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Rivian Is Now Outselling Ford in Electric Vehicles
Rivian dropped its Q1 2026 numbers yesterday and the headline is simple: 10,365 deliveries, 20% more than this time last year. In a quarter where basically every automaker is down, that’s a genuinely good result.
But the more interesting story is what happened to Ford. Their EV sales cratered 70% this quarter, falling from 22,550 units a year ago to just 6,860. No F-150 Lightning, a Mach-E that’s losing steam, and suddenly Rivian, a company that didn’t exist a decade ago, is outselling them in electric vehicles. That’s not a sentence I expected to write in 2026.
Tesla put up 358,023 global deliveries, which sounds massive until you realize they also built 408,000 vehicles and couldn’t move 50,000 of them. That’s a pretty unusual spot for a company that’s historically built to order. GM sold around 25,900 EVs, keeping them second in the EV-only rankings behind Tesla, with Rivian sitting comfortably in third.
The broader auto market was rough for pretty much everyone. GM’s total sales were down nearly 10%. Ford dropped 8.8%. Even Toyota, which is usually bulletproof, barely held flat. The EV tax credit expiring last fall hit the whole industry hard, and that hangover is still very much alive.
What’s worth noting about Rivian specifically is that they grew through all of that with no new model on sale yet, no federal incentive backstop, and a factory that had a rough year in 2025. And production nearly matched deliveries this quarter, which means they’re not sitting on a pile of unsold inventory. The operation is tighter than it’s been.
The R2 starts delivering soon. Full financials come April 30. The interesting quarter is still ahead.
This is indeed a very interesting period and Rivian selling more in the quarter that saw everyone’s sales tank is a huge statement.
Once people experience Rivian community and what is is to become a family member they will understand.
The Rivian community is such a special place, I love it 🙂
Howdy Yall! I am so so proud of Rivian and RJ & the ENTIRE team! Not only that, but the amount of LOVE the community that grows by the day too. I don’t have financials currently to purchase a Rivian, however, I am 100% going to be. R3 maybe, or R2, but would LOVE to customize and purchase a Fleet 700 issue and turn it into a RV style or work on the road type vehicle. I have driven for AMZ for quite some time in the seat of these amazing beasts. If I was not currently in this job, I’d go back to AMZ in a heartbeat as a driver. FUN FUN FUN. When the word Adventure is super-glued to the front and rear bumper and style is sleekly strewn across it’s sides. It shows me clean without being brash, it shows me innovation without a second look. It shows me simplicity when I place the hands to the steering wheel. Rivian, I am here and will continue to support and grab more stock when I save some more. Keep the dream and hope alive, you will be surpassing tesla (highly hopeful) in futures time. Just please make good sound choices.
I was by the mother ship last week for a comprehensive inspection as the service center. I commented to my wife that the lot looked really empty compared to other times we have driven by. Lots of Amazon vans waiting for pickup but acres of empty where the R1s have always been parked.
Featured this on nexusEVnews today. Those Q1 numbers are wild, especially with no R2 on sale yet!!
Thanks Jacob!