Rivian R2 Finally Gets a
Spare Tire Option

01. What's Actually in the Kit?

so I went down the rabbit hole on Rivian's Gear Shop (bad idea for my wallet btw) and here's what you get for $755. not gonna lie, I expected more but then again what else do you really need

• Compact Spare Tire — slides under the trunk's false floor. it's smaller than a regular tire obviously but it gets you to the shop. that's literally all it needs to do
• Manual Jack — basic but works. nothing fancy but when you're stranded you don't care about fancy
• Lug Wrench — the usual stuff. pro tip: practice changing a tire at home before you actually need to do it on the road. learned that one the hard way lol

oh and one thing — the spare comes deflated so you'll need an air compressor. Rivian sells one or just grab any cheap 12V one from Amazon. I bought mine like 3 years ago for $30 and it still works. you can order through Rivian's Gear Shop but last I checked you gotta call to place the order. weird I know. maybe they'll fix that by the time you read this

02. Why This Actually Matters

look I know a spare tire isn't exactly sexy. it's not gonna get you likes on Instagram or whatever. but if you've ever been stuck on a trail with a flat and zero cell service you'd get it. I got a buddy who took his Model Y off-roading last year (don't ask me why lol) and he got a flat. had to wait 4 HOURS for a tow. in the middle of nowhere. with a dead phone. the R2 is probably the most capable off-road EV under 70k and off-roading without a spare is just asking for trouble imo

Rivian's doing something right here. they offer spares across their whole lineup now — R1S, R1T, and now R2. meanwhile try getting a spare from Tesla or Hyundai. good luck with that. I asked a Tesla service advisor once about getting a spare for my friend's Model Y and he literally laughed at me. said "just use the repair kit." yeah because that works so well when you got a nail through the sidewall 🙄

the NHTSA says tire problems are one of the top reasons people call for roadside help. and if you're camping somewhere remote with no signal? yeah a tire repair kit isn't cutting it. I've heard way too many stories of families stranded. my cousin once got a flat on a camping trip in Utah and we had to flag down a random trucker for help because there was zero cell service. not fun

03. Full Accessory List & Pricing

ok so the spare tire isn't the only thing they sell. I went down another rabbit hole (my wallet is crying) and here's everything they got. some of these prices made me go "wait what" not gonna lie

prices from Rivian Gear Shop as of June 2026. the TCO estimates? take with a massive grain of salt because your actual costs will be totally different depending on how much you drive and where you charge. also who keeps a car exactly 5 years anyway lol

04. R2 Performance Specs

first R2s shipping are the Performance models with Launch Package. haven't driven one yet (Rivian if you're reading this I'm available and I promise I won't trash it) but here's what the numbers say

cheaper trims coming later this year with the base model expected spring 2027. from what I've seen Rivian's holding value way better than most EVs — their off-road crowd is super loyal and that helps with resale. I've been watching the used R1T market and those things barely depreciate. the R2 should follow the same pattern especially if they keep doing smart stuff like this spare tire thing

05. Which EVs DON'T Have a Spare Tire?

Tesla's been skipping the spare tire for years and somehow everyone just followed along. it's like when one kid doesn't do the homework and suddenly nobody does it. here's how the mid-size EV SUV segment stacks up. spoiler: Rivian's winning this one

honestly the resale value thing matters too. I was talking to a dealer last week and he said more buyers are asking about spare tires now. it's becoming a real selling point not just a nice-to-have. when people are cross-shopping the R2 against a Model Y the spare tire is actually coming up in conversations. that's huge actually

06. Should You Actually Buy It?

if you're planning any off-road trips or camping in the middle of nowhere just get it. $755 isn't much when you're already spending 58k on a car. and honestly the sleep-at-night factor is worth it. I'm the type who overpacks for road trips anyway (snacks, first aid kit, blanket, the works) so this is right up my alley

even if you're just a city person tire repair kits are sketchy for anything bigger than a small nail. I've tried using one on a sidewall tear and it's basically useless. a spare means you're not waiting 3 hours for roadside assistance in the rain. at $755 it's basically cheap insurance. my wife thinks I'm paranoid for always wanting a spare but I've been stranded too many times to take chances

want to dig deeper into EV costs? check the U.S. Department of Energy's fuel economy data or play around with our EV Charging Cost Calculator. I built the calculator myself and I'm pretty proud of it not gonna lie