Rivian Adds Captain's Chairs to the 2027 R1S, Refreshes R1 Lineup While R2 Scales Up
Rivian will offer optional second-row captain's chairs on the R1S as part of the 2027 model year refresh of the R1 lineup, addressing what has been a frequently requested feature from buyers of the three-row electric SUV (The Verge).
Captain's chairs are the individual seats that replace a standard bench seat, giving each second-row passenger their own space with an aisle down the middle. On the 2027 R1S, they are available on the Performance and Quad trims, according to Cars.com. Each chair features stowaway armrests, push-to-release cupholders, heating, a fold-flat mechanism, and full car seat tie-downs. The classic second-row bench seat remains standard, preserving seven-passenger seating for buyers who need it.
Pricing for the chairs depends on interior theme: $1,500 with the Black Mountain interior and $2,000 with the Ocean theme. There is a catch in the bundle structure, though. The captain's chairs are only available when paired with the $2,500 Sound and Vision package, which includes a glass roof and audio system. That means the real floor for the option is $4,000 to $4,500 depending on interior choice, on top of the vehicle's base price.
The 2027 R1T starts at $79,990 and the R1S at $83,990, both before fees. Earlier in the summer, Rivian discontinued the entry-level Dual Motor Standard Pack options for the R1 vehicles, effectively raising the price floor for the lineup. For the 2027 model year, the Max battery pack is now available on the base R1 line, as Kelley Blue Book reports.
Rivian is also reworking how it names its trims. The previous motor-count naming scheme — Dual, Tri, Quad — is being replaced with three tiers: Premium, Performance, and the halo Quad. "Halo" refers to a top-tier model that exists partly to elevate the brand's image rather than to sell in high volumes. All performance figures, including range, horsepower, torque, and 0-60 acceleration times, carry over unchanged from the current R1 vehicles.
The R1T receives a new 20-inch Adventure All-Season Goodyear wheel and tire combination designed for better off-road traction without sacrificing range. The set comes standard on the R1T Premium trim and is a no-cost option on the Performance trim. Both the R1S and R1T get a new paint option called Esker Silver, a liquid-metal finish that debuted on the R2.
The broader context here is that Rivian is refreshing its flagship vehicles at the same time that its volume play, the R2, is just getting underway. The R2 is a mid-size five-seat electric SUV starting at $44,990, with the 2027 R2 Standard offering 275 miles of range at $53,990. Rivian began public customer deliveries of the R2 on June 9, 2026, opening orders for reservation holders. The R2 was introduced in full trim and pricing detail on March 12, 2026.
That sequencing matters. Rivian is layering a halo-product refresh on top of a vehicle designed to scale. The R1 changes are incremental: a seating option, a naming simplification, a tire package, a paint color, a battery availability adjustment. None of this changes the underlying platform or performance envelope. What it does is keep the R1 line fresh and marginally more configurable while the R2 is positioned to carry volume.
2026 has been an active year for Rivian beyond the product cycle. On March 19, the company announced a partnership with Uber to deploy up to 50,000 fully autonomous robotaxis. On April 14, Rivian and Redwood Materials announced an energy storage partnership for manufacturing. The company opened an AI-focused London hub on July 21, 2025, and established a new East Coast headquarters in Atlanta on July 17, 2025. A kickoff ceremony for a Georgia manufacturing plant was held on September 16, 2025. Greg Revelle was hired as Chief Customer Officer on January 12, 2026.
The trim restructuring from motor-count to tiered naming is worth flagging for anyone configuring or comparing vehicles. Dual, Tri, and Quad told buyers exactly how many motors they were getting. Premium, Performance, and Quad are less mechanically descriptive and more conventionally automotive, aligning Rivian's naming with how most luxury automakers structure their lineups. The Quad name carries over, bridging the old and new schemes.
For buyers specifically waiting on captain's chairs, the 2027 R1S finally delivers. The bundle requirement with the Sound and Vision package pushes the effective cost higher than the sticker suggests, and the chairs are limited to the Performance and Quad trims, excluding the base Premium tier. The bench seat remains for those who need maximum passenger capacity.
Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Irvine, California, Rivian manufactures the R1 at its 3.3-million-square-foot plant in Normal, Illinois. The company completed its IPO on November 10, 2021. RJ Scaringe is founder and CEO.
