Administered by CSE for the California Air Resources Board, the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) offers up to $7,000 in electric vehicle rebates for the purchase or lease of new, eligible zero-emissions and plug-in hybrid light-duty vehicles.

Instead, it’s a government policy that allows you to claim up to $7,500 in credit against federal income taxes you owe in the year in which you buy the car. In other words, it reduces your tax liability. If you’re eligible for a refund, you’ll get whatever the amount of your credit on top of that.

5%

There is a federal tax credit available for most electric cars in 2021, for up to $7,500. The exceptions are Tesla and General Motors, whose tax credits have been phased out.

Best Electric Cars for 2020

• 2020 Hyundai Ioniq Electric.
• 2020 Tesla Model Y.
• 2020 Chevrolet Bolt.
• 2020 Kia Niro EV.
• 2020 BMW i3.
• 2020 Mini Cooper SE Electric Hardtop.
• 2020 Nissan Leaf.
• 2020 Hyundai Kona Electric.

To put it simply: Tesla was too popular. All of the Tesla lineup models, including the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Roadster, have exceeded the limit. For instance, once Tesla sold 200,000 vehicles, no matter which model it was, the credit was phased out.

It found that Tesla Model S owners demonstrated the highest ownership satisfaction experience giving the vehicle a score of 798 on a 1,000 point scale. The Tesla Model 3 ranks second with a 790 score. Both were rated in the premium vehicle segment.

The biggest problem with EVs is range. While a plug-in hybrid can count on gasoline as a backup, EVs can’t. An EV like the Tesla Model S can travel nearly 400 miles on a single charge, but not all EVs can make it quite that far. EVs like the Model S tend to be pretty expensive too.

EVs are significantly less expensive to purchase and maintain than comparable used gas-powered cars. Most EVs lose their value more quickly than do comparable gas-powered vehicles. But when it’s 3 years old and sold as a used car, its average price is $8,669. That’s a 73 percent drop in value.

10 Cheapest Electric Cars

• 2021 Nissan Leaf — $31,670.
• 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV — $33,000.
• 2021 Hyundai Ioniq Electric — $33,245.
• 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric — $37,390.
• 2021 Tesla Model 3 — $38,490.
• 2021 Kia Niro EV — $39,090.
• 2021 Tesla Model Y — $39,990.
• 2021 Volkswagen ID. 4 — $39,995.

Electric cars can – in general – be more expensive to insure than an otherwise directly comparable petrol or diesel counterpart. In 2017, research by price-comparison website Comparethemarket found that some electric cars can cost as much as a 45% more to insure than their conventional counterparts.

Cheapest electric cars: the top 10

• Renault Twizy: £11,995.
• SEAT Mii electric: £20,300.
• Fiat 500: £20,495.
• VW e-up!: £20,695.
• Smart EQ fortwo: £21,345.
• Smart EQ forfour: £21,940.
• MG 5 EV: £24,495.
• MG ZS EV: £25,495.

Home Charging Costs While electricity costs vary greatly, the average cost of electricity in California is about 16.58¢ per kilowatt hour (kWh). At this price point, charging a 40–kWh battery with a 150–mile range would cost about 4.42¢ per mile (or about $6.63 to fully charge).

All mass-produced electric vehicles today include a charging unit which you are able to plug into any standard 110v outlet. This unit makes it possible to charge your EV from regular household outlets. The downside of EV charging with a 110v outlet is that it takes a while.

A clever new piece of technology has been introduced to help broken-down electric vehicles and four-wheel-drives be towed without engine damage. Currently, it isn’t possible to tow some vehicles – such as many EVs and 4x4s – along with cars dealing with seized brakes or failed wheel bearings.

It’ll make most sense to most people to have their wallbox installed by an approved electrician organised through the manufacturer or supplier. You can use a qualified third-party electrician, but it’ll still need commissioning by an approved installer. Installing a wallbox is not a DIY job.

Most electric vehicles would need an extension cord capable of around 20 amps, with heavy duty plugs and sockets, to charge efficiently. However, charging in this manner for extended periods of time still carries the risk of damaging the cable or causing fires, so it’s still not recommended.

That runs counter to warnings from all automakers, charger manufacturers, and the U.S. electrical standards never to use an extension cord to plug in an electric car. Some heavy-duty extension cords are rated up to 30 amps and can handle the basic loads for charging an EV at Level 1 (110 volts.)

Do electric car charging cables get stolen? While it is true that some charging points use ‘tethered’ or fixed cables that are not easily stolen (e.g. Tesla Superchargers), many of the charging stations found on the high street are ‘universal’.

Electric car charging cables and points have levels of protection built-in. So don’t worry; electric car chargers and cables are weatherproof and are specifically designed to protect both the car and the owner and passengers from a nasty electric shock.

“Absolutely, it’s safe to charge in nearly any weather condition,” he says, matter-of-factly. That’s because electric vehicles are purposefully engineered to withstand rain and water intrusion, not to mention pesky dust particles that could wreak havoc on an electric system.

The battery that powers the motor is charged with a dedicated plug-in cord that connects it to a charging station or regular wall outlet. …

For home and public charging, you will only need either a 16amp or 32amp cable, as a type 1 charging cable does not come with the 3 phase options. Similar to the Type 2, a 16amp charging cable will charge your electric car at 3.6kw and a 32amp cable will charge your car at 7.2kw.