- The Rivian Commercial Van (RCV) is America’s best-selling electric van after the first three quarters.
- The startup sold more vans than R1T pickups this year, but the numbers are slowly decreasing.
- Meanwhile, the Chevrolet BrightDrop is catching up.
The Rivian Commercial Van or RCV is proving to be a hit in the United States, relatively speaking. After the first three quarters, the lovable battery-powered delivery vehicle outsold Rivian's passenger-oriented R1T pickup truck, according to estimates from Cox Automotive. It managed to keep its title as the country’s best-selling electric van, which it won last year.
In the third quarter of this year, Rivian sold 2,639 vans, down 41.5% compared to the same period last year, but 261 more units compared to the R1T, according to data from Cox Automotive. From January through September, the RCV500 and RCV700 sold a combined 6,809 units, a decrease of 24.6% year-over-year, but still 952 units more than the R1T.
That said, the R1S SUV has fared much better so far this year and is Rivian’s best-selling vehicle overall, with 8,184 units moved in the third quarter, a massive increase of 140.3% over last year.
Next up is the Chevrolet BrightDrop van, which has been plagued by uncertainty since it went into production under the standalone BrightDrop brand in 2021. The marque folded last year and General Motors’ sole electric delivery vehicle became a Chevrolet, but it seems the move served it well.
The BrightDrop sold 2,384 units from July to September, resulting in a seismic increase of 869.1% compared to the same period last year. It also means that GM was less than 300 units away from getting the bragging rights for America’s best-selling electric van. From the beginning of the year until September, the BrightDrop saw 3,976 sales, a 300.8% increase year-over-year, but quite far from the Rivian RCV’s 6,809 units.
Third place goes to the venerable Ford E-Transit, which had a miserable third quarter, with just 430 sales in the U.S., a dramatic drop of 85.4% compared to last year. It’s not looking good in the year-to-date figures, either, with the electric Transit going down 50.3% in the January through September period, from 9,256 units last year to 4,604 this year.
Last but not least, the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter managed to climb into the hundreds, with 320 units sold in Q3, up from the 30 models last year. Year-to-date, the German company sold 495 electric Sprinters in the U.S.
The Ram ProMaster EV is also alive and kicking, albeit just barely. That’s because its sales figures were not high enough to be included as a standalone item in Cox Automotive’s table. Instead, the Fiat-based electric van was included in the “Additional EV Models” category.
Best-selling electric vans in the United States
| Rank | Model | Q3 sales | Difference from Q3 2024 | Year-to-date sales | Difference from 2024 |
| 1 | Rivian Commercial Van | 2,639 | -41.5% | 6,809 | -24.6% |
| 2 | Chevrolet BrightDrop | 2,384 | +869.1% | 3,976 | +300.8% |
| 3 | Ford E-Transit | 430 | -85.4% | 4,604 | -50.3% |
| 4 | Mercedes-Benz eSprinter | 320 | +966.7% | 495 | Not a full year on sale |
