Electric Cars For Sale in California (2024)

FAQs

Is California forcing people to buy electric cars? ›

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently adopted “Advanced Clean Cars II,” set to take effect January 1, 2025, which would require 100% of new cars sold in Model Year 2035 to be electric vehicles.

From a cost perspective, yes, it is a good time to buy. Federal and state incentives are bringing certain EVs on par with the cost of gas vehicles.

Beginning January 1, 2023, if you buy a qualified used electric vehicle (EV) from a licensed dealer for $25,000 or less, you may be eligible for a used clean vehicle tax credit. The credit equals 30% of the sale price up to a maximum credit of $4,000.

After years of rapid expansion, electric vehicles sales growth in California trended down in the middle of last year and now has turned negative: 101,443 all-electric cars were registered in the state in 2024's second quarter, down from 102,730 in the second quarter of 2023, a drop of 1.2%.

Can I still drive my gasoline car after 2035? Yes. Even after 2035, gasoline cars can still be driven in California, registered with the California Department of Motor Vehicles, and sold as a used car to a new owner.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) mandates all new passenger vehicles sold in the Golden State must have zero tailpipe emissions by 2035. It did the same with freight trains operating in the state, and it is mandating the retirement of any diesel locomotive more than 23 years old.

If you are looking to buy a used EV and don't pay enough in taxes to cover the full $4,000 tax credit, you may get more money in 2024. Plus, you won't have to finance as much of the cost of the car, which will reduce your monthly payments.

Get up to a $1,000 rebate for the purchase or lease of a used Battery Electric or Plug-in Hybrid vehicle made on or after January 1, 2023. View program website for eligibility requirements and incentive details. Eligible applicants may receive $1,000 for the purchase or lease of a pre-owned BEV or PHEV.

With regular use, the average lifespan of a gas vehicle is 150,000 miles or eight years, and EVs can last up to 200,000 miles, or about 12 years.

Vehicle Purchase/Lease Incentives – You can get up to $7,500 in federal tax credits for an EV. California also offers $1,000-$7,000 from the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP), depending on the vehicle make and model (see Eligible Vehicles).

Can low income SoCal residents get up to $9500 to swap out their old cars? ›

An applicant can receive up to $9,500 through the Replace Your Ride program by replacing their own older, high-polluting vehicle with a newer vehicle, upgrade to a hybrid or electric vehicle or get vouchers for car-sharing or public transit passes.

You may qualify for a credit up to $7,500 under Internal Revenue Code Section 30D if you buy a new, qualified plug-in EV or fuel cell electric vehicle (FCV). The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 changed the rules for this credit for vehicles purchased from 2023 to 2032.

There are plenty of reasons not to buy an electric vehicle in 2024: Auto loan rates are high. Despite a recent wave of discounting, many EVs remain pricier than gas-burning cars. And an incomplete network of sometimes glitchy chargers has stoked drivers' “range anxiety” about running out of juice.

Range anxiety – the idea that EVs cannot go far enough on a single charge and may leave a driver stranded — continues to be a major reason why many Americans do not purchase electric vehicles. About half of U.S. adults cite worries about range as a major reason not to buy an EV.

Depreciation is where a car loses value over time – it affects electric cars just like it does cars powered by petrol or diesel. This is why your car is worth less money when you sell it than when you first bought it.

California's ambitious agenda to reduce fossil fuel use by transitioning the state from gas and diesel vehicles to electric ones promises important climate benefits—but also sets up a potential transportation revenue crisis.

And by 2035, all light-duty vehicles sold must be zero emissions. Automakers have ramped up their production of battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to meet this mandate, and so far, sales seem to be on track. But many questions remain on how to achieve this wholesale revamping of transportation.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today finalized a new emissions rule for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles that would require up to two-thirds of new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. to be electric vehicles (EVs) in eight years.

Vehicle Purchase/Lease Incentives – You can get up to $7,500 in federal tax credits for an EV. California also offers $1,000-$7,000 from the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP), depending on the vehicle make and model (see Eligible Vehicles).