2026-07-02 · Guides · EVs for Idiots
There is no federal EV tax credit in 2026: the IRS says the $7,500 new clean vehicle credit, the $4,000 used-EV credit and the commercial clean vehicle credit are not available for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025, and the home charger credit (30C) ended for chargers placed in service after June 30, 2026. What is left is state and utility money, and there is more of it than most people think. Below: exactly what ended, every state where our guides show open cash programs right now, and the registration fees that take some of it back.
| Credit | Was worth | Ended for | The exception |
|---|---|---|---|
| New clean vehicle credit (30D) | up to $7,500 | Vehicles acquired after Sept 30, 2025 | A binding written contract plus a payment on or before Sept 30, 2025 still counts |
| Previously-owned clean vehicle credit (25E) | up to $4,000 | Vehicles acquired after Sept 30, 2025 | Same contract-and-payment rule |
| Commercial clean vehicle credit (45W), the one behind most lease deals | up to $7,500 | Vehicles acquired after Sept 30, 2025 | Same contract-and-payment rule |
| Home charger credit (30C) | 30% of cost, up to $1,000, in eligible census tracts | Chargers placed in service after June 30, 2026 | Installed by June 30, 2026? Claim it on that year's return with Form 8911 |
If a salesperson tells you a car "comes with the federal credit" in 2026, you have learned something important about that salesperson. The same goes for any quote that still subtracts $7,500: paste it into the free Deal-Checker, which flags exactly that.
One federal check has been replaced by a patchwork of state programs, utility rebates and local perks that changes by ZIP code and by month. We re-verified all 50 states plus DC in October 2026, and this table is generated straight from those state guides. It counts only cash: rebates, tax credits and bill credits. Cheaper charging rates are listed on each state page but not counted here.
| State | State programs open | Utility and charger programs open |
|---|---|---|
| California | Driving Clean Assistance Program (up to $12,000 (+$2,000 charging)); Clean Cars 4 All (up to $12,000); MyFirstEV: first-time buyer instant rebate ($3,500 new / $1,750 used) | 7 |
| Colorado | Innovative Motor Vehicle Credit ($750); Low-MSRP bonus credit (+$2,500); Vehicle Exchange Colorado ($9,000 new / $6,000 used) | 3 |
| Massachusetts | MOR-EV Standard ($3,500); MOR-EV Used ($3,500); MOR-EV+ / Trade-In adders (+$1,500 / +$1,000) | 2 |
| New Jersey | Charge Up New Jersey ($1,500); Charge Up+ (+$2,500 (max $4,000 total)) | 3 |
| Oregon | Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate: Standard ($2,000); Charge Ahead Rebate ($7,500 new / up to $4,000 used) | 3 |
| New Mexico | Clean Car Income Tax Credit ($3,000 new / $2,500 used BEV); Clean Car Charging Unit Credit ($400) | 2 |
| Connecticut | CHEAPR Standard ($1,000 new BEV / $500 PHEV); CHEAPR Rebate+ ($4,000 new / $5,000 used BEV) | 1 |
| Maine | Efficiency Maine: low-income EV rebate ($7,000 new / $3,000 used BEV); Efficiency Maine: moderate-income EV rebate ($5,000 new / $2,000 used BEV) | 1 |
| Rhode Island | DRIVE EV ($3,000 new BEV / $2,500 used BEV); DRIVE+ (+$1,500 BEV) | 1 |
| Maryland | Excise Tax Credit (up to $3,000) | 3 |
| New York | Drive Clean Rebate ($500–$2,000) | 3 |
| Delaware | Delaware Clean Vehicle Rebate (up to $2,500 BEV / $1,000 PHEV) | 1 |
| Illinois | Illinois EPA EV Rebate ($2,000 standard / $4,000 low-income) | 0 |
| Arizona | None open | 4 |
| Texas | None open | 4 |
| Vermont | None open | 4 |
| Washington | None open | 4 |
| Florida | None open | 3 |
| Louisiana | None open | 3 |
| Mississippi | None open | 3 |
| South Dakota | None open | 3 |
| Alabama | None open | 2 |
| Alaska | None open | 2 |
| Arkansas | None open | 2 |
| Georgia | None open | 2 |
| Michigan | None open | 2 |
| North Carolina | None open | 2 |
| Pennsylvania | None open | 2 |
| District of Columbia | None open | 1 |
| Hawaii | None open | 1 |
| Indiana | None open | 1 |
| Kansas | None open | 1 |
| Kentucky | None open | 1 |
| Minnesota | None open | 1 |
| Missouri | None open | 1 |
| Nebraska | None open | 1 |
| Nevada | None open | 1 |
| New Hampshire | None open | 1 |
| North Dakota | None open | 1 |
| Oklahoma | None open | 1 |
| South Carolina | None open | 1 |
| Tennessee | None open | 1 |
| West Virginia | None open | 1 |
| Wyoming | None open | 1 |
Utility rebates are per-utility, not per-state, and almost nobody checks them. Mississippi Power pays up to $1,250 on the EV itself. Vermont's Burlington Electric pays up to $5,700 and Green Mountain Power up to $2,500. Cobb EMC in Georgia includes up to 400 free overnight kWh a month on its NiteFlex rate. And dozens of utilities pay toward a home charger or the wiring for one; our guide to home charger installation costs lists every state where we found that money. Ten minutes on your utility's website is often worth a few hundred dollars.
Now the part the brochures skip: most states charge EV owners an extra registration fee every year. New Jersey charges $270 and collects four years of it up front on a new registration; Michigan charges $267; Tennessee jumps to $274 and Utah to $280 in 2027. Others charge nothing at all. We rank every state on our EV registration fees page, and each EV vs gas page shows the fee as a share of that state's fuel savings, so you can see whether it matters for you (it rarely wipes out the savings).
The pattern in 2026: the money did not disappear, it fragmented, and fragmentation rewards the person who does twenty minutes of homework. Start with your state, and if the paperwork is the part you hate, a real person will map it for you, free.
No. The IRS says the new clean vehicle credit (up to $7,500), the previously-owned credit (up to $4,000) and the commercial clean vehicle credit are not available for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025. The federal home charger credit also ended for chargers placed in service after June 30, 2026.
Possibly. The IRS says you can show you acquired the vehicle by entering into a binding written contract and making a payment on it on or before September 30, 2025, even if you took delivery later. Keep the contract and proof of payment.
Only if the charger was placed in service by June 30, 2026, in an eligible census tract. In that case you claim 30% of the cost, up to $1,000, on that year's return with IRS Form 8911. Chargers installed after June 30, 2026 do not qualify.
Several, and they change often. As of our October 2026 review, state-level money is open in places like California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Rhode Island, and utilities in many other states pay toward the car or a home charger. The table above is generated from our state guides.
Sometimes, and it is the most common way people lose the money. New Jersey's income-qualified Charge Up+ requires prequalifying before the sale, Maine requires income verification and an off-peak charger before the car, and several utility rebates require a specific charger or rate. Read your state's page before you sign.
EV incentives in Illinois · EV incentives in New Mexico · EV incentives in Oregon · EV incentives in Colorado · EV incentives in Massachusetts · EV incentives in California
Rebates stack (state, utility and charger) and some require approval before you buy. Tell us where you live and what you're shopping for, and a real person maps your money and reads the dealer's quote. Free.
Sources: IRS: Clean vehicle tax credits (termination notice), IRS: Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (30C), Illinois EPA: EV rebates, New Mexico EMNRD: Clean car tax credits, Colorado Energy Office: EV tax credits, Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, CARB: MyFirstEV participating manufacturers, Massachusetts MOR-EV