Buyer's Guide
The Rivian buyer's guide for 2026.
Everything you need to know — pricing, trim selection, and the incentives that survived a year in which two federal credits expired. Written by a verified Rivian R1S owner in Colorado.
5 min read · Last updated August 2026
Paste into the "Referral Code" field at Rivian checkout, or ask your Rivian advisor to add it before signing.
The Quick Summary
Federal EV tax credit: Expired September 30, 2025 — gone for new 2026 purchases
Federal home charger credit: Expired June 30, 2026 — gone for installs after that date
Largest remaining lever: the Costco Auto Program, $1,000–$5,000 off MSRP with no price cap
Also available:Colorado's $750 credit (vehicles at or below $80,000 only), Xcel charger rebates, the referral code, and Section 179 for business buyers
Realistic total in Colorado: roughly $1,750–$7,550 depending on vehicle, membership, and business use
Pricing entry point: 2027 R1S Premium $83,990 / R1T Premium $79,990 / R2 from $57,990
Start here
Choose the guide that matches where you are in the buying journey.
Costco Auto Program
The largest remaining incentive. $1,000–$5,000 off, no price cap.
Read guideFederal Tax Credit Status
What expired, when, and the one deduction that didn't.
Read guideColorado Incentives
The $80,000 cap and which trims actually clear it.
Read guideSection 179 Write-Off
Business use over 50%? This beats everything else.
Read guideLease vs. Buy
The money factor Rivian won’t show you until you deposit.
Read guideTrade-In Strategy
Rivian vs. Carvana vs. CarMax — when each wins.
Read guideR1S Buyer's Guide
2027 trims, captain's chairs, and what they really cost.
Read guideR1T Buyer's Guide
The $10 that decides your build, and the towing tradeoff.
Read guideR2 Buyer's Guide
Delivering now from $57,990. What applies and what doesn’t.
Read guideReferral Code
$100–$500 in points + 3 months charging. Always available.
Read guideWhat changed for 2026 buyers
Two federal programs expired eleven months apart, and conflating them is the most common error in EV incentive coverage right now.
September 30, 2025 — the vehicle credits. The $7,500 Clean Vehicle Credit under Section 30D ended, along with the Section 45W commercial credit that leasing companies passed through as a capitalized cost reduction. That second one is why leasing a Rivian was the smart move for years, and why it mostly isn't anymore.
June 30, 2026 — the home charger credit. Section 30C covered 30 percent of charger hardware and installation up to $1,000. Equipment placed in service after that date receives nothing. If yours was installed and operational on or before June 30, you can still claim it on your 2026 return using IRS Form 8911.
Colorado also scaled back. The state EV credit dropped from $3,500 in 2025 to $750 for 2026, and it carries an $80,000 MSRP cap that excludes every R1S trim.
What filled the gap: Costco. Rivian joined the Costco Auto Program in February 2026. The discount runs $1,000 to $5,000 off MSRP, has no price cap, and is now the single largest incentive most Rivian buyers can actually claim — worth more than every remaining tax credit combined for an R1S buyer.
How to use this guide
If you're still researching, start with the model guides — R1S, R1T, or R2 — to understand 2027 pricing, the trim rename, and capability. Then read the incentive guides, because the landscape changed twice in the past year and most of what's written elsewhere is out of date.
If you're buying through a business, read the Section 179 guide first. For a buyer with real business use, it's worth more than everything else on this site combined, and it's the part almost no Rivian coverage addresses.
If you're ready to order, route through Costco before you finalize — the discount can't be applied retroactively — and attach referral code RICK4348389 before you submit. Codes can't be added afterward either.
Ready to configure?
Code RICK4348389 earns $100–$500 in Rewards points depending on your configuration, plus 3 months of Adventure Network charging on an R1S or R1T.
Paste into the "Referral Code" field at Rivian checkout, or ask your Rivian advisor to add it before signing.
Frequently asked questions
Is there still a federal EV tax credit on Rivian in 2026?
No, for most buyers. The federal Clean Vehicle Credit expired September 30, 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The only exception: buyers who signed a binding purchase contract and made a payment on or before that date may still claim the credit when they take delivery. The federal home charger credit under Section 30C also expired, on June 30, 2026.
What incentives are still available for Rivian buyers in 2026?
The Costco Auto Program discount ($1,000–$5,000 off MSRP, and the largest remaining lever for most buyers), the Colorado state EV tax credit ($750, but only on vehicles at or below $80,000 MSRP), Xcel Energy charger rebates ($500–$1,300), the Rivian Rewards referral code ($100–$500 in points plus 3 months of Adventure Network charging, depending on configuration), the auto loan interest deduction if you finance and your income qualifies, and Section 179 plus bonus depreciation if business use exceeds 50 percent.
How much can I actually save on a Rivian in Colorado in 2026?
Roughly $1,750 to $7,550 depending on your vehicle and situation. The Costco discount ($1,000–$5,000) does most of the work. Add $500–$1,300 from Xcel for a home charger and $250–$500 from the referral code. The $750 Colorado state credit applies only if your MSRP is at or below $80,000, which rules out every R1S trim and leaves only the base-spec R1T Premium and the R2. Business buyers may do considerably better through Section 179.
Does the Colorado state credit apply to every Rivian?
No. Colorado caps its $750 Innovative Motor Vehicle Credit at $80,000 MSRP, and the cap counts factory-attached options rather than the price you negotiate. Every R1S trim starts above it. The 2027 R1T Premium clears it at $79,990 base, but a single option package breaks the cap. The R2 qualifies at every announced trim.
Is leasing still better than buying a Rivian in 2026?
For most buyers, no. The financial case for leasing collapsed when the Section 45W lease pathway credit expired September 30, 2025. Rivian has also been subsidizing purchases with promotional APR while lease money factors have run near 8 to 9 percent APR, and leases are excluded from the new auto loan interest deduction and from Section 179. The lease vs. buy decision now turns on ownership horizon and cash flow rather than tax treatment.
Will the federal EV tax credit come back?
Unknown. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminated the credit as part of a broad tax package rather than a standalone EV measure, which makes a clean reversal harder. No concrete restoration proposal is pending. If something does pass, there is no reason to expect the same amounts or eligibility rules. Plan your purchase based on current law.