market.
If you're trying to get into an EV for the first time, the massive depreciation over the past few years have made EVs a screaming deal vs buying new.
However, a sharp uptick in gas prices shifts demand to pick up that slack and can buoy used car prices quite quickly.
Here's a recent data point where someone who was looking to trade in a used Gen1 R1T saw their trade-in values go up by $9k in just 1 month.
If you're getting into an EV for the first time, this is bad news.
However, if you're looking to trade-up for a new EV (such as an R2), this makes the newer vehicle far more affordable than it was just 30 days ago.
Don't forget that during a trade-in some states, such as here in Washington, the trade-in value also removes a significant portion of sales tax liability.
The second part of affordability comes down to lease and finance rates.
With R2 numbers officially out, I did do a bit of a quick take in last weeks newsletter, but I've now done a full analysis video of the different options.
I know some people will feel like these numbers are a bit of a wet blanket, but I'm hoping the advice there can save you well over $11k, if not more.
Speaking of actually buying R2, I am following my own advice and have officially been invited to order an R2, and started the process.
I'm going with Catalina Cove and 20" Black Sand All-Terrain wheels.
Once I'm matched with a VIN and have a delivery date scheduled, I will share updates about the process overall and what to expect.
I'm still hopeful to get a road trip in this year so more people can experience R2, meet up with the community, and lay down some road testing metrics.
Quick note: If I am able to do the road trip as planned, would you be interested in meeting up along the way at key charging stops?
Hit reply and let me know, and include the state/region you're in.
Recently I ran a survey on X and YouTube about what wheel choice everyone plans to go with. The overwhelming winner was the 21" All-Seasons.
I will say, both launch wheel options looked terrific in person.
However, the 20" Black Sand wheels are exceptional, in addition to offering the widest array of (also less expensive) tire choices down the line.
Community
Last weekend, the local Emerald City Rivian Club held an event to celebrate the R2 launch, which drew several hundred people to check out R2 in person.
Having people filter through over a few hours was a great way to meet many locals who also watch the channel. If we said hi, it was great to meet!
The club worked with Rivian to give away several off road recovery kits, as well as the grand prize of a camp kitchen.
I highly encourage you to connect with your local Rivian club for events that can teach you how to get the most out of your vehicle, go adventuring, or even win some cool gear as was the case last weekend.
As of yesterday, I finally hit 10,000 subscribers on YouTube.
I wanted to take a quick moment to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has chosen to join me on this journey.
It's been a super fun and rewarding 14ish months, and it feels like the work is just beginning.
Keep being awesome.
Worth Checking Out - RAD R2 Stickers
To celebrate the launch of R2, I have a new sticker drop that are the RADdest R2 stickers around.
Choose from 5 colorways, or collect them all.
This felt like a fun way to celebrate R2 with the same high quality waterproof, UV resistant stickers as the core Stay Curious stickers.
The teal is actually more saturated in person, which looks really nice. I need to dig out one of my "real" cameras instead of iPhone shots :-)
Latest Deals
Make sure you check out the dedicated offers page where you can review current Rivian offers. This should be easier to scan which models quality for what offers in one place.
Here's what's sticking out for deals this week:
Dual Large w/Performance [Lease vs Buy Example]
2026 R1S Dual-Large w/Performance (Premium Audio)
2026 R1T Dual-Large w/Performance (Premium Audio, Utility V2 Tonneau)
Dual Max w/Performance [Lease vs Buy Example]
2026 R1S Dual-Max w/Performance (Premium Audio)
2026 R1T Dual-Max w/Performance (Premium Audio, Utility, V2 Tonneau)
**An interesting note about the Forest Edge configurations, is that they show up as a "cheaper lease" when sorting by lowest lease. However, they don't qualify for the current lease cash or finance incentives.
That makes this misleading as Rivian assumes $3k more cash up front to get that lease number down. Leasing an equivalent Dual Max Performance is $1,300 less over 36 months, and financing is $9,202 less with the 0.99% promotional rate.
As a reminder you always want to do $0 down when leasing to minimize losses in the event your vehicle is totaled or stolen during your lease.
Forest Edge is thousands less if you're paying cash, but all other purchase options are notably better with the current promotions on normal trims.**
Tri Max ($3k Lease or 1.99% for 60 months) [Lease vs Buy Example]
All referrals also get 3 months of free charging on the Rivian Adventure Network.
I hope enjoyed this weeks edition of the Rivian Recap. Let me know what you'd like to see more of in future editions!
Even if you just want to say hi, hit reply – I'd love to get to know you 👋
Stay curious ✌️,
Travis Ketchum
P.S. Thinking about buying a new Rivian?
Make sure you use a referral code. A friend, a neighbor, or someone who has helped you along the way.
Here's mine: TRAVIS4699411
P.P.S. Here are some tools and resources you may find useful: