Howdy, Texas EV fans!
Want a $2,500 rebate on your next EV or PHEV? In Texas, it can happen… but you need to be quick!
The Texas Light-Duty Motor Vehicle Purchase or Lease Incentive Program (LDPLIP) has been renewed for another two years (but, it ain’t gonna last very long).
In case you don’t remember, the LDPLIP provided a rebate of up to $2,500 for the purchase or lease of a new electric vehicle (EV) or plug-in, hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). The program covers vehicles purchased on or after September 1, 2025, although you won’t be able to apply for the rebate until some time in October. The forms to apply are being finalized now.
When the program ran previously, it limited rebates to those who acquired their vehicle from a traditional dealership, so direct-to-customer sales were excluded. Customers of Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, etc were unable to get the rebate. Due to this, the rebate usually lasted the full two years. The last time the program ran, Tesla sales were allowed (although no other direct-to-sales manufacturers were) and the money for the rebates ran out within about three months. (I know because I missed out on it by less than a week, when Tesla took too long to send my sales contract to me.)
Here’s what you need to do to get the rebate check:
- Buy or lease one of these vehicles: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/downloads/air-quality/terp/ldplip/ldplip-26-eligible-vehicles.pdf Buy in September, if possible
- Ask the dealership for a copy of the “Application to Register a Vehicle in Texas” form that they’ll send in to the state to register your vehicle. (Previous iteration of the LDPLIP rebate program required that you submit a copy with the rebate application form.)
- Go to https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/terp/ldplip and under “Step 1,” check for any documents that are required. (The finalized list is not available yet)
- Under “Step 2,” complete all required forms. Some of the required forms may include a copy of your finance agreement or bill of sale.
- Under “Step 3,” complete the online application and upload the documents you gathered in Step 2.
Wait patiently (in the past, it took about 8 weeks to receive the check).
Note: The $2,500 is considered income for income tax purposes.
As I mentioned, once the forms become available, there will be a LOT of people applying for the rebate. Do NOT tarry. Check to see if the forms are available DAILY. Once they are available, complete the application process as quickly as you can and get the applications submitted. In past iterations of the program, the state posted the number of remaining rebates available, so you could see how close the program was to running out of funds.
I personally collected three of these rebates over the years.
