Rivian's $2,000 Borealis Purple Arrives on the R2, Performance Trim Only
The light-shifting purple lands months ahead of its original 2027 timing, but it's a $2,000 option reserved for the priciest R2.
Rivian's purple Borealis paint can now be ordered on the R2, months ahead of the 2027 timing shoppers saw when the configurator went live in May. There's a condition, though: the color is limited to the R2 Performance, the most expensive version of the mid-size SUV.
The company confirmed the addition on September 22, saying Borealis is already selectable in the R2 builder on the Performance trim. The announcement itself doesn't quote a price. The configurator does: Borealis is a $2,000 option, the same figure InsideEVs reported last week.
That places it in the top paint tier alongside Midnight, Catalina Cove, and Launch Green. Forest Green and Half Moon Grey cost $1,500, and Esker Silver is the only no-charge color. Because the $57,990 Performance with Launch Package is still the only R2 Rivian is taking orders for, a Borealis car starts at $59,990 before destination.
Rivian says the effect comes from fine metallic flake set beneath the clearcoat. In daylight the paint reads as a deep purple; as the light fades, its edges drift toward blue and red.
The color isn't new to the brand. Rivian first sold it as a limited-run option on the R1S and R1T, revealed at Art Week Miami Beach last December. The company traces the idea to owners who sent in photos of their vehicles under a purple-tinted sky during a 2024 solar storm.
The trim restriction is the part that matters for most R2 shoppers. The Performance costs $4,000 more than the $53,990 Premium, which Rivian lists for preorder and InsideEVs expects to go on sale later this year. Choosing purple means taking the Performance spec: 656 hp, 0–60 mph in a Rivian-quoted 3.6 seconds, and 330 miles of EPA-estimated range on the 21-inch all-season setup. The all-terrain tire package drops that to 307 miles.
Borealis was the last announced R2 color still missing from the order form after Rivian opened Forest Green paint and the Coastal Cloud interior earlier this month. Its arrival completes the eight-color palette Rivian laid out for the R2 in March.
Some questions remain open. Rivian's post doesn't give a delivery window for Borealis cars, doesn't say whether the R2 version will be limited like the R1's, and carries a footnote noting that color availability can vary by trim, configuration, and market.
