MCE’s EV Instant Rebate

Eligible drivers can get up to $3,500 off the purchase or lease of a qualifying EV.

Eligible drivers can get up to $3,500 off the purchase or lease of a qualifying EV.

EV Instant Rebates are applied as a discount by participating dealerships or retailers at the time of lease or purchase of a qualified vehicle. They cannot be claimed after the transaction has been completed.

For more information on how to work with a participating dealer to receive the EV Instant Rebate, see FAQ below.

What You’ll Get

  • $3,500 instant rebate for purchasing or leasing a new EV or plug-in hybrid

  • $2,000 instant rebate for purchasing or leasing a pre-owned EV or plug-in hybrid

  • Customer support to help you take advantage of all available rebates and incentives

  • Additional incentives may be available for eligible customers; some incentives require application and approval before purchasing your EV

Eligibility

  • Be an MCE customer, located in our service area
  • Keep your EV for at least 24 consecutive months after the vehicle purchase or lease date

  • Register your new EV with the DMV at the address associated with your MCE account

  • Meet one of the following criteria:
    • CalWORKs/TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program)
    • CAPI (Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants)
    • Clean Cars 4 All (CC4A)
    • Clean Vehicle Assistance Program (CVAP)
    • Drive Clean Assistance Program (DCAP)
    • Medicaid
    • Medi-Cal (Income Qualified Medi-Cal Only)
    • Section 8 Rental Certificate Program for Very Low and Extremely Low Income Classifications (HUD)
    • SSI (Supplemental Security Income)
    Household Size Maximum Combined Household Income*
    1 $60,240
    2 $81,760
    3 $103,280
    4 $124,800
    5 $146,320
    6 $167,840
    7 $189,360
    8 $210,880

    * A household includes all people, including the rebate applicant, who reside together and/or share common living expenses. These income levels are equal to 400% of the 2024 Federal Poverty Level Guidelines. Income verification is completed for all members of the household ages 18+ years. Note: Roommates are considered part of the applicant’s household unless they have a separate lease.

How It Works

Participating Dealerships

The participating dealerships list is updated frequently. Check back soon for newly enrolled car dealers!

See Participating Dealerships

Meet Our Partner

logo for Energy Solutions, MCE Instant EV Rebate's program partner

Energy Solutions is a clean energy implementation firm that partners with MCE to provide customer support and assistance with applying for additional rebates. They also enroll and train car dealerships to lower the price of EVs for eligible customers.

FAQ

Yes. At this time there is no limit to the number of EV Instant Rebates per household.

MCE considers an EV to be “new” if it has an odometer reading of less than 7,500 miles and has never been the subject of a retail sale or previously registered.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), which are EVs with a gas back-up, are eligible for both the MCE and the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) rebates.

However, gas hybrids with no plug-in option are not eligible since these vehicles run solely on gas.

See the list of all eligible EVs.

Enrolled dealerships confirm that customers receive MCE service and meet the eligibility requirements prior to providing the MCE Instant Rebate as a discount on their purchase contract or lease agreement. Dealers get full rebate repayment within 2 weeks plus a sales incentive, or spiff, for each qualifying sale.

To become a participating dealership, dealers must meet the following criteria:

  • Sell qualifying EVs
  • Sell directly to MCE Customers
  • Sign a Dealer Participation Agreement, and other enrollment documents as provided by MCE’s partner, Energy Solutions
  • Participate in program training

To find out more, reach out to the Instant Rebates team at (628) 272-9910 or instantrebates@mceCleanEnergy.org.

Please reach out to the EV Instant Rebates team at (628) 272-9910 and they can work with the dealership to enroll them as a participating dealer.

When purchasing or leasing an EV from Tesla, follow the steps below to ensure the MCE EV Instant Rebate is applied to your transaction:

  1. Make a Reservation: Reserve a vehicle for purchase or lease from Tesla. You may have to pay a fee to make a reservation.
  2. Ask about the MCE EV Instant Rebate: A Tesla representative should reach out to you to finalize your paperwork or coordinate vehicle pickup or delivery. Express your interest in the MCE EV Instant Rebate as a discount to the Tesla representative.
    • If the Tesla representative does not know about the MCE EV Instant Rebate or tells you that you must apply for the rebate after you take delivery, ask them to search their internal knowledge base for “MCE” for more information. If they need more information, have them call the Energy Solutions EV Instant Rebate support team for assistance: (628) 272-9910.
  3. Sign the Customer Eligibility Form: The Tesla representative should provide you with an MCE Customer Eligibility Form which asks for some basic information to determine your eligibility.
  4. Receive the MCE EV Instant Rebate: If you are eligible, the MCE EV Instant Rebate will be included as a line-item discount on your sales contract or lease agreement.
    • If you expect to receive an MCE EV Instant Rebate but do not see the Instant Rebate on your sales contract or lease agreement, do not complete the transaction. If you complete the transaction and the MCE EV Instant Rebate is not applied, you will no longer be eligible to receive the rebate.
  5. Get Your Tesla Delivered: Coordinate with the Tesla representative to arrange delivery of your EV. Tesla will take care of filing your rebate with MCE.

No, participating dealers will provide you with the rebate application when you are making your purchase.

If you are purchasing from a participating dealer, reach out to the sales or finance person that you are working with and ask them to provide you with the MCE EV Instant Rebates application form and to apply the rebate as a discount or to call the Instant Rebates team at (628) 272-9910 if they have any questions about the process.

No, MCE EV Instant Rebates can only be claimed as a discount at the time of lease or purchase of a qualified vehicle from a participating dealer.

Resources

Get in Touch

Have questions or don’t see your preferred dealership? Fill out the Interest Form to hear from the Energy Solutions EV Instant Rebate support team or call (628) 272-9910.

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