Rivian R3 release date: Rivian still hasn't set one, and the R3 will cost less than the R2

The Rivian R3 is the small, cheap Rivian a lot of people are waiting for, and Rivian still won’t say when it arrives. What it has promised is the order: the R3 comes after the R2, which reached its first customers on June 9, 2026, and it will cost less.

When does the Rivian R3 come out?

Rivian hasn’t said. It showed the R3, the faster R3X and the R2 SUV together in Laguna Beach, California, on March 7, 2024, and made it clear from day one that the R3 and R3X would wait their turn. The reason was a hard-learned lesson: Rivian had launched the R1T, the R1S and its delivery van at the same time, and this time it wanted the R2 to launch smoothly and ramp up fast first.

The R2 is now out. It went into production in Normal, Illinois, in April 2026, and public deliveries began on June 9. Rivian is rolling it out one trim at a time: the Performance version first, a Premium version in late 2026 and Standard versions in early and summer 2027. Somewhere after that lineup, the R3 should follow, but Rivian hasn’t given it a slot.

Since the unveiling, Rivian has mostly talked about the R3 through its factory plans. It held the kickoff ceremony for its new Georgia plant on Sept. 16, 2025, and on July 30, 2026, it listed the R3 among the future models that plant will build. The next chance for news is Oct. 29, when Rivian reports its third-quarter results.

How much will the Rivian R3 cost?

Rivian hasn’t announced a price, but it has drawn a line: in 2024, it said the R3 would be priced below the R2, to make its cars more accessible. That makes the R2’s price list the best guide to where the R3 could land.

Right now, the cheapest way into an R2 is the Performance version with the Launch Package, from $57,990. A Premium version from $53,990 follows in late 2026. In early 2027 comes the Standard RWD Long Range from $48,490, and a second Standard version from $44,990 arrives in summer 2027. Below that, Rivian hasn’t put a number on the R3.

Rivian R3 specs Rivian has confirmed

The R3 is a midsize crossover with a hatchback shape that Rivian calls “tidy on dimensions,” built on the same new midsize platform as the R2. Rivian says that platform comes with single-motor, dual-motor and three-motor setups and two battery sizes, and in 2024 it said the larger battery would give the R3 more than 300 miles of range.

The battery is structural, part of the car’s body. The R3 has a native NACS port, takes CCS chargers with an adapter and charges from 10% to 80% in under 30 minutes. Rivian also promised 11 cameras and five radars for driver assistance.

Rivian said its quickest platform setup would reach 60 mph in under 3 seconds, but it hasn’t said which R3 versions will get which motors. Like the R2, the R3 has front and rear trunks, seats that fold completely flat and a focus on rear legroom. Price and release date are the two specs still missing.

What’s the Rivian R3X?

The R3X is the performance version of the R3, which Rivian says has even more dynamic abilities on and off road. Rivian showed it alongside the R3 in March 2024 and hasn’t released separate specs, a price or a date for it.

Can you reserve a Rivian R3?

No. Rivian’s R3 page shows a video and a photo gallery, but there’s no reservation option. Rivian takes $100 refundable reservations for the R2, but it hasn’t opened them for the R3 or R3X. Rivian has said the R2, R3 and R3X will also be sold outside North America after they launch there.

Where will the Rivian R3 be built?

Rivian hasn’t said where R3 production starts. In its second-quarter results release in July 2026, Rivian said its plant in Georgia would add up to 300,000 vehicles a year of capacity for the R2, a robotaxi version of the R2 and upcoming models including the R3. Rivian expects production in Georgia to start in late 2028.

The next fixed date is Oct. 29, when Rivian reports its third-quarter results after the market closes and holds a webcast at 5 p.m. ET. Rivian delivered 19,248 vehicles in the third quarter and expects 65,000 to 70,000 for 2026. For other new cars, see our pages on the Tesla Cybercab and the Afeela 1.

This page is updated as soon as Rivian announces an R3 release date, price or reservations, starting with its Q3 results on Oct. 29.