The Rivian R2 has barely started reaching customers, yet one example has already experienced an exceptionally short first chapter. A 2027 Rivian R2 showing just 110 miles has appeared at an IAA salvage auction after suffering a crash that left it with body, suspension, and airbag damage.
Considering how new the R2 is, seeing one sitting damaged in an auction yard is remarkable. Plenty of prospective buyers are still waiting to get behind the wheel, while this particular example has already been delivered, driven, crashed, and written off for salvage.
Photos from the IAA listing show a Launch Green R2 with the most obvious damage concentrated around its passenger-side front corner. The fender is crumpled inward, the wheel-arch trim has detached, and the inner fender liner appears damaged around the 21-inch wheel.
At first glance, the exterior damage doesn’t look catastrophic, especially since the passenger door and much of the surrounding bodywork appear relatively untouched. A closer look at the listing, however, suggests this won’t necessarily be a simple case of replacing a fender and heading back onto the road.
There’s More Damage Than You Can See
IAA identifies suspension damage as a secondary issue, meaning the impact caused problems beneath the relatively modest-looking exterior damage. Photos of the interior also show multiple deployed airbags, adding another potentially expensive layer to the repair.
Airbag deployment can require replacement of numerous components beyond the airbags themselves, including damaged interior panels and parts of the restraint system. Suspension damage could also become significantly more complicated if the impact affected mounting points or surrounding structural components.
Parts availability could present another challenge for whoever decides to rebuild it. The R2 is still an extremely new model, so used body, suspension, and interior components won’t be nearly as easy to source as parts for an established mass-market SUV.
That doesn’t necessarily make the Rivian a bad restoration candidate, especially if its battery pack and major drivetrain components escaped the accident unharmed. Its eventual auction price will play a major role in determining whether repairing it makes financial sense.
It’s Packing 656 HP
This isn’t one of the cheaper R2 variants expected to broaden the lineup later. The wrecked SUV appears to be an R2 Performance Launch Package, the high-performance configuration currently reaching customers.
Its dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain produces a substantial 656 horsepower and 609 lb-ft of torque. Rivian says that’s enough to propel the compact electric SUV from 0-60 mph in approximately 3.6 seconds.
The R2 Performance also offers an estimated 330 miles of driving range, giving it plenty of long-distance capability alongside that impressive acceleration. Pricing starts at $57,990, while less expensive and slower R2 configurations are expected to follow.
It would be tempting to connect 656 horsepower with the accident, especially considering how little mileage the vehicle had accumulated. There is no information in the IAA listing explaining how the crash happened, however, so any suggestion that the R2’s performance contributed to it would be speculation.
Just 110 Miles Before The Salvage Auction
The odometer is what makes this particular wreck especially unusual. With only 110 miles showing, the R2 had barely accumulated enough mileage for someone to become properly familiar with it before its trip to the salvage yard.
There’s strong demand for Rivian’s smaller SUV, with some buyers potentially waiting until 2027 for their vehicles. Someone willing to take on a salvage rebuild could theoretically get behind the wheel considerably sooner, although this would hardly be the easiest shortcut around the waiting list.
A successful rebuild will depend heavily on what inspectors discover underneath that damaged right-front corner. If the battery, motors, chassis, and major electronics survived intact, there could still be an almost-new 656-hp electric SUV hiding beneath the damage.
Whoever eventually buys it will have one of the lowest-mileage R2 restoration projects imaginable. The real question isn’t whether 110 miles is unusually early to wreck a new vehicle, but how much money it’ll take before this Rivian finally reaches mile 111.