2027 Rivian R2 Range and Fast-Charging Test: Well Short of EPA Numbers but Still Better Than Most of the Competition

Can the Rivian R2’s real-world range be simultaneously disappointing and good enough to satisfy most owners? That’s the big question we’re talking about at MotorTrend after getting our hands on the new compact electric SUV that that could determine the company’s fate.

The disappointment starts with a window sticker that promises a lofty 330 miles of range for the $59,485 R2 Performance AWD model that’s leading the launch. Comfortably beating 300 miles is a big psychological advantage for an EV that needs to convince the next wave of adopters to get off the fence. The problem is, in our MotorTrend Road-Trip Range test, the R2 covered 263 miles at a constant 70 mph. That’s a big 20 percent miss.

You should understand how we arrived at the number. Here at MotorTrend, we believe real-world EV range and charging tests should reflect how people drive their vehicles in the real world. (Smart, isn’t it?) Because EV drivers aren’t rolling into charging stations in turtle mode, our range test reflects how far you can travel when you begin with a fully charged battery and end with 5 percent charge. To help keep the automakers honest, we never rely on the vehicle’s speedometer, odometer, or any other onboard data to determine real-world range.

We don’t expect a vehicle’s Road-Trip Range to match its EPA range, but the R2’s 20 percent shortfall is larger than the industry average of 13 percent for the 192 vehicles we’ve range tested over the years. Unfortunately, this gap is typical of all Rivians. We’ve tested nine R1 models, and they have missed the EPA number by 22 percent, on average. That disconnect sets up R2 buyers for a very unpleasant discovery when they take their first long trip and need to pull over and plug in much earlier than expected. Ultimately, though, this is an expectations and education problem. At the end of the day, EV drivers and potential buyers should care about real-world range figures from a reputable testing organization. (We’re partial to the one you’re reading right now.)

If you look at our Road-Trip Range number for the R2 and its competition, things don’t look as dire. In our testing, the Rivian lands midpack among compact electric SUVs. It gets beat by the Cadillac Lyriq AWD, the Chevrolet Blazer EV SS AWD, the Kia EV6 Wind AWD, and its main rival, the Tesla Model Y Performance. The R2 has an edge over the Hyundai Ioniq 5 AWD, the Subaru Trailseeker, the Toyota bZ Woodland, and the Cadillac Optiq and Optiq V (the latter of which recorded a dismal 189 miles).

How Fast Does the Rivian R2 Charge?

We take a similar no-nonsense approach when it comes to our fast-charging test. Comparing cars using the time to charge from 10 to 80 percent or peak power output doesn’t tell you anything about what it’s like to live with an EV. Buyers should instead ask, “How long do I have to wait before I can get on the road again?” We answer that question by presenting how far an EV can travel after 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes of charging.

In those metrics, the 2027 Rivian R2 is a strong performer among its peers. In a quick 15 minutes, the Rivian R2 Performance AWD added 130 miles of range, good for almost two hours of highway driving. Stick around for 30 minutes, and that grows to 210 miles of driving range, or three hours of driving. As in all EVs, the value of sticking around longer than a half hour is questionable. The R2 adds a total of 244 miles after 45 minutes of charging and 257 miles after an hour.

The range added after 15 minutes lands the new Rivian R2 in third behind the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5, which use higher-voltage battery packs that can accept more power. The Tesla trailed close behind, adding 126 miles in 15 minutes and 197 miles after 30 minutes of charging.

Interestingly, the R2 topped out at 190 kilowatts in our test, falling short of Rivian’s claimed 220-kilowatt peak. We plan to conduct additional testing to figure out how much was left on the table at that reduced power, but we’re publishing these initial numbers for now in part because Rivian vehicles have in our experience so consistently failed to hit their peaks. We’ve run nine R1 models through our fast-charging test, and not even one has ever hit the advertised max power. This is a good time to remind you that peak charging power isn’t as important as most people think it is. The Model Y Performance delivered a jolt of 245 kW during its fast-charging test, but the Rivian gained the advantage by averaging 146 kW from 5 to 80 percent versus the Tesla’s 102-kW average.

The Danger of High Expectations

While the 2027 Rivian R2’s real-world range and fast-charging stack up quite well against the alternatives, it’s difficult not to feel disappointed by test numbers that don’t meet the advertised claims. That’s the danger of publishing a big number and setting high expectations that can’t be met in the real world. While EPA testing is highly regulated, automakers are free to list a lower range number, which makes you wonder, would Rivian have been wise to print 300 miles on R2 window stickers rather than 330 miles? With tempered expectations, shoppers and EV enthusiasts might more clearly see the real-world data flooding the world as a win for the Rivian.