EV tax credit ended: state rebates and charger incentives you can still get in late 2026

Short answer: the federal credits are gone, state money is patchy

There is no federal tax credit to count on for an EV you buy or lease now. The IRS says the new clean vehicle credit (30D), the used credit (25E) and the commercial credit (45W) are not allowed for any vehicle acquired after September 30, 2025. The federal home-charger credit (30C) ended for equipment placed in service after June 30, 2026.

What remains are state rebates, a few state tax credits and utility charger rebates. Several have income tests, price caps, waiting lists or deadlines that fall within weeks. We list only programs whose rules we could read on the official page, checked October 28, 2026. States we could not verify are marked as not covered rather than guessed.

The rule that protects your budget: count an incentive only when the program confirms funding, your exact vehicle and your eligibility, ideally before you sign. Until then, treat it as a possible bonus. This guide helps most if you live in one of the states below or are planning a home charger; if your state is missing, the lookup steps further down still apply.

Sources: [1], [2], [4]

Federal vehicle credits: what “acquired” and “placed in service” mean

The IRS bases the cutoff on Public Law 119-21 of July 4, 2025, which it says is commonly known as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill. In the IRS FAQ, a vehicle counts as acquired on the date a written binding contract is entered into and a payment has been made. A nominal down payment or a vehicle trade-in counts as payment.

Acquisition alone is not enough. The vehicle must also be placed in service, which the IRS defines as taking possession. Its 30D page says a vehicle placed in service after September 30, 2025 must have been acquired on or before that date. That leaves one narrow case in late 2026: a binding contract and payment by September 30, 2025, with delivery afterwards.

If that is you, keep the contract, the payment record and the time-of-sale report, which the IRS says the dealer should provide at possession or within three days. The IRS notes that its FAQs may be updated, so check the current page or ask a tax professional before you file. For any car you are shopping for today, the federal line in your budget is zero. If a quote or lease worksheet still mentions a federal EV credit, ask in writing what it refers to.

Sources: [1], [2], [3]

Home chargers: the 30C credit stopped on June 30, 2026

For individuals, the IRS describes 30C as 30% of the cost, up to $1,000 per item, for charging equipment bought and placed in service at your main home from January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026. It is not allowed for property placed in service after June 30, 2026. Our reading: the in-service date decides, so a charger bought in June but installed and working in July does not qualify.

A charger that was in service by June 30, 2026 can still be claimed on your 2026 return with Form 8911, but only at an eligible location. The IRS requires a low-income community census tract or a non-urban census tract. For equipment placed in service after January 1, 2025, you look up your 11-digit census tract GEOID in the IRS table or its Appendix B; if it is not listed, the credit does not apply.

The IRS page adds that the original use must begin with you, personal-use equipment must be installed at your main home, and bidirectional charging equipment is included. For anything installed from July 1, 2026, budget the full equipment and installation cost. Many third-party pages still advertise 30C; the IRS page is the reference.

Sources: [4], [1]

State programs we could confirm

The table covers state programs whose official page we read on our check date. Amounts are for battery-electric cars; several programs pay less for plug-in hybrids. “Status” is what the official page said, not a promise that money remains when you apply.

Vermont, Maine, New Mexico and Maryland are not covered. Their official pages were blocked or did not show current amounts, and Maryland was not checked. Do not count those programs on the basis of this guide; verify them with the state agency.

Sources: [5], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19]

Deadlines and funding pools to watch

Oregon is the most urgent. DEQ reopened its rebate on August 25 and covers purchases or leases through Wednesday, November 4, 2026; purchases from November 5 are not eligible. Approved applicants beyond the available money go on a waiting list, to be paid when DEQ receives its next allotment, which it expects in early spring 2027. If you read this after November 4, treat Oregon as closed until DEQ announces a reopening.

Illinois' current cycle runs from August 1 to December 31, 2026, and you must apply within 180 days of purchase. California's MyFirstEV rebate is applied at the point of sale, and CARB says it is offered “only while funding lasts,” with availability varying by automaker. The governor's October 16 release said nearly 12,000 Californians had used it and listed General Motors and Nissan among participating automakers; ask the dealer whether your specific model still qualifies.

CARB's FAQ also excludes anyone previously listed on an EV registration or title and allows one rebate per person. It says vehicles must be model year 2026 or newer, yet requires used cars to be at least two model years older than the purchase year. That conflict matters only for the used rebate; ask CARB before relying on it.

New Jersey shows a real-time funding dashboard for Charge Up; check it the day you order. New York added $30 million to its Drive Clean Rebate on April 21, 2026, but we could not read NYSERDA's page for the current cap, tiers or balance. Delaware says its amounts stay fixed until a reevaluation in 2026, without an open or closed statement. Massachusetts publishes a fiscal-2027 budget only for its separate trade-in rebate; we found no balance for the main MOR-EV rebate.

Sources: [16], [10], [5], [6], [15], [13], [9], [29]

Closed, expired or not covered: where to look instead

Three programs that older guides still mention are not open to new buyers. Pennsylvania's DEP says its Alternative Fuel Vehicle Rebate Program is closed; the page still shows the last amounts but no reopening date. Texas lists its TERP light-duty purchase or lease incentive as “Currently Closed.” Washington's sales and use tax exemption for new and used clean vehicles expired July 31, 2025; leases that qualified by then keep it on lease payments through July 31, 2028.

For a state we did not cover, start with the Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) State Laws and Incentives directory, which links to a summary page for each state. The directory page itself shows no update date, so use it to find programs, then confirm status, amount and deadline on the program's own page. A blog list or a dealer flyer is not proof that money is available.

Also search your state energy office, environmental agency and electric utility for EV and charger rebates. Note the page date and save a copy of the terms on the day you buy. If the official page is unclear, ask the program by email so you have the answer in writing.

Sources: [17], [18], [19], [20]

Utility charger rebates: real money, narrow conditions

With 30C gone, utility programs and a few state programs are where help for a home charger remains. The table shows the programs whose terms we read; they illustrate how much the conditions vary. Amounts are maximums under each program's rules.

Watch three traps. Consumers Energy limits qualifying chargers to 9.6 kW and requires its Nighttime Savers Rate, so a charger rated above 9.6 kW would not qualify there. DTE's current agreement (Revision 4, April 2026) covers income-qualified households only and matches documented charger and installation cost; older references to a flat $500 are outdated. Georgia Power requires installation by December 31, 2026.

New Jersey's Charge Up program also lists up to $250 for a home charger. Before buying hardware, check your utility's qualifying-charger list, power limit, network requirement, required rate plan and installer rules. ev.guru's home charging advisor helps you size the charger before you compare rebates.

Sources: [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [13]

Rules that decide whether you actually get paid

Point of sale or later? California's MyFirstEV, New York's Drive Clean Rebate and Connecticut's standard CHEAPR rebate come off at the dealer. Massachusetts pays MOR-EV at participating dealers or by application within 90 days. Delaware (90 days), Illinois (180 days) and Oregon (six months, possibly a waitlist) pay after purchase, so you finance the full price first. Colorado's credit is refundable on your state return, or you can assign it to the dealer or finance company with an election statement at purchase.

Price caps measure different things. Colorado's Department of Revenue says its MSRP excludes destination charges, dealer-added items, taxes and fees, but includes factory options and accessories on the window sticker. California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts and New Jersey do not say on the pages we read whether destination counts toward their MSRP caps. Illinois uses a selling price of up to $80,000 excluding taxes and fees. If your car is close to a cap, get the program's answer in writing.

Leases: Colorado gives the credit to the lessee for a lease of at least two years; Massachusetts, New Jersey and Delaware require at least 36 months, and New Jersey also requires you to keep the car for 36 months. Illinois excludes leases. Income tests apply to Massachusetts' used rebate (for example, AGI up to $150,000 for joint filers) and MOR-EV+, to New Jersey's Charge Up+ (2025 MAGI up to $75,000 single, $112,500 head of household or $150,000 joint, with prequalification before the sale) and to Connecticut's Rebate+ (income under 300% of the federal poverty level, program participation or location).

Stacking: CARB says MyFirstEV can be combined with California's DCAP and Clean Cars 4 All programs. Massachusetts adds MOR-EV+ to MOR-EV, Connecticut's $4,500 Rebate+ new amount includes the standard rebate, and New Jersey's Charge Up+ adds $2,500 to Charge Up. A state vehicle rebate and a utility charger rebate are separate programs; read each set of terms for exclusions, because we found no general rule.

Sources: [7], [5], [8], [9], [10], [11], [14], [15], [16]

Worked example: a 2027 Bolt LT in Massachusetts vs Colorado

This is an illustrative calculation, not a quote, for a purchase completed in 2026. GM lists the 2027 Bolt LT at $28,995 including the $1,395 destination freight charge, so its MSRP before destination is $27,600. Sales tax, registration, dealer fees and financing are left out because they vary.

Massachusetts: MOR-EV's eligible-vehicle list shows the 2027 Bolt EV at $3,500 for a new car, and the price is far below the $55,000 cap whether or not destination counts. $28,995 − $3,500 = $25,495. A buyer who qualifies for MOR-EV+ through a participating program adds $1,500: $28,995 − $5,000 = $23,995.

Colorado: the $27,600 MSRP is under $35,000, so tax year 2026 gives $750 + $2,500 = $3,250, provided the car and purchase otherwise qualify. $28,995 − $3,250 = $25,745. Assigned at purchase, the credit can reduce the deal; otherwise it comes as a refundable credit with your 2026 state return. A purchase that slips into 2027 is different: Colorado says the 2027 and 2028 amounts depend on revenue forecasts, while the $2,500 adder runs for tax years beginning before January 1, 2029.

Result: Massachusetts ends $250 lower in this example ($25,745 − $25,495), but timing and conditions differ. The destination rule matters for pricier cars. A 2026 Nissan LEAF SV+ lists at $34,230 before Nissan's $1,575 destination charge. Under Colorado's definition it stays under $35,000 unless factory options add $770 or more ($35,000 − $34,230); a program that counted destination would put the same car at $35,805, above a $35,000 line.

Sources: [26], [27], [12], [11], [7], [28]

Checklist before you sign

Work through these steps for the exact car, purchase date and address. Afterwards, run ev.guru's charging cost calculator with your real electricity rate: incentives change the purchase price, not what each mile costs.

1. Set the federal line to $0, unless you signed a binding contract and paid by September 30, 2025, and are still waiting for delivery.
2. Find your state program on its official page and note the amount, status and page date; use the AFDC directory only to locate it.
3. Check the exact model year and trim against the eligible-vehicle list or price cap, and ask whether destination and options count.
4. Confirm funding on the day you sign: dashboard, voucher, prequalification or a written dealer confirmation.
5. Ask whether the money comes off at the dealer or is paid later; if later, plan financing for the full price.
6. For a lease, check the minimum term and who receives the incentive.
7. If an income test applies, gather proof of income or program enrollment before you visit the dealer.
8. Note every application deadline and keep the contract, window sticker, registration and payment proof.
9. For a home charger, check your utility's qualifying list, power limit, required rate and installation rules before buying hardware.
10. Re-check time-limited programs: Oregon covers purchases through November 4, 2026, Illinois' cycle ends December 31, 2026, and Colorado's 2027 amount is not set.

Sources: [1], [4], [7], [16], [10], [20]