New rules for the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) tax credit have taken effect, significantly limiting the number of qualifying options in 2024. Tesla is one of many automakers that saw some of its vehicles excluded at the turn of the new year, and only a handful remain across the industry.
Despite the list of qualifying EVs getting shorter, the 2024 guidance also lets sellers offer the rebate at the point of sale, rather than buyers being forced to wait until doing their taxes. A handful of dealerships have signed up to offer this benefit for their automakers, while companies that have a direct sales model, like Tesla and Rivian, will also be able to offer the rebate instantly.
The IRS offers a $7,500 tax credit to select EVs, including both battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plugin hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and a reduced $3,750 credit.
Interestingly, one PHEV still qualifies for the full tax credit, while others are eligible for the reduced credit. Only five BEVs remain eligible for the full $7,500 amount, though some include multiple configurations.
The tax credit also has MSRP limits, maxing out at $80,000 for vans, SUVS and pickups, and at $55,000 for other EVs. Buyers must also be under a modified adjusted gross income (AGI) of $300,000 for married couples filing jointly, $225,000 for heads of households, or $150,000 for all other filers.
You can see the full list of BEVs and PHEVs that are eligible for the federal tax credit below.
BEVs that qualify for the $7,500 tax credit by brand
Chevy
- Bolt EUV
- Bolt EV
Ford
- F-150 Lightning Standard Range
- F-150 Lightning Extended Range
Tesla
- Model 3 Performance
- Model Y Rear Wheel Drive
- Model Y All Wheel Drive
- Model Y Performance
- Model X Long Range
BEVs that qualify for the $3,750 tax credit by brand
Rivian
- R1S Dual-Motor Large
- R1S Quad-Motor Large
- R1T Dual-Motor Large
- R1T Dual-Motor Max
- R1T Quad-Motor Large
PHEVs that qualify for the $7,500 tax credit by brand
Chrysler
- Pacifica PHEV
PHEVs that qualify for the $3,750 tax credit by brand
Ford
- Escape PHEV
Jeep
- Grand Cherokee PHEV 4xe
- Wrangler PHEV 4xe
Lincoln
- Corsair Grand Touring PHEV
You can see the IRS web page detailing the new requirements here, simply by filtering the “Placed in Service” dropdown menu by this year. The IRS also offers a fact sheet featuring frequently asked questions on the updated guidance.
What happened to the Tesla Cybertruck & Model 3’s IRA tax credit eligibility?
What are your thoughts? Did I miss any EV models? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
Elon Musk took his latest barb at former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates over his short position against the company, which the two have had some tensions over for a number of years.
Gates admitted to Musk several years ago through a text message that he still held a short position against his sustainable car and energy company. Ironically, Gates had contacted Musk to explore philanthropic opportunities.
Elon Musk explains Bill Gates beef: He ‘placed a massive bet on Tesla dying’
Musk said he could not take the request seriously, especially as Gates was hoping to make money on the downfall of the one company taking EVs seriously.
The Tesla frontman has continued to take shots at Gates over the years from time to time, but the latest comment came as Musk’s net worth swelled to over $600 billion. He became the first person ever to reach that threshold earlier this week, when Tesla shares increased due to Robotaxi testing without any occupants.
Musk refreshed everyone’s memory with the recent post, stating that if Gates still has his short position against Tesla, he would have lost over $10 billion by now:
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2025
Just a month ago, in mid-November, Musk issued his final warning to Gates over the short position, speculating whether the former Microsoft frontman had still held the bet against Tesla.
“If Gates hasn’t fully closed out the crazy short position he has held against Tesla for ~8 years, he had better do so soon,” Musk said. This came in response to The Gates Foundation dumping 65 percent of its Microsoft position.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk sends final warning to Bill Gates over short position
Musk’s involvement in the U.S. government also drew criticism from Gates, as he said that the reductions proposed by DOGE against U.S.A.I.D. were “stunning” and could cause “millions of additional deaths of kids.”
“Gates is a huge liar,” Musk responded.
It is not known whether Gates still holds his Tesla short position.
Tesla made a change to the Cybertruck, and nobody noticed. But to be fair, nobody could have, but it was revealed by the program’s lead engineer that it was aimed toward simplifying manufacturing through a minor change in casting.
After the Cybertruck was given a Top Safety Pick+ award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), for its reputation as the safest pickup on the market, some wondered what had changed about the vehicle.
Tesla makes changes to its vehicles routinely through Over-the-Air software updates, but aesthetic changes are relatively rare. Vehicles go through refreshes every few years, as the Model 3 and Model Y did earlier this year. However, the Cybertruck is one of the vehicles that has not changed much since its launch in late 2023, but it has gone through some minor changes.
Most recently, Wes Morrill, the Cybertruck program’s Lead Engineer, stated that the company had made a minor change to the casting of the all-electric pickup for manufacturing purposes. This change took place in April:
We made a minor change on the casting for manufacturability in April. Our Internal testing shows no difference in crash result but IIHS only officially tested the latest version
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 17, 2025
The change is among the most subtle that can be made, but it makes a massive difference in manufacturing efficiency, build quality, and scalability.
Morrill revealed Tesla’s internal testing showed no difference in crash testing results performed by the IIHS.
The 2025 Cybertruck received stellar ratings in each of the required testing scenarios and categories. The Top Safety Pick+ award is only given if it excels in rigorous crash tests. This requires ‘Good’ ratings in updated small and moderate overlap front, side, roof, and head restraints.
Additionally, it must have advanced front crash prevention in both day and night. Most importantly, the vehicle must have a ‘Good’ or ‘Acceptable’ headlights standard on all trims, with the “+ ” specifically demanding the toughest new updated moderate overlap test that checks rear-seat passenger protection alongside driver safety.
Tesla has entered an interesting situation with its Full Self-Driving suite in California, as the State’s Department of Motor Vehicles had adopted an order for a suspension of the company’s sales license, but it immediately put it on hold.
The company has been granted a reprieve as the DMV is giving Tesla an opportunity to “remedy the situation.” After the suspension was recommended for 30 days as a penalty, the DMV said it would give Tesla 90 days to allow the company to come into compliance.
The DMV is accusing Tesla of misleading consumers by using words like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving on its advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features.
The State’s DMV Director, Steve Gordon, said that he hoped “Tesla will find a way to get these misleading statements corrected.” However, Tesla responded to the story on Tuesday, stating that this was a “consumer protection” order for the company using the term Autopilot.
It said “not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.” It added that “sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”
This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) December 17, 2025
Tesla has used the terms Autopilot and Full Self-Driving for years, but has added the term “(Supervised)” to the end of the FSD suite, hoping to remedy some of the potential issues that regulators in various areas might have with the labeling of the program.
It might not be too long before Tesla stops catching flak for using the Full Self-Driving name to describe its platform.
Tesla Robotaxi goes driverless as Musk confirms Safety Monitor removal testing
The Robotaxi suite has continued to improve, and this week, vehicles were spotted in Austin without any occupants. CEO Elon Musk would later confirm that Tesla had started testing driverless rides in Austin, hoping to launch rides without any supervision by the end of the year.
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
Tesla Cybertruck gets small change that makes a big difference
