I can confirm Rivian will not write you a check for the difference on your trade. I ended up selling my car to a dealer at a higher value than Rivian was going to give me for the trade and put the money in a high interest savings to help offset the high MF.
For me, I'd never had a lease before and didn't realize all the cons with putting a large amount down upfront on a lease until after Rivian said they wouldn't take my trade for the lease. So it was a blessing in disguise they wouldn't take it. Now I'm edumacated after reading all the good info...
I had the same experience as OP. I received a nice trade in value from Rivian for my BMW but they said it could not be used on a lease since the amount was above the cap cost reduction limit.
I ended up doing a bunch of instant offers online with all the big name companies, which unfortunately...
If you go with the shop order, you can also use a referral code for $750 credit in the shop and 6 months free charging on their network. I haven't taken delivery yet so I don't have a referral code to share. ?