California EV rebates in 2026: what a Los Angeles driver can get
A Los Angeles driver can get three kinds of help with an electric car in 2026: California's MyFirstEV discount for a first zero-emission vehicle, taken off at the dealer on a purchase or a lease; a used-EV rebate from the electric utility, LADWP or Southern California Edison; and a rebate on a home charger.
Three kinds of help in Los Angeles
The state, your utility, and your charger.
MyFirstEV
A discount at the dealer on a first zero-emission vehicle, on a purchase or a lease.
Who it suitsA first-time EV driver choosing a participating brand
Utility used-EV rebate
LADWP and Edison each pay a rebate on a used electric car, more for income-qualified customers.
Who it suitsA customer of that utility buying a used EV
Home charger rebate
LADWP and Edison each have a rebate on a qualified home charger.
Who it suitsAnyone installing a charger at home
Read from each program's own pages on October 4, 2026. Programs close when their funding runs out.
Key takeaways
The federal tax credit ended for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025. Each amount and rule below is the program's own, read on October 4, 2026. These programs close when their funding runs out, so check again the month you shop.
MyFirstEV: California's rebate for a first electric car
MyFirstEV is run by the California Air Resources Board with the automakers. The Governor's office gives the amounts as $3,500 off a new zero-emission vehicle with an MSRP cap of $50,000, and $1,750 off a used one with a price cap of $25,000. It comes off the price at the dealer. It is not a check that arrives later.
Lease or buy. The Air Resources Board says the incentive is for first-time buyers to purchase or lease a new or used zero-emission vehicle.
First EV only. You qualify if you have never been on the registration or title of an electric vehicle, in California or any other state. It is one incentive per person for the life of the program.
Which cars. Battery-electric and fuel-cell cars; a new one has to be model year 2026 or newer. Plug-in hybrids do not qualify. The MSRP cap does not apply to automakers headquartered in California.
Used cars. A used car has to be a certified pre-owned vehicle from the brand's own dealer, at least two model years older than the year you buy it.
Which brands. The board's list, updated September 25, 2026, shows the incentive available now from Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Genesis, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, Lucid, Nissan, Rivian, Subaru, Toyota and Volvo, with Mitsubishi launching in November 2026. Tesla's share is used up. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Porsche are not on the list.
At the dealer, at signing. It is not retroactive and cannot be claimed after the sale. You sign a self-attestation form when the contract is written, and the car has to be delivered and registered in California.
It stacks. The board says MyFirstEV can be combined with its other programs and with incentives from outside the board, such as a utility rebate.
The program has a one-time budget, matched by the automakers, and each brand's share ends when it is spent. The current brand list is on the Air Resources Board's MyFirstEV page.
LADWP: rebates on a used EV and a home charger
If your power bill comes from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the city's own utility, these are yours:
Used EV rebate. LADWP says all its customers qualify for $1,500 when purchasing a qualified used electric vehicle, with a maximum of $4,000 for customers enrolled in its EZ-SAVE or Lifeline programs. All-electric cars and plug-in hybrids can both qualify.
Home charger rebate. A maximum of $1,000 on a qualified residential charger, and $500 more for EZ-SAVE or Lifeline customers.
Details and the application are on LADWP's electric vehicle page.
Southern California Edison: the pre-owned EV rebate
Edison serves most of the Los Angeles area outside the city itself. Its Pre-Owned EV Rebate pays $1,000, or a maximum of $4,000 depending on household income. Edison says to apply within 180 days of the purchase or lease of a pre-owned EV. For a home charger, Edison lists rebates to a maximum of $4,200 on installing a Level 2 charger. Both are on Edison's EV rebates page.
Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena run their own utilities with their own programs. To see what applies at your address, use the state's DriveClean incentive search.
Does a lease get these rebates?
MyFirstEV: yes. It covers a purchase or a lease, new or used.
Edison's pre-owned rebate: yes. Edison's page speaks of the purchase or lease of a pre-owned EV.
LADWP's used EV rebate: ask. LADWP's page speaks of purchasing a used electric vehicle, so check with LADWP before counting on it for a lease.
The federal credit: no longer. It ended for purchases and for leasing companies on the same date.
For how an electric car lease works beyond the rebates, see leasing an EV in California.
Does a lease get it?
Two of them work on a lease.
For first-time buyers to purchase or lease a new or used zero-emission vehicle.
Apply within 180 days of the purchase or lease of a pre-owned EV.
LADWP's page speaks of purchasing a used electric vehicle.
Not available for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025.
How the rebates combine
For example, a first-time EV driver in the City of Los Angeles who picks a certified pre-owned electric car from a participating brand can have the state discount taken off at the dealer, then apply to LADWP for its used-EV rebate. Each program checks its own rules, so confirm both before you sign.
Two income-qualified state programs sit beside these: Clean Cars 4 All, which helps replace an older car through the regional air district, and the Driving Clean Assistance Program. The Air Resources Board says both can be combined with MyFirstEV.
What happened to the federal tax credit
The IRS says the new clean vehicle credit is not available for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025, and the used clean vehicle credit covers purchases on or before the same date. That is why the state and the utilities are now the place to look.
What to settle before you sign
That the brand is on the MyFirstEV list this month, and that the exact model and trim is one the maker has put in the program.
That the person going on the registration has never been on an EV's registration or title.
Which utility serves your home, and the name on that account.
The application window for the utility rebate, and what papers it asks for.
That the discount shows as its own line on the written quote.
How 021 helps
We arrange leases, financing and cash purchases on every brand on the MyFirstEV list, and on the ones that are not. Tell us the car you want and that it is your first EV. Several dealers quote the same car, and you get one written quote before you agree to anything: payment, drive-off, term, miles, taxes, fees and our fee. We deliver anywhere in California. See electric cars we lease in Los Angeles, or tell us the car you want.
Before you sign
Five things to settle first.
The state discount cannot be claimed after the sale, so these come before the contract.
- The brandOn the MyFirstEV list this month.
- The model and trimOne the maker has put in the program.
- Your historyNever on an EV's registration or title.
- Your utilityWhich one, and the name on the account.
- The quoteThe discount as its own line.
Common questions
Is there a California EV rebate in 2026?
Is California still doing an EV tax credit?
Does the California EV rebate work on a lease?
Is the California rebate available on a Tesla?
How do you claim the California EV rebate?
Can you combine the state rebate with a utility rebate?
021 Auto Leasing is a licensed California autobroker (license #82402). All new cars arranged for sale are subject to price and availability from the selling franchised new car dealer.