Varia Rearview Radar
Varia Rearview Radar launched Jun 2015 at $199.99+. Creates the bike radar category
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.
The basics
- Brand
- Garmin
- Line
- Cycling
- Released
- 2015-06
- Launch price
- $199.99+
- Family
- Varia
- Official site
- garmin.com ↗
Creates the bike radar category
Release history
- 2026-02-03Varia RearVue 820
- 2023Varia RCT716
- 2022-05-18Varia RCT715
- 2020-05-13Varia RTL515 / RVR315
- 2015-06Varia Rearview Radar
Video coverage
Garmin Varia Rearview Radar Bicycle Tail Light Review by Performance BicyclePerformance Bicycle · Thu, 22 Sep 2016
Garmin Varia Rearview Radar BundleWestern Bikeworks · Thu, 22 Sep 2016
Review: Garmin Varia rearview radar demonstrationBike Hub · Thu, 22 Sep 2016
Garmin Varia ™ Rearview Radar World’s First Cycling Radar Released HDDia Boloo · Sat, 17 Oct 2015Varia radar generation comparison
Full compare pageLaunch prices are historical. Price links may earn us a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.
| Varia RearVue 8202026-02 | Varia RCT7162023 | Varia RCT7152022-05 | Varia RTL515 / RVR3152020-05 | Varia Rearview Radar2015-06 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch price | $299.99 | $399 | $399.99 | $149.99–$199.99 | $199.99+ |
| Weight | 90 g | 147 g | 147 g | 71 / 51 g (RTL515 / RVR315) | 63.5 g (rear unit) |
| Form | Radar + brake light; USB-C | Radar + light + camera, revised | Radar + light + 1080p camera | Radar + light; RVR315 is radar-only | Radar + tail light |
| Camera | None | Sharper sensor, same listing | 1080p loop | — | — |
| Battery | up to 10 h solid / 15 h peloton / 10 h night flash / 24 h day flash / 30 h radar-only | — | — | up to 16 h (day flash) | — |
| Dimensions | 98.9 × 25.9 × 43.2 mm | — | — | — | — |
| Water rating | IPX7 | — | — | — | — |
| Radar range | up to 175 m | — | — | — | — |
| Radar beam width | 60° | — | — | — | — |
| Tail light viewing angle | 220° | — | — | — | — |
| Tail light visibility | up to 2 km (1.24 miles) | — | — | — | — |
| Light output | 25 lm solid / 8 lm peloton / 40 lm night flash / 100 lm day flash | — | — | — | — |
| Custom light patterns | Via the Varia app | — | — | — | — |
| Connectivity | ANT+ / Bluetooth LE (radar and bike lights) | — | — | — | — |
| Charging | USB-C | — | — | — | — |
| Vehicle tracking | — | — | — | — | |
| Same-speed tracking | — | — | — | — | |
| Signature | Vehicle-size and threat-level alerts | Quiet refresh under the RCT715 name | Camera evidence for close passes | The rear radar most road bikes run | Created the bike radar category |
Battery figures are launch-day claims.