2026 is shaping up to be one of the most consequential years in EV history. After a turbulent 2025 marked by numerous cancellations and delays, automakers are finally moving past retrofitted gas platforms toward all-new, software-defined electric architectures. The result is a genuinely strange and exciting lineup everything from a budget pickup priced under $28,000 to Ferrari’s first-ever electric car wearing a price tag with seven figures attached. Here are five upcoming EVs worth watching this year, each one poised to shift the industry in its own way.
1. Rivian R2
Let’s start with the EV generating the most buzz among everyday shoppers. Revealed as a smaller, two-row sibling to the R1S, the R2 is built around Rivian’s new midsize platform and will be assembled in Normal, Illinois, with single-, dual-, and even tri-motor variants planned. Rivian is targeting a $45,000 starting price, with rear-wheel drive available initially roughly $30,000 cheaper than the larger R1S it’s based on. That price drop matters because it takes Rivian’s outdoorsy, adventure-oriented brand identity and puts it within reach of mainstream buyers for the first time. If the R2 delivers on that promise, it could do for Rivian what the Model 3 did for Tesla.
