Limited Funding Now Available For Oregon EV Buyers To Claim Rebates

Oregon’s popular electric vehicle (EV) rebate program will reopen for this year but because of the program’s overwhelming popularity, its finite funds may not be available for long.

Oregon’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program

Rebates of up to $7,500 from Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) can be claimed by buyers or lessees of qualifying electric vehicles for EVs bought between April 3 and June 3. Details of the program are available from the DEQ online.

With around $8 million being made available this year, if the pool is exhausted, people investing in EVs could wait until spring 2025 to receive their rebates. Last year’s program saw more people claiming than the fund provided for, and the budget was exhausted four months into the year. Before they could receive their rebates, several hundred people were put on a waiting list and the last of 2023’s payments are still being processed.

Rebates offered by the DEQ are:

• Standard rebate: Available to any Oregon resident, business, nonprofit, or government agency that buys or leases a new fully electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of less than $50,000. Rebate: up to $2,500.
• Charge Ahead Rebate: Applicable to those who lease or buy qualifying new EVs, but with income limits. Rebate: $5,000 rebates for qualifying used vehicles, up to $7,500

The income limits on the Charge Ahead rebate give Oregonians with a household income of less than 400% of the federal poverty line, currently calculated at around $60,000 per individual, or $124,800 for a family of four, an opportunity to claim an additional rebate.

Over and above the DEQ rebate, Federal EV rebates, as well as state incentives for charging infrastructure could also be available to Oregonians who buy EVs this year.

Certain electric utilities in Oregon also offer rebates or other financial support- check your local utility company to see if one is available in your area.

See If You Can Claim Oregon Electric Vehicle Rebate

Ali Mirzakhalili- DEQ Air Quality Division administrator, said that the Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program has seen fantastic success in EV adoption. In a statement, he said, “It’s a great way to lower the costs when purchasing or leasing those vehicles, especially for low- and moderate-income households.”

To get an idea of rebates available to you, the DEQ has an eligibility calculator available on its GoElectric Oregon site:

DEQ Charge Ahead Rebate Income Eligibility Calculator

Bear in mind that recent history indicates that some buyers might have to wait until next year to get their rebates.