FAQs

What is the PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate program?

It is a program available to PG&E residential electric customers who have purchased or leased eligible pre-owned (used) EVs.

The program is funded by the State of California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program, which encourages utility customers to reduce transportation-related Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by adopting cleaner fuels, like electricity.

How many times can an applicant receive the PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate?

Each individual applicant may receive a rebate for up to a maximum of three eligible vehicles for the life of the program.

Each current PG&E customer may receive only one PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate per eligible vehicle. Recipients of the California Clean Fuel Reward are not eligible to also receive the PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate for the same vehicle.

An otherwise-eligible EV is not eligible for the PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate if the applicant or the registered co-owner or co-lessee of the eligible vehicle received a PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate or the California Clean Fuel Reward for the same vehicle.

When can an application be submitted?

To be eligible, the PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate application must be successfully submitted within 180 days after the date of vehicle purchase or lease. The application will be considered submitted once the form is complete, all supporting documents are uploaded, and an email is sent to confirm the application and documents were submitted.

What is considered the date of purchase/lease?

The date of purchase or lease, as applicable, is the contract date shown on the dealer’s purchase or lease contract, or the transfer date shown on the new owner’s Certificate of Title for private-party sales. If the transfer date is missing from the Certificate of Title, additional documentation may be required to confirm the purchase date.

Who can apply for the PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate?

Residential PG&E electric customers are eligible for the program if they meet the below requirements:

The applicant is a PG&E customer with an active residential electric service agreement located within PG&E’s service area. PG&E gas-only residential customers who receive electric service from a municipality are ineligible for the rebate. The following cities are serviced by a municipality in the PG&E service area:
- City of Alameda – serviced by Alameda Municipal Power
- City of Modesto – serviced by Modesto Irrigation District
- City of Palo Alto – through the City of Palo Alto Municipal Utility
- City of Sacramento – serviced by Sacramento Municipal Utility District
- City of Santa Clara – serviced by Silicon Valley Power
- Cities of Turlock and Ceres – serviced by Turlock Irrigation District
This is not a full list of municipalities. Visit the Municipal Utility’s webpage for available EV rebates.
The applicant owns or leases an eligible pre-owned (used) Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) listed on the HOV Eligibility List for the vehicle’s model year. Fuel cell vehicles, electric bikes, electric motorcycles, electric scooters, and neighborhood vehicles are not eligible for the rebate, even if they are included on the HOV Eligibility List.
The application is successfully submitted within 180 days after the vehicle date of purchase or lease. The application will be considered submitted once the form is complete, all supporting documents are uploaded, and a confirmation email is sent confirming that the application and documents were submitted.
The vehicle, identified by its unique Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), is registered to the individual name and address of applicant’s residential PG&E electric service agreement. The vehicle must be registered to the address associated with the PG&E electric service agreement ID entered on the application, but the service agreement does not have to be in applicant’s name. Vehicles registered to businesses and business addresses are not eligible.
The applicant agrees to maintain possession of the vehicle in California for a minimum of 20 consecutive months from the vehicle purchase or lease date. The vehicle’s lease term must be at least 20 months to be eligible for the rebate.
The applicant has not already applied for and received three PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebates for three separate vehicles. Once applications are submitted for three separate vehicles, an applicant is not eligible to receive any additional rebates through the PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate program.
The household associated with the PG&E electric service agreement has not already received PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebates for three EVs purchased or leased in a single calendar year.
The applicant has paid the current vehicle registration fees in the State of California and is able to submit a digital copy of the permanent vehicle registration and purchase or lease contract. If purchased from a private-party sale, the applicant must submit their new Certificate of Title listing the new owner. Please refer to the Sample Supporting Documents for examples of accepted documents.

Who can apply for the Rebate Plus option?

Applicants may apply for the Rebate Plus option if they meet all requirements and specific income-based criteria outlined in the Program Requirements and in the PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate program Terms and Conditions.

What if the applicant has not filed taxes for the year the vehicle was purchased or leased?

If the tax return for the year of purchase or lease has not yet been filed, the most recently filed tax return within two years of the year of vehicle purchase or lease will be requested for income verification.

If the applicant has not filed a tax return within two years of the year the vehicle was purchased or leased, PG&E may, at its sole discretion, consider additional documentation to calculate income. Examples include pay stubs, W2s, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit documents, etc.

Filing an extension for the requested tax year is not considered filing for the purposes of the program’s income calculations. In these cases, additional documentation may be requested to evaluate the applicant’s income for the non-filing year. If the applicant is unable to provide additional requested documentation for income verification, the applicant is not eligible for the Rebate Plus option.

How is the applicant’s federal tax return used to calculate income?

For applications submitted using the 2022 or 2023 tax year, we will review the following sections of each federal tax return, as reflected on the IRS tax transcript, to help determine gross annual income:
- On IRS Form 1040: Sum of lines 1–7. Line 9 is not used to calculate total gross income for the Rebate Plus option; and (if applicable),
- On IRS Form 1040 Schedule 1: Sum of lines 1-8. If Line 8, “Other Income,” is negative, it will not be included as part of the income calculation, unless an exception applies. If Line 8 on Schedule 1 is negative, the corresponding “Statement” filed with the applicant's 1040 must be provided. Net operating losses carried over from previous years are not an exception.

Once the application is approved, when will the rebate check be sent?

Rebate checks are typically mailed within 30 days of approval, but some delays may occur. The applicant will receive an email when the check is mailed. Meanwhile, applicants may check their application status any time at apply.evrebates.pge.com.

What should an applicant do if they are not receiving application or program emails?

If an email or a link to create or reset the account password is not received within 15 minutes of submitting the application form, please check the spam, junk, and bulk email folders. To ensure future emails about the application are received, add ev@pgerebate.com to the applicant’s address book or “safe senders” list.

What electricity rate plan may be best for EV drivers?

Each home, household size, schedule, and lifestyle all play a part in determining electricity needs. PG&E offers two rates specifically for EV customers – EV2-A and EV-B.

Home Charging EV2-A: Combines the vehicle's electricity costs with the home’s electricity usage.
EV-B: Separates the vehicle's electricity costs from those of the home and involves the installation of second meter.

PG&E’s EV Savings Calculator has a rate comparison tool to assess which rate might be best at https://ev.pge.com/rates.

For more information about the two EV rates, visit https://www.pge.com/en_US/residential/rate-plans/rate-plan-options/electric-vehicle-base-plan/electric-vehicle-base-plan.page.

Are there other rebates or incentives available to EV owners?

Stay up-to-date on current PG&E resources and incentives for EV owners here.

Additional incentives for California EV owners, by zip code, may be found at DriveClean, Electric for All, and PlugStar. Each program has different eligibility requirements, so be sure to confirm eligibility prior to purchasing a vehicle.

For more information on the Used Clean Vehicle Credit, visit the IRS website

What are the PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate program Terms and Conditions?

View the Terms and Conditions for all PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate applications successfully submitted on and after June 13, 2023.

View the Terms and Conditions for all PG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate applications successfully submitted prior to June 13, 2023.

What is the PG&E Account Number and Service Agreement ID?

When completing a rebate application, applicants will need to include two numbers from their PG&E bill:

PG&E account number. This is an eleven-digit number and has a dash before the final digit (such as 1234567891-1). It is found at the top right of each page of each bill, and on the header when customers log into their PG&E account online at pge.com.
PG&E electric service agreement ID. This is a ten-digit number found on the “Details of Electric Charges” portion of each bill. For most customers, this will be on page 3. For customers with multiple addresses under the same account, be sure to include the service agreement ID corresponding with the address where the eligible EV is registered. For CCA customers, note that there will be two service agreement IDs for each rate – use the ID number for “PG&E Electric Delivery Charges,” not the ID for the CCA’s generation charges.

Applicants can find these numbers by logging into their PG&E account online at pge.com and selecting View Current Bill under Your Account section. View a sample bill listing both the account number and the service agreement ID here.

If we cannot confirm that the service agreement ID entered is correct and active by the time an application is formally reviewed, a copy of a recent PG&E bill will be requested.

What if the applicant lives in an apartment or mobile home?

The applicant may apply for the rebate even if the PG&E electric account is in another person’s name. If the applicant’s apartment building or mobile home does not have a separate electric meter for their unit, the landlord or property manager may be responsible for paying PG&E for electricity. In this case, please request the PG&E account number and service agreement ID from the landlord or property manager in order to complete the application.

Additionally, once we review an application, we may require a copy of a recent PG&E bill to further verify eligibility. If we do request a bill, we look for: the date (or a bill due date), the electric service agreement ID, and the service address. Any other information on the bill can be redacted, if preferred by the account holder.

Note: This PG&E service account would still be eligible to apply for a rebate for other eligible vehicle(s), as one rebate may be issued per eligible vehicle. There is a requirement that rebates may only be issued for up to three vehicles purchased in a single calendar year per PG&E service account, but exceptions can be made for multi-unit dwellings sharing one service agreement ID.

Are there additional PG&E Rebates that can be stacked with this rebate?

Yes, customers approved for the $4,000 Rebate Plus option for Pre-Owned EV Rebate can also apply for a $700 rebate for purchasing eligible at-home EV charging equipment. To make it easy, you can use a screenshot of your Rebate Plus approval email as proof of income eligibility. Customers who have not applied for a Pre-Owned EV Rebate are also eligible if they meet qualifications. Check out PG&E's Residential Charging Solutions rebate to learn more.