Cynics will point at big rebates and claim they mean the vehicle isn’t selling, but that just exposes them for the industry noobs that they are. A rebate is a powerful financial tool that helps dealers overcome obstacles like negative equity, poor credit, and down payment requirements and get you to drive home in the car of your dreams today.

So if you’re dealing with any of the above, but still hope to slide behind the wheel of a new EV before new tariffs kick in, pay attention: these EVs could get you behind the wheel of a new electric ride sooner than you think!

UPDATE: Kia really, really wants you to buy a new EV this month!

As I was putting this list together, I realized there were plenty of ways for me to present this information. “Biggest EV incentive deals ..?” Not everyone qualifies for every rebate. “Most stackable EV rebates ..?” Too confusing. In the end, I went with national cash back offers and chose to present them in alphabetical order, by make. And, as for which deals are new this month? You’re just gonna have to read the article. Enjoy!

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BMW XM

It may look like an angry space beaver on the outside, but BMW advertises itself as the Ultimate Driving Machine, not the Ultimate Style Machine — and by all accounts, the big BMW PHEV is one, if not the best-handling big SUVs out there.

With up to 30 miles of all electric range and a powerful V8 engine, it’s not savaing any trees, but now through April 30th, all versions of the plug-in hybrid offer $12,500 in lease or APR cash. If you’re financing your XM PHEV, BMW Financial is also offering 3.99% financing for up to 60 months, with a 72-month option at 4.49% APR.

Chevy BrightDrop

We recently highlighted a Costco offer that stacks a $25,500 manufacturer rebate with $3,000 in “regular” Costco Member Savings, $2,750 in “LIMITED-TIME” Manufacturer to Member Incentives, plus an additional $250 for Costco Executive members.

That’s more than $30,000 off the MSRP of one of the best, most capable commercial vans on the market – ICE or electric. And that’s before you factor in the 0% interest financing (72 mo.) being advertised on Chevy dealer websites.

Chrysler Pacifica PHEV

When the plug-in hybrid Chrysler Pacifica minivan first went on sale all the way back in 2016, it seemed to imply that the old Chrysler Corporation was going to race ahead of the other “Big Three” legacy US carmakers.

That didn’t happen, but the Pacifica is still the king of cupholders, while the van’s stow n’ go seating, and all the other practical, clever details that add up to remind you Chrysler invented these things. Through April 30th, you can get a $7,500 cash allowance plus $7,500 in Federal income tax credits on Pacific Plug-in Hybrid Select, S, and Pinnacle trim level vans.

Dodge Charger EV

As the auto industry transitions to electric, Dodge is hoping that at least a few muscle car enthusiasts with extra cash, will find their way to a Dodge store and ask for the meanest, loudest, tire-shreddingest thing on the lot.

These days, that’s the new electric Charger – and you still owed money on the Hemi you just totaled, Dodge will help get the deal done on its latest retro ride with a $6,500 rebate on 2025 models or $3,000 plus 0% financing for up to 72 months on 2024s.

Dodge Hornet PHEV

Despite objectively being one of the slowest-selling new cars in North American, the Dodge Hornet eAWD PHEV offers specs that could make a compelling case for die-hard Dodge fans who are curious about EVs, but still worried about finding charging away from home.

If that’s you, the Hornet offers over 30 miles of all-electric range from its 12 kWH battery and a decently quick 0-60 mph — then sweetens the deal even more with $6,500 in lease cash to help bring the payment down.

Jeep Wrangler 4xe

While not much of an EV with “just” a 17.3 kWh battery, the PHEV version Jeep’s iconic Wrangler is often the cheapest version of the SUV to lease – a fact that’s seen the 4xe variants become a popular choice. Now through April 30th, Stellantis is offering up to $8,000 in cash allowance (not counting dealer discounts and other local incentives) in hopes that this latest offer is one you can’t refuse.

Kia Niro EV

One of the most underrated little runabouts on the market, the Kia Niro EV is more fun to drive than you think it’ll be, with zippy acceleration, solid quality, and an approachable sort of anonymity that I think a lot of Tesla drivers would appreciate right now.

Now through April 30th, Kia is offering up to $8,500 cash back on remaining 2024 Niro EVs and $7,500 on 2025 models. If you don’t like paying interest, Kia has 0% financing for up to 72 months on ’24s and a sweet $129/mo. lease deal on ’25 models – so whatever your specific needs are, your Kia dealer probably has a Niro EV deal they can get to work for you.

Kia EV6 GT

CarsDirect is reporting 24-month leases on the positively awesome Kia EV6 GT featuring up to $19,000 in lease cash through May 1st. Other EV6 variants get decent cash back offers, too – be sure to ask your local dealer about the one you’re interested in.

Kia EV9

I’ve been seeing Kia’s excellent, hot-selling tree-row electric SUV all over the ‘burbs, lately — and it’s hardly a wonder why. In addition to being a great car, the Kia EV9 has some of the most aggressive customer incentives in the business, with $11,000 cash back for conventional financing customers and a whopping $16,000 lease cash on 24 month terms through May 1 (36 and 48 month lessors still get a pretty incredible $15,000 cash back).

Get used to seeing these around, in other words. If not in your own driveway, certainly in some of your neighbors’!

Nissan Ariya and LEAF

The inspiration for this article was a hypothetical $9,140 Nissan LEAF deal that I hastily concocted while walking the floor of the 2025 Chicago Auto Show, but the fact remains that even with “just” the $8,500 cash back being advertised through April 30, the $28,140 $19,640 Nissan LEAF is probably the most affordable new car you can buy in the US. If you can score some additional local incentives and dealer discounts, so much the better.

If you want something a bit more modern (and with Tesla Supercharger access), the bigger, more conventional Ariya crossover also packs some solid offers with up to $7,500 in Customer Cash.

Polestar 3

OK, this one’s cheating — the Swedish/Chinese love child of Volvo, Geely, and the championship-winning go-fast gurus at Cyan Racing, Polestar is announcing up to $20,000 in incentives to convince some (but, crucially, not all) customers to trade in their existing EVs on a new Polestar.

The catch? You have to trade in a Tesla to get the $20K. At the rate those cars are depreciating, though, that might be the best offer you’ll get out there!

Toyota bZ4X

It’s not breaking any sales records, but the Toyota bZ4X is a solid five-passenger crossover EV that should meet any suburbanite’s needs with enough of Toyota’s legendary quality baked in to make it a safe bet for a decade-plus of hassle-free driving. Plus, with $10,000 in TFS Lease Subvention cash and plenty of dealer discounts floating around, it might be the best deal in Toyota’s current lineup.

Volkswagen ID.4

One of the most popular legacy EVs, the ID.4 offers Volkswagen build quality and (for 2024) a Chat-GPT enabled interface. To keep ID.4 sales rolling, VW dealers are getting aggressive with discounts, making this fast-charging, 291 mile EPA-rated range, 5-star safety rated EV a value proposition that’s tough to beat.

This month, buy a Volkswagen ID.4 with up to $10,500 in Customer Bonus Cash or lease one with $7,500 in Lease Bonus cash.

Volvo C40, XC60 T8 Recharge

Volvo is offering up to $8,500 ($7,500 in customer cash, $1,000 in loyalty cash) off the price of remaining new C40s — the brand’s sporty, high-riding crossover coupe that happened to be its first dedicated EV offering in the US. If the C40 doesn’t suit you, the same deals are available on the more conventionally styled XC40 Recharge, too.

Buyers looking for one of Volvo’s excellent (IMO) T8 PHEV models can score up to $4,000 in allowances before the real discounting begins — and if, like me, your tastes run more towards Swedish sedans than SUVs, you might want to score yourself a sweet deal on a new S90 while you still can.

Disclaimer: the vehicle models and rebate deals above were sourced from sites like CarsDirect, CarEdge, USNews, and (where mentioned) the OEM websites – and were current 21APR2025. Despite my best efforts to filter these, some deals may not be available in your market, or to every buyer (the standard “with approved credit” fine print should be considered implied). Check with your local dealer(s) for more information.

New York state lawmakers have launched an effort to shut down Tesla’s stores in the state by revoking its waiver to allow direct sales.

Several states in the US have laws prohibiting the direct sale of electric vehicles to the public without going through third-party dealerships.

These bans stem from outdated laws intended to protect car dealers from their own automakers supplying the vehicles.

The idea is that automakers cannot open a company-owned store next to a third-party car dealer after they have invested in selling and servicing their cars. It would be unfair competition.

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Now, some car dealerships are using those old laws to prevent automakers that have never had deals with third-party franchise dealers, such as Tesla and Rivian, from selling their vehicles to the public, even though it constitutes fair competition.

Tesla has been fighting those laws in many states with some success.

In New York, the anti-direct sale law remains in effect. Still, Tesla managed to obtain an exemption to open a few stores and service centers, despite its bid to expand being curtailed by the local dealership association.

Now, state legislators in New York are pushing to remove Tesla’s exemption and grant it to other electric vehicle (EV) automakers.

Senator Patricia Fahy, who was once an ally to Tesla in its fight to be allowed to sell in New York, is now leading the effort to remove Tesla’s waiver (via New York Times):

Ms. Fahy, a Democrat whose district includes Albany, and other state lawmakers are pushing to revoke a legislative waiver that has let Tesla directly operate five New York dealerships rather than sell cars through dealer franchises, as other carmakers must do.

Fahy’s effort stems from her regret of having supported Tesla in the past:

“Maybe I’m making amends,” Ms. Fahy replied when asked about her previous support for Tesla. Mr. Musk, she said, is “part of an administration that is killing all the grant funding for electric vehicle infrastructure, killing wind energy, killing anything that might address climate change. Why should we give them a monopoly?”

Many, like Fahy, believe that CEO Elon Musk’s support for Trump and their efforts to curtail EV adoption amount to Musk pulling the ladder that helped Tesla dominate the EV space, just as other EV companies need it.

To be fair, the state senator is not completely changing her stance on direct sales because of Musk’s involvement with Tesla. Instead, she changed her opinion on giving Tesla a waiver:

Ms. Fahy now views Tesla’s waiver as an unfair advantage, and wants the company to forfeit its five licenses by 2026. Under her plan, the licenses could be redistributed to rival electric-vehicle manufacturers like Rivian, Lucid and the Volkswagen affiliate Scout Motors, which also employ a direct-to-consumer sales approach.

Tesla has long outgrown its waiver allowing five stores in New York, and lately, it has started using a loophole to open stores on native land in the state.

Electrek’s Take

I’ve made my thoughts clear about direct sales. They should be allowed for any automakers who don’t use franchise dealers. That includes Tesla.

I think Tesla should be allowed to sell its vehicles in New York, and people should be allowed to boycott them.

However, I agree that Tesla getting a specific waiver is unfair. Any new automaker, like Rivian, Lucid, etc., should also be able to open stores freely in the state.

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