Learn About Incentives for EVs

Federal Tax Credit

You can receive a federal tax credit of $1,875 - $7,500 for purchasing a new EV.

Once an auto manufacturer sells a certain number of vehicles, the tax credit is phased out. For example, since Tesla and Chevrolet have both sold over 200,000 vehicles, customers who purchase one of their vehicles can only receive a $1,875 tax credit (as of September 2019).

Washington State Sales Tax Exemption

Starting August 2019, Washington offers a tax incentive for the purchase of new or used EVs. Consumers can avoid sales tax on up to $25,000 of the purchase price of a new car, and up to $16,000 for used cars.

To be eligible, vehicles must:

• Be capable of traveling at least 30 miles on battery power alone.
• Have a purchase price of less than $45,000 if new or $30,000 if used.

Local Utility EV Incentives

Several utilities in the Puget Sound region offer additional incentives and EV information to eligible customers.  

• Puget Sound Energy (PSE)
• Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU)
• Snohomish Public Utility District (SnoPUD)
• Seattle City Light (SCL)

Currently available EVs (or coming soon)

Check out these websites to see the latest list of available electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles:

• FuelEconomy.gov
• GreenCars
• Electric For All

Learn more with these EV resources

Electric vehicles and charging options:

• Charging Plug-In Electric Vehicles at Home -- U.S. Department of Energy
• Charging An EV -- Go Electric Drive
• Home Chargers -- PlugIn America

Charging stations:

• Electric Vehicle Charging Station Locator -- U.S. Department of Energy
• PlugShare

Used electric vehicles:

• Paramount Motors

Electric car-sharing:

• Report: Low-Income Utilization of Electric Vehicles [PDF] 

 Electric vehicles for ride-hailing (Uber + Lyft):

• Report: Electrifying Ride-Hailing in Seattle [PDF]