Rivian announces “Rivian Rewards,” a referral program for Rivian owners
Rivian has launched a referral program, allowing owners and purchasers to gain discounted gear or free charging through use of their Rivian referral code – or, with enough referrals, even an “almost”-free Rivian vehicle.
If there’s one thing about EV owners, is that owning an EV tends to turn you into an advocate for them. The experience is just so much better than driving on gas, and you want to share that with your friends.
This was particularly apparent in the early days, when Tesla owners became the biggest advocates for the company, and many recognized that they had “sold” several vehicles to friends or neighbors with their constant positive talk about their EVs.
As a result, several asked for some sort of recognition from the company for their sales efforts. Tesla instituted a “referral program,” a method for Tesla owners to gain benefits when they convince others to buy a Tesla. The program has been available on-and-off over the years, with various incentives, and Tesla just brought it back.
Now, Rivian is making their own referral program, and it works pretty similarly to how the Tesla program has over the years.
Rivian creates “Rivian Rewards”
Rivian is calling the program “Rivian Rewards.” All US-based Rivian owners qualify, and will have a referral link they can find in the new “rewards” section of their Rivian account.
The way it works is, when someone uses an owner’s Rivian Referral code to purchase a vehicle from Rivian’s “R1 Shop,” its online listings of in-stock vehicles available for delivery now, that owner will receive their choice of:
- 750 points that can be redeemed in Gear Shop or R1 Shop (1 point equals 1 dollar in credit)
- 6 months of charging at Rivian Adventure Network sites (up to a lifetime limit of three years)
These rewards also apply to the purchaser, not just the owner, so if you buy your car through a referral link then you’ll get your own 750 gear points and/or 6 months of free RAN charging.
In addition, Rivian says it plans to have a “special Rivian Adventure Weekend” at some point next year, to which it will invite the first 100 owners that make 25 qualifying referrals.
Rivian has quite an extensive “gear shop” with not just Rivian-branded merchandise like shirts and caps, but lots of vehicle accessories that are useful in the types of adventure situations that Rivian is known for. For example, this three-person rooftop tent will set you back $2,800… or about 4 referrals.
But perhaps more interestingly than that, the points can also be used in Rivian’s R1 Shop, which is used for purchasing new vehicles.
That’s gonna take a few more than 4 referrals, but the points can also be applied as a discount on a new car, which could be a nice little chunk of change for those who are able to get a lot of referrals. Rivian says that you can “almost!” buy a Rivian entirely with points – but that they can’t be used on vehicle deposits, custom configurations, reservations, or purchases outside the R1 shop.
Tesla did something similar allowing large discounts on the (upcoming?) next-gen Roadster, but it got a little out of hand. Perhaps as a result of this lesson, Rivian says that the 750 point reward is valid until the end of this year, but that point rewards may change after that. Also, points last 2 years before expiring.
But it also says that it plans to examine the program as it goes, and potentially expand it so that owners can earn and spend points in other ways as they come up with new ideas.
We could imagine more events like the “Rivian Adventure Weekend” might be popular with owners, so maybe something that would end up in being an option in the future.
Head on over to Rivian’s site for an FAQ about the program or the full legal Terms & Conditions if you want to find out more.
Electrek’s Take
These programs are pretty neat and can certainly be lucrative for some owners who have a lot of well-off friends or are otherwise able to get a lot of referrals. For most owners, though, it’s just going to be a nice little bonus for spending time out of their day to be “the EV guy” among their friend group and helping people out with their EV questions.
That said, the one thing I always felt was unfortunate about the Tesla referral program is that it spoiled some of the goodwill associated with word-of-mouth advertising.
EV owners will tell their friends to buy an EV regardless of if they’re being compensated for it or not, because we recognize they’re just great. When those recommendations come with no compensation at all, everyone can understand that they are honest recommendations. However, adding compensation into the equation makes it feel like maybe there are other reasons behind the recommendation beyond our simple enthusiasm for electric mobility, which just cheapens the recommendation a little.
But on the other hand, we are still doing all this word-of-mouth work that ends up going to the company’s benefit, and that’s surely reducing their sales costs, so the compensation is fair from that perspective. I just don’t want people to think that I’m recommending an EV because I’m getting paid for it, because I have and do recommend them regardless of if any money comes my way (because no matter what, cleaner air and happier drivers come my way when there are more EVs around, and that’s a good thing).
All that said, if our coverage of Rivian has helped inform you about the brand, feel free to use our Rivian referral code to get 6 months of free charging or 750 points with your purchase.
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BYD’s cheapest EV in China just got even more affordable. After cutting prices this month, the BYD Seagull EV starts at just 56,800 yuan, or under $8,000.
BYD cuts Seagull EV price to under $8,000 in April
Despite an intensifying EV price war in China, BYD is cutting prices once again. The Chinese EV giant announced a new promotion this month across several Ocean Series models, including the Seagull.
The 2025 BYD Seagull EV is available starting at just 56,800 yuan ($7,800). The offer is for the non-Smart Driving Vitality Edition model, which usually starts at 69,800 yuan ($9,500).
After launching the new Seagull last year, BYD said the low-cost electric car officially opened “a new era of electricity being lower than oil.” Earlier this year, it upgraded most of its vehicles, including the Seagull, with its new “God’s Eye” smart driving system at no extra charge.
BYD’s Seagull is offered in three trims in China: Vitality, Freedom, and Flying. It has two battery options, 30.1 kWh or 38.9 kWh, which is good for the 305 km (190 mi) and 405 km (252 mi) CLTC range, respectively.
At just 3,780 mm long, 1,715 mm wide, and 1,540 mm tall, the Seagull is even smaller than the former Chevy Bolt EV (4,145 mm long, 1,765 mm wide, and 1,611 mm tall). It’s about the size of a Fiat 500e.
The price cut comes as BYD’s sales continue surging. With another 377,420 new energy vehicles (EVs and PHEVs) sold last month, the Chinese automaker has now sold over one million NEVs in 2025.
BYD’s EVs accounted for 416,388 while PHEV sales reached 569,710, an increase of 39% and 76% from last year, respectively.
| BYD Seagull EV trim | Starting Price | Range (CLTC) |
| Vitality | Normal: $9,500 (69,800 yuan) Now: $8,000 (56,800 yuan) |
190 mi (305 km) |
| Freedom | $10,300 (75,800 yuan) | 190 mi (305 km) |
| Flying | $11,700 (85,800 yuan) | 252 mi (405 km) |
Perhaps even more importantly, BYD sold over 206,000 vehicles overseas in 2025, more than doubling from last year. The Seagull EV is also sold in other global markets like Mexico and Brazil as the Dolphin Mini.
Later this year, it will launch in Europe as the Dolphin Surf, with expected prices starting under £20,000 ($26,000). Although it may not be the cheapest EV, BYD’s executive vice president, Stella Li, recently told Autocar it will be “the best value” when it arrives.
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Tesla has new Model Y inventory available today in the US, just days after opening orders for what is supposed to be its most popular model.
This proves that demand is terrible and Tesla is trying to hide it.
On Friday, Tesla launched the new non-Launch Edition Model Y in North America.
Prior to the launch, only a fully loaded $60,000 Launch Edition Model Y was available to order since January, and had been delivered since early March.
Now, North American buyers are able to buy a much cheaper version of the new Model Y for $49,000.
Only the Model Y Long Range AWD is available for now, but that’s Tesla’s most popular model in North America.
At the time, we noted that this is a great demand test for Tesla in the US amid some critical brand issues due to CEO Elon Musk.
We only have a few metrics to track the demand of the new Model Y in the US:
- Delivery timelines on new orders
- Available inventory
- Discounts/incentives
For most US zip codes tested by Electrek with different Model Y configurations (wheels and paint colors), Tesla quotes delivery within “1-3 weeks”.
But we also found several zip codes on both the West Coast and the East Coast where Tesla claims it can deliver the new vehicle “today”:
This would point to Tesla already having vehicles in inventory despite launching it just 4 days ago.
But Tesla is hiding the inventory.
If you search for Model Y in Tesla’s new inventory, you can’t find any in the US at the time of writing:
However, Tesla is showing some units in inventory to people configuring new Model Ys.
Some potential buyers are reporting that Tesla has a tab that pops up and directs them to some new inventory available (via TroyTeslike on Patreon):
This confirms that Tesla already has new non-Launch Edition Model Y in inventory available for sale in the US – pointing to Tesla having no backlog of demand for the new vehicle.
Electrek’s Take
This is much worse than I thought. I thought that Tesla would build a backlog of demand for the new Model Y in the US from people who didn’t want the fully loaded version, but it looks like that backlog lasted 4 days.
Of course, it’s all because of Tesla and Elon, and brand destruction.
Many people who invested in the stock market lost a lot of money over the last few weeks, and these people often happen to be people who buy new cars.
Now, the only thing left is for Tesla to start offering discounts and subsidies financing – the latter likely coming first, as it is already the case with new Model 3 orders in the US.
The good news for Tesla is that if Trump continues to crash the stock market, the Fed will likely have to reduce rates, making Tesla’s 0% financing cheaper to subsidize.
That’s a fun balancing act.
Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tesla offer incentives on the new Model Y in the US within the next 2 weeks – way ahead of schedule.
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The new and improved 2026 Kia EV9 and 2025 EV6 are eligible for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, but one trim is excluded.
Do the Kia EV6 and EV9 qualify for the federal tax credit?
Kia’s first dedicated electric vehicle, the EV6, received some pretty major upgrades for its mid-cycle update this year.
The 2025 EV6 features a bigger battery providing more range (now up to 319 miles), a stylish interior and exterior redesign, and an NACS port for charging at Tesla Superchargers.
Kia’s first three-row electric SUV, the EV9, also has a native NACS charging port and will be the first model year to offer a high-performance GT trim.
We got a good look at the EV9 GT at the LA Auto Show last year (check it out here). The sporty electric SUV boasts 501 hp, which is quite a bit more than the current GT-Line’s 379 hp. The added power is enough for the big-body SUV to move from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds.
Although Kia America’s vice president of sales, Eric Watson, confirmed the EV6 and EV9 are now in “full-scale production” at its plant in West Point, Georgia, not all trims will qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit.
According to CarsDirect, Kia told dealers that the 2025 EV6 and 2026 EV9 GT trims wouldn’t be eligible for the credit. A spokesperson said the exclusion is because Kia builds the EV6 GT and EV9 GT in South Korea, while all other trims are assembled in Georgia.
If Trump’s 25% tariff on South Korea is still in effect when the GT models launch in the US, it could create a significant price gap between trims.
Despite this, you will likely still be able to take advantage of the credit through leasing. Kia, like many, is passing the $7,500 on through lease cash, which can significantly cut monthly payments.
Kia will reveal more info, including prices, closer to launch. Check back soon. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
With the new models arriving soon, Kia is offering clearance pricing on outgoing models. Monthly leases start as low as $179. You can use our links below to find deals on the Kia EV6 and EV9 near you.
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