Rivian Sues U.S. Government to Recover Trump-Era Tariff Payments

Rivian has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government seeking a full refund of tariffs it paid under President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” trade measures, which were later ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The electric vehicle maker joins a growing list of companies attempting to recover tariff payments following the court’s decision. In April, Rivian Chief Financial Officer Claire McDonough said the company expected to receive a refund worth “tens of millions of dollars.”

The lawsuit comes as Rivian prepares to ramp up production of its first mass-market SUV, the R2. The automaker expects to deliver between 20,000 and 25,000 R2 vehicles by the end of the year as it works toward long-term profitability. However, profitability may not arrive until 2028 as the company continues investing heavily in autonomous vehicle technology. Rivian recently raised about $1.3 billion through a share sale to strengthen its cash position during that expansion.

Company seeks guaranteed refund.

Filed Thursday in the U.S. Court of International Trade, the lawsuit names the U.S. government, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott as defendants. CBP collected the tariffs under the Trump administration, which justified them using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

According to the complaint, Rivian wants the court to guarantee that it receives a full refund of the tariffs it previously paid, in the correct amount. The automaker argues that the Supreme Court’s ruling alone does not ensure importers will automatically receive their money back.

“Although the Supreme Court invalidated the tariffs, this separate action remains necessary because importers that have paid IEEPA tariffs, including Plaintiffs, are not guaranteed a refund of amounts previously paid based on the Supreme Court’s decision,” Rivian’s attorneys wrote in the filing.

CBP said more than $121 billion in potential and certified refunds have been accepted for processing but declined to comment specifically on Rivian’s lawsuit. Earlier this month, the Cato Institute reported that about $71 billion had already been paid out, suggesting the refund process has created obstacles for some importers.

Tariffs affected Rivian’s costs.

Rivian did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit. After the tariffs were introduced last year, CEO RJ Scaringe told Reuters that they could increase the cost of each vehicle by“a couple of thousand dollars.” By the end of 2025, however, he said the company had reduced that impact to the low hundreds of dollars per vehicle.

In a regulatory filing earlier this year, Rivian also warned that retaliatory trade actions and additional restrictions could continue affecting its supply chain by increasing the cost of raw materials, components and equipment while making it more difficult to sell vehicles at prices customers are willing to pay.

Through the lawsuit, Rivian is asking the trade court to declare the tariffs unlawful, order the government to refund the payments with interest and require it to cover the company’s associated legal costs.