Rebate Process | Efficiency Maine

Efficiency Maine now offers instant rebates for eligible battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) at participating car dealers in Maine. Click here to learn more about electric vehicles and the differences between BEVs and PHEVs.

Type of Vehicle	Individuals, Businesses, Organizations	Qualified Low-Income Maine Resident*	Maine Governmental Entity or Tribal Government*
Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)	$2,000	$3,000	$7,500
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)	$1,000	$1,500	$2,000

*Qualified Low-Income Maine Residents, Maine Governmental Entities, and Tribal Governments must receive pre-approval, verifying the customer’s eligibility, in the form of a letter from Efficiency Maine prior to the purchase or lease of an EV in order to receive the enhanced rebate amount. Maine Businesses and nonprofits must show proof of “Good Standing” from the Maine Secretary of State’s website prior to the purchase or lease of an EV.

Note: The person identified as a Qualified Low-Income Maine Resident, Maine Governmental Entity or Tribal Government in a pre-approval must be the same person or entity who purchases or leases and registers the eligible EV.

Program Dates

To be eligible for a rebate, vehicles must be purchased or leased new between August 29, 2019 and December 21, 2021 or while funds are available. Vehicles purchased or leased outside of these program dates are not eligible for reimbursement.

Maine Participating Dealers

Click here for a list of participating Maine car dealerships that offer EV Accelerator Rebates. If you are interested in becoming a Maine Participating Dealer with Efficiency Maine’s EV Accelerator Program, please email ev@eme.ibec.me.

To be eligible for an Efficiency Maine rebate through this Program, an EV must:

Be a model of BEV or PHEV that, at the time of the purchase or lease transaction, appears on Efficiency Maine’s list of eligible vehicles posted on the website. Efficiency Maine’s list of eligible EV models will be drawn from and will represent a sub-set of the currently available model years of new BEVs (also called “All-Electric Vehicles”) and PHEVs listed on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website at www.FuelEconomy.gov. This list of eligible EVs will be updated as Efficiency Maine becomes aware of new eligible vehicles reaching the market in Maine.
- For BEVs, small neighborhood electric vehicles do not qualify.
- For PHEVs, only vehicles rated by FuelEconomy.gov to achieve 20 miles or more of all-electric range will qualify.
Have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), less destination/delivery charges, that does not exceed $50,000 and no other discounts, deductions, credits or rebates are to be counted in the eligibility determination calculation.
Be a new vehicle that has not been previously:
- The subject of a completed retail sale; or
- Registered with the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles or the motor vehicle registration agency or authority of any other jurisdiction.
Have an Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEM) warranty that fully covers the battery and electric drive train.
Be purchased or leased:
- On or after August 29, 2019 and prior to the date and time of the Program’s termination, as noticed to Maine Participating Dealers and on the Efficiency Maine website, in writing, or on December 21, 2021, whichever comes first; and
- From a Maine Participating Dealer, for use and operation in the State of Maine or, for makes of vehicles for which there is no authorized franchised dealer located in Maine, purchased or leased directly from an OEM for use and operation in the State of Maine.

Purchaser Eligibility

Participants in the program must be either: (i) an individual Maine resident (Maine driver’s license required); (ii) a business entity or nonprofit entity in “Good Standing”, authorized to do business in the State of Maine, and with an office in the State of Maine; (iii) a Maine Governmental Entity, as defined in the Program Manual; or (iv) a Tribal Government located in the State of Maine, as defined in the Program Manual.

- Qualified Low-Income Maine Residents, Maine Governmental Entities, and Tribal Governments must receive pre-approval in the form of a letter from Efficiency Maine prior to the purchase or lease of an EV in order to receive the enhanced rebate amount. Participants must provide the letter of pre-approval to the participating car dealer at the time of sale or lease.
  - - - If you are a Maine resident that has qualified at any time in the prior 12-month period to receive assistance through Maine’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), click here to apply for pre-approval.
      - If you are a Maine Governmental Entity or Tribal Government, as defined in the Program Manual, please submit a completed Governmental Entity Certification Letter to ev@eme.ibec.me to request pre-approval.
- Click here to review the EV Accelerator Program Purchaser Agreement for all terms and conditions and complete instructions for the EV Rebate Application Process. Participants must sign and submit a copy of the Purchaser Agreement at the point of purchase or lease to the dealer or to Efficiency Maine directly within 30 days of the transaction (if the vehicle is purchased or leased directly from an Original Equipment Manufacturer for which there is no authorized franchised dealer located in Maine).

Additional EV Financial Incentives

Federal Tax Credits*

Your new electric vehicle may be eligible for a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500. The credit amount will vary by model, as these tax credits begin to phase out once a manufacturer sells a minimum of 200,000 qualified units in the United States. For a full list of qualifying vehicles and available tax credit amounts by manufacturer and model, click here.

Federal tax credit phase-out by quarter (as of 11/28/2019):

Source: https://insideevs.com/news/384914/tesla-federal-tax-credit/

Car Manufacturer Instant Rebates

Car manufacturers often provide their own instant rebates in addition to state rebates and federal tax credits. These offers can change from month to month, so ask a Maine Participating Dealer for the most current deals.

Some car manufacturers fold the federal tax credits into the cost of a monthly lease of an EV. Ask a participating dealership for more information.

*Federal tax credits are not administered by Efficiency Maine