What changed
What ended
Up to $7,500 on a new EV or fuel cell vehicle, up to $4,000 on a used EV, and the commercial clean vehicle credit.
The one exception
If you entered a binding written contract and made a payment on or before Sept 30, 2025, the vehicle can still qualify when you take delivery later. No contract and payment by that date, no credit.
What a 2026 ad still says
“$7,500 off this EV,” “federal EV rebate at the point of sale,” “$4,000 back on used EVs.” A dealer can still discount a car, but that is the dealer’s money, not the IRS’s.
What can still be real
Manufacturer or dealer discounts, and some state or utility EV incentives. If the ad calls it federal, it is not.
Questions people ask
Can a dealer still apply the $7,500 at the point of sale in 2026?
Not for a vehicle acquired after Sept 30, 2025. The point-of-sale transfer was part of the same credit.
I put a deposit down in September 2025. Do I qualify?
The IRS test is a binding written contract plus a payment on or before Sept 30, 2025. The vehicle and your income still have to meet the usual rules, and the seller has to file the time-of-sale report.
Got a specific ad or quote?
Paste it into the free checker. It returns Alive, Dead, or Changed with the IRS or DOE source, and says unknown when it can’t tell. If you want a person to read one ad against current law and write back with the statute, that’s the $9 sourced check.
Source
IRS: Credits for new clean vehicles. Checked Oct 15, 2026.