Rivian Raises Its Full-Year Delivery Forecast. Here’s Why the Stock Is Soaring.

Electric vehicle (EV) company Rivian‘s (NASDAQ:RIVN)stock accelerated impressively following its latest news about deliveries on Thursday. That all-important auto industry metric was significantly higher than expected, prompting the company to raise its full-year guidance. Investors rewarded this by pushing the shares up by more than 8% that trading session.

Delivering the goods

That morning, Rivian provided the delivery and production figures for its just-concluded second quarter. The period saw the EV company produce 12,613 vehicles, with deliveries totaling 12,194. The latter figure topped the company’s own forecast — actually, a better term might be “crushed,” as it was guiding for 9,000 to 11,000 for the period. It was also well above the second quarter 2025 number of 10,661 and first quarter 2026’s 10,365.

Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a “Double Down” signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same “Total Conviction” signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »

Image source: Getty Images,

Management attributed this far better-than-expected result to the uptake of the EDV line of delivery vehicles, as well as demand for the R1 pickups and large SUVs. It also benefited from the rollout of the R2, a crossover SUV it started shipping in June.

With these rather stiff tailwinds at its back, Rivian cranked its full-year 2026 delivery guidance higher. It now anticipates shipping 65,000 to 70,000 units, notably up from the previous estimate of 62,000 to 67,000.

In its update, the company also set a date for the release of that quarter’s financial results. This is slated for Thursday, July 30, after market close.

Rivian’s impressive, guidance-trouncing performance wasn’t an isolated occurrence in the EV sphere. Also on Thursday, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) , for one, opened the hood on its own second-quarter production and delivery figures. It revealed that its total deliveries were 480,126. Unlike Rivian, Tesla doesn’t provide guidance on this metric; still, for the quarter, it handily beat the consensus analyst estimate of 396,466, per data compiled by Bloomberg.

As for comparisons to previous periods, Tesla’s deliveries for the second quarter of 2025 were 384,122, and for the first quarter of this year, 358,023.

Oil shock

Some might think these estimates-beating numbers herald a recovery for the broader EV industry, which has had its struggles this year.

It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that a key reason why deliveries were up more than anticipated is the surge in gasoline prices on the back of the Iran war (which, for obvious reasons, hiked the price of crude oil significantly). A major selling point for EVs has always been their cost-effectiveness in operation compared with traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) models. Assuming the conflict ever ends with a meaningful settlement, prices at the pump should start declining meaningfully.

While that should negatively affect the entire EV space, Rivian still has strong momentum pushing it forward. In the coming years, it will expand its manufacturing footprint significantly, with a factory in Georgia currently under construction aided by a downsized but still substantial low-interest $4.5 billion loan from the Department of Energy (DOE). It still produces its vehicles at a single Illinois facility.

The company also clearly has a compelling new(ish) product with the two EDV models, selling into a niche that should only grow in a world becoming ever more accustomed to quick deliveries from merchants. And while it’s too soon to gauge how much of a hit the R2 will be with consumers, it’s an attractively-priced model that elegantly complements the larger and more expensive R1 SUVs in the lineup.

Personally, I remain somewhat wary of the wider EV sector, as I think its once-explosive growth story has largely played out. But for those who are more bullish on the technology, Rivian is a suitable investment. I do have to caution that the auto industry in general is capital-intensive (and therefore frequently unprofitable), always vulnerable to swings in consumer taste, and cyclical with the broader economy.

Should you buy stock in Rivian Automotive right now?

Before you buy stock in Rivian Automotive, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Rivian Automotive wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $400,101!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,212,683!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 911% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 208% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of July 2, 2026.

Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Rivian Raises Its Full-Year Delivery Forecast. Here’s Why the Stock Is Soaring. was originally published by The Motley Fool