Finding an Inexpensive Electric Car — Tax Credit Guide
(if you aren’t a member, read here)
A simpler, older electric vehicle for running errands around town and shorter commutes can now be much cheaper to purchase, thanks to a newly implemented federal tax credit for USED electric vehicles.
For example, I am getting back a nice tax refund for the purchase of my 2015 Nissan Leaf EV (bought last April ’23 from a local Nissan dealership). So my total cost will be equivalent to that of a nice new carbon fiber bicycle, which is kind of amazing.
Why am I into this topic? I’m an efficiency and sustainability geek and I had a college engineering internship working on a part for GM’s first EV, the GM EV1. I’ve wanted an EV for some time — but the cost was prohibitive for me, until now.
As early adopters buy newer EV’s there are plenty of used ones around in great condition, especially considering the fact that they have often taken excellent care of their cars. Also, these used EV’s are often smaller than newer models, with smaller batteries, and and less resources were used to create them in the first place. So how do you find a good one?
First, you might get a great deal on a used EV from a private party, but you won’t qualify for the federal tax credit that way (see rules below).
