Tesla Exhausts California EV Rebate Allocation in Less Than a Week

Tesla began offering the incentive on August 3; by August 8, the allocation was gone. For California first-time buyers still weighing their options, the speed of the burn is the real story — and a clear signal that state-level incentives alone can't carry the load the federal credit used to.

How the program works

The MyFirstEV program is a one-time $135.5 million state fund split across roughly 15 participating automakers, each matching the state's contribution dollar-for-dollar. The state announced the fund is enough to cover about 73,000 new zero-emission vehicles. First-time buyers can claim up to $3,500 on a new EV priced at $50,000 or less, or $1,750 on a used EV capped at $25,000. The program was designed to partially offset the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, which expired last year. Lucid and Rivian are exempt from the new-vehicle price cap because they're California-headquartered.

InsideEVs estimates Tesla's state allocation near $9 million, matched by another $9 million from the company itself — roughly $18 million in combined rebates cleared in just five days. A CARB spokesperson confirmed to InsideEVs that Tesla burned through its full share within a week. Three days in, half the funds available to Tesla buyers had already been claimed, according to the automaker. The math underscores how demand still concentrates around a handful of volume models even as federal incentives have rolled off.

Where the remaining funds sit

Tesla buyers who waited missed the window. Hyundai, Genesis, and Lucid still have rebates available now. Toyota, Subaru, Lexus, and Honda are scheduled to begin in September; Ford, Chevy, and Kia are rolling out this month; Nissan and Rivian are listed as "coming soon," per CARB. Gov. Newsom positioned the program as a way to keep momentum going after the federal rollback and to reduce dependence on petrol-state fuel markets.

The $3,500 cap is roughly half the old federal credit and won't fully close the affordability gap on its own. For a first-time buyer comparing out-the-door prices across the remaining eligible nameplates, though, $3,500 changes the break-even math on a home charger install or a year of off-peak charging. Low-income buyers can layer a larger incentive through the existing Clean Cars 4 All program. If you qualify and haven't locked in a deal, treat the remaining pools the same way Tesla buyers should have: move when the rebate is on the table, not after the pool is empty.