EVADC offers this guide to some of the many available tools you can use when shopping for new or used EV's and PHEV's.
UPDATE: In spite of news regarding Executive Orders and the imminent demise of the "EV Tax Credit", all information shown is accurate and up-to-date. Should your ability to use the federal EV tax credit change, we will update our buying advice. For now, prudence would suggest that if you were thinking about buying or leasing an EV, sooner would be better than later.
Ask-An-EV-Owner
If you would like to talk to real EV owners and drivers to get advice on what to buy and how to charge it, consider coming to our monthly zoom meeting Ask-An-EV-Owner. We're regular folks who will advise and answer questions in a friendly, no-pressure format. Our members have driven over one million electric miles, just about every model out there, and charged in every setting from single family homes to apartments. We sell nothing, we only want to help you succeed in making the transition from gasoline to electricity.
Federal Incentives
Contrary to what you may hear in the media, it is now very easy to see what new vehicles qualify for the federal EV tax credit, as modified under the Inflation Reduction Act. Simply go to fueleconomy.gov. You will find a table showing the qualifying new and used vehicles purchased after 1/1/24 and how much they qualify for, along with the relevant restrictions. These tables are updated daily, and take account of the battery and sourcing requirements, so check for updates as you are shopping for a car. The same link also includes a table listing the available incentives for vehicle placed in service in 2022 and 2023, and a link to the adjusted income requirements.
And, yes, what you've heard is true, for brands that don't qualify for the new EV tax credit, consider leasing, since dealers will usually rebate the $7500 on the lease contract. You must verify that this is a line item on your lease agreement before you sign. This is a maintained list of current EV lease offers. Leases are generally best if you drive less than 10,000 miles/yr. Our EV allies, Plug-In America, have guides for leasing, and commercial vehicles. For additional background on EV leasing, see this article.
The rules for used EVs and PHEVs are, as yet, unchanged for 2025. We have further advice about the tax credits for a used EV or PHEV, in this simple guide.
If you want to dive deeper, a good starting place to get your bearings is from Consumer Reports. Also pay attention to official information from the Alternative Fuels Data Center (which has a tool to find out where a particular car was manufactured) and the official information from the IRS.
Maintained official summary of federal incentives, which can be filtered for EVs. Same site maintains the official list of vehicles that qualify for the domestic manufacturing portion of the Clean Vehicle Credit.
The AFDC Electric Vehicle (EV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Tax Credit page has been updated and clearly says what to do before and after Jan 1, 2023. If you're curious about the list of countries with US free trade agreements, here they are.
Our EV allies, Plug-In America, has a nice tax credit guide as well.
LOCAL INCENTIVES
Maryland offers a 40% rebate of up to $700 residential, $4000 commerical on the purchase and installation of an EVSE (AKA "charger").
Maryland also offers an excise tax credit on EVs ($3000, purchase after 7/1/23 and before 7/1/27, base price (aka MSRP) under $50k, one vehicle per individual). To understand if a vehicle qualifies or not if there are options, rebates, etc, see these examples from the MVA of vehicles that do qualify and don't qualify. If your window sticker refers to MSRP, treat that as "base price".
HOV access stickers are back and are valid through 9/30/2025. They are valid for EV's and plug-in hybrids (like the Volt), not hybrids (like the Prius) and cost $5. Maryland has published this guide to state and utility incentives.
Montgomery County has a permit to install a curbside L2 charger in the right-of-way , and also an EV Purchasing Co-op with some nice dealer perks.
DC offers reduced registration fees (see table for passenger vehicle type, class V) and an excise tax exemption for EV's, as well as a 50% tax credit up to $1000 on the purchase and installation of a charger.
Virginia offers an HOV lane exemption, and an emissions inspection exemption. Virginia also collects a "highway use fee" (HUF) at the time of registration for EVs, PHEVs and high-mpg cars, which is tied to the gas tax. You can estimate the HUF using a DMV calculator. As an example, a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV registered in July 2023 would pay a highway user fee of $123.98. If you want to pay your HUF over time, or you drive less than 11,600 miles annually, you can enroll in the Mileage Choice Program, and pay per mile with a dongle which is either GPS or non-GPS enabled. The total amount you pay in Mileage Choice is capped at the HUF.
Maintained official summary of EV incentives for DC, Maryland and Virginia.
FINDING CARS
www.myev.com is a site free to buyers and sellers that shows privately owned and dealer EV's for sale in your area
Current Lease Offers for Selected EVs (Electrek) A maintained nationwide list of the best lease deals on EV's, including deals in our area. Leases are generally best if you drive less than 10,000 miles/yr.
Best EV discounts from US dealers (Electrek) A maintained nationwide list of the best discounts on new EV's. Remember, cars are routinely transported state-to-state and cross country for between about $500-$1500.
CarsDirect Best Green Car Deals Speaks for itself. Maintained monthly survey of best deals on green cars.
AutoTempest Like Trivago for cars. Meta-site that searches 9+ car search sites at once.
PRO-TIP: Enter only your zip code, then click on Advanced Search and select "Electric" for fuel type.
PRO-TIP: When searching for used Nissan Leafs, use our guide for understanding 1st gen Leafs.
PRO-TIP: When searching for Used Chevy Bolts, you can verify if it had its battery replaced and what the warranty is. (If the battery was replaced, GM added a bonus 100,000 miles to the warranty.) Enter the VIN here. Under the Recalls section, click on Complete. It should list several "High Voltage battery" ones. Under Warranties, click on Active, then the Bolt Battery and EV Component warranties.
EV-CPO is designed to efficiently search for certified pre-owned Teslas.
CarBargains Highly rated shopping service in which you tell them the car you want and they interface with dealers and obtain bids. They also have free do-it-yourself instructions.
Shopping for a used EV and want to know what options it originally had and what they cost? Find the original Monroney stickers for any car 1981 or younger at monroneylabels.com
EV AND PHEV REPAIR SHOPS
LAGAS EV Repair, Rockville, MD. Makes house calls.
Charge Auto Center, Fredericksburg, VA. Services both Tesla and non-Tesla.
GENERAL PURPOSE EV AND PHEV GUIDES
Energy Sage offers a nice all-encompassing guide to EV's and PHEV's.
Consumer Reports has extensive ratings and a buying guide.
EXPERIENCED LOCAL RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERICAL CHARGER INSTALLERS:
DaiTechCorp Experienced, local, turnkey, one-stop-shop, ideal for installing charging at everything ranging from single-family homes all the way to commercial locations, multifamily apartments and condos. They handle the whole package including helping you select chargers, contractors, installation and finding incentives. One example of their recent work. 202-918-9373
SWTCH Multifamily, public, retail and workplace charging solutions. Give residents, visitors, customers, property owners and employees a fully supported delightful experience. 844-798-2438
Sample of local residential and commercial EV charger installers:
Ryan Electrical Services ryanelectric@Verizon.net 301-509-9832
Clinton Electric 410-449-7292
Sparrow Electric (Aspen Hill), 301-679-1852
Inca Electric (Silver Spring) 240-354-2431
Double Z Electric (Fulton) 301-704-2073
Luis & James (Petworth DC) 240-551-2446
New Age Electric (Silver Spring) 301-588-4457
You can also find certified charger installers at the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program
UTILITY INCENTIVES
Your electric utility likely offers a combination of incentives on the purchase and installation of chargers both at home and in condos and apartments, reduced time-of-use electric rates for your EV, and other perks.
Dominion Virginia Pepco MD Pepco DC BGE Potomac Edison
EVSE (CHARGER) SHOPPING:
For a comprehensive look at the world of EV chargers, see YouTuber Tom Moloughney's EV Charging Stations.
How to Choose the Best Home Wall Charger for Your Electric Vehicle by Consumer Reports
L2 chargers are also at Home Depot, Lowe's, Amazon and Costco. L2 lets you add about 30 miles per hour of charging, and is what most EV drivers install at home to increase the utility of their EVs.
QC Charge, EV West and EVSE Adapters offer more specialized EV charging hardware.
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If you hear of any good EV deals, please let us know by email at evaofdc@gmail.com