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

If you’re dealing with any of the above, pay attention: these EVs could get you behind the wheel of a new electric ride sooner than you think!

Update 23MAR: added some off-road!

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 those. “Most stackable EV rebates ..?” Too much research. 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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Audi RS e-Tron GT Quattro

Audi RS e-Tron GT Quattro; via Audi.

The Audi RS e-Tron GT Quattro is a stunning, high-end electrified cruise missile of an automobile that combines Porsche DNA with Audi styling and, presumably, sufficient all-weather performance chops to earn the legendary Quattro badge. From now until March 31st, you can receive $12,500 in customer bonus cash when you purchase or lease a select, new 2024 Audi RS e-Tron GT Quattro (the “standard” RS gets $7,500).

Chrysler Pacifica PHEV

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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 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 March 3rd, you can get a $7,500 cash allowance plus up to $7,500 in Federal income tax credits on Pacific Plug-in Hybrid Select, S, and Pinnacle trim level vans – and that’s before any negotiations with your dealer.

Dodge Charger

Dodge-Charger-EV-overseas
2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack; via Stellantis.

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 retrotastic ride with a $3,000 rebate plus 0% financing for up to 72 months!

Ford F-150 Lightning

Ford-free-ev-charging
F-150 Lightning with available Ford Intelligent Backup Power; via Ford.

The Ford F-150 Lightning is a reasonably capable half-ton truck with V2X capabilities that first proved themselves during Texas’ ice storms, and ship with a world of aftermarket support baked in. Ford Pro customers buying an F-150 Lightning for their commercial or public fleet can get even better deals on the OG electric trucks – meaning your fleet manager would be crazy not to take a serious look at one.

Now through March 31st, Ford is offering retail buyers of remaining 2024 Lightning pickups 0% interest for up to 72 months plus $4,000 in retail bonus cash AND a free L2 home charger (cost of installation included). As with all offers, it’s good to read the fine print, but this is a killer deal for Ford truck fans.

Genesis GV70 Electrified

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Genesis GV70 Electrified; via Hyundai.

Genesis’ GV70 Electrified crossover doesn’t get the love it deserves in most circles – but that’s true of just about every Genesis offering. If you’re willing to give the top shelf Koreans a chance, though, I think you’ll find them to be every bit the equal of anything in their class.

And if you don’t, the $10,000 retail bonus cash offer on remaining 2024 models reported by USNews will surely help readjust the models you’re comparing the Genesis to!

Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe

Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe; via Stellantis.

I have, admittedly, never spent a lot of time in the latest iteration of Jeep’s Grad Cherokee. Once upon a time, I drove a ZJ GC with the immortal and buttery-smooth 4.0L inline six and every iteration since has, in my opinion, been a step in the wrong direction. I’d still prefer a ZJ, sure, but after a week spent behind the wheel of a white-on-black 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe, I have come around. That interior is a nice place to be, whether that’s because of Mercedes’ influence or Fiat’s or Peugeot’s is less clear – but shouldn’t take away from the experience.

If you haven’t given the latest JGC a chance, yet, know that its 17.3 kWh 400 V lithium-ion is big enough to go 26 miles on pure electric power, with “just” two hours needed on a L2 port to get you back to 100% charge. I think that’s worth a look.

Kia EV6 GT

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Kia EV6 GT; via Kia.

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

Nearly every electric Mercedes

Germany automakers
EQB; va Mercedes-Benz.

With the possible exception of the G-wagen version, Mercedes’ EQ lineup is struggling to move off dealer lots. Blame the bizarre naming conventions, the confusion between an S Class and an EQS Class, or the fact that even the top-shelf AMG versions of Mercedes’ electric line look more like suppositories than one of Bruno Sacco‘s Teutonic masterpieces.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. Mercedes dealers are ready to get these things off the lot now, and if you can live with some awkward proportions you’ll be rewarded with solid performance, excellent fit and finish, and all the rest of the things that made the 3-pointed star an icon.

Nissan LEAF

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2024 Nissan LEAF; via Nissan.

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” $7,500 cash back, the $28,140 $20,640 Nissan LEAF is one of the most affordable new cars you can buy in the US. If you can score some additional local incentives and dealer discounts, so much the better.

Toyota bZ4X

Toyota-2025-bZ4X-prices
2025 Toyota bZ4X Limited AWD Supersonic Red (Source: Toyota)

It’s not breaking any sales records, but the Toyota bZ4X is a reasonably capable five-passenger crossover EV that should meet most people’s needs with enough of Toyota’s legendary quality baked in to make it a safe enough bet for a decade 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.

Electric Volvo Cars

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2025 Volvo EX90; via Volvo Cars.

Volvo is offering $7,500 EV Lease Bonus Cash on remaining 2024 C40 Recharge models, as well as 2025 EX40 and EX90 SUVs. Those deals can be combined with another $1,000 in Conquest or Volvo Loyalty cash and up to $2,000 additional dollars for Costco Executive members (“Gold Star” Costco members get $1,500 back).

All-in, that can add up to $10,500 off the sticker price of the hot new Volvo EX90 electric seven-passenger SUV, with additional dealer discounts and local incentives available in some states making a new plug-in Volvo and even sweeter deal.

Disclaimer: the vehicle models and rebate deals above were sourced from CarsDirectCarEdge, USNews, and (where mentioned) the OEM websites – and were current as of 23MAR2025. Despite my best efforts to filter these, some deals may not be available in your market, or be stackable with every other discount, or to every buyer (the standard “with approved credit” fine print should be considered implied). Check with your local dealer(s) for more information.

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Trump’s penalty threat puts India in a bind over Russian oil

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Trump's penalty threat puts India in a bind over Russian oil

The Reliance Industries Ltd. oil refinery in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India, on Saturday, July 31, 2021.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

India is navigating a tricky balancing act after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a “penalty” over its continued imports of Russian oil — a trade that New Delhi appears reluctant to end anytime soon.

Despite Trump telling reporters Friday that he “heard” India would halt purchases, officials in New Delhi have remained noncommittal. Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the country decides its energy import sources “based on the price at which oil is available in the international market and depending on the global situation at that time.”

“The Indians must be having some confusion” following Trump’s threat — a reversal from the more tolerant approach taken under the Biden administration, Bob McNally, president of consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.”

“Now we’re flipping around and saying, ‘What are you doing taking all this Russian oil?'” McNally said.

In March 2022 — a month after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — Daleep Singh, a former U.S. deputy national security adviser for international economics in the Biden administration, reportedly said that “friends don’t set red lines” and “there is no prohibition at present on energy imports from Russia.” 

“What we would not like to see is a rapid acceleration of India’s imports from Russia as it relates to energy or any other exports that are currently being prohibited by us or by other aspects of the international sanctions regime,” Singh said.

On July 30, Trump announced that India would face a 25% tariff beginning Aug. 1, along with an unspecified “penalty” for buying Russian oil and military equipment.

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But analysts suggest that India, which is the third-largest energy consumer in the world, isn’t blinking. Reuters reported that there are no immediate changes planned to India’s long-term contracts with Russian suppliers, citing two anonymous Indian government sources that did not wish to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Russia has become the leading oil supplier to India since the war in Ukraine began, increasing from just under 100,000 barrels per day before the invasion, or a 2.5% share of total imports, to more than 1.8 million barrels per day in 2023, or 39%. According to the International Energy Agency, 70% of Russian crude was exported to India in 2024.

India’s energy minister Hardeep Singh Puri defended New Delhi’s actions in a July 10 interview with CNBC, saying that it helped stabilize global prices and was even encouraged by the U.S.

“If people or countries had stopped buying at that stage, the price of oil would have gone up to 130 dollars a barrel. That was a situation in which we were advised, including by our friends in the United States, to please buy Russian oil, but within the price cap.”

Russian oil exports had been capped at $60 per barrel in December 2022 by the Group of Seven nations, representing the world’s top economies, while the European Union had lowered the price cap to just above $47 per barrel in July.

Still, pressure is mounting. Vishnu Varathan, Managing Director at Mizuho Securities, said that the U.S. threats present a “clear and present danger” to India. He said that New Delhi is likely to remain non-committal on oil purchases as it assesses the trade-offs of this “Russia option” as a bargaining chip.

India will need to scour the global market for comparable oil bargains with Russian oil, Varathan, who is also the head of macro research for Asia ex-Japan, added.

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New Delhi could explore alternatives, including Iran — if an exemption from the U.S. can be negotiated — as well as a few other producers “either within or outside of the OPEC+ that have been pressured by the U.S,” Varathan said.

The OPEC+ bloc had agreed on Sunday to raise output by 547,000 barrels per day in September, as concerns mount over potential supply disruptions linked to Russia.

India is going to face a tough choice, Rapidan’s McNally said.

“Trump is serious. He’s frustrated with Putin… India is going to have a tough choice to make, but it’s hard to see them continuing to import that a million and a half barrels [of] Russian crude if Donald Trump decides to really put the whole relationship on the line over it.”

India's purchases of Russian oil helped to stabilize global oil prices: Hardeep Singh Puri

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Forbidden fruit: new Volkswagen Passat eHybrid Match and Black Editions

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Forbidden fruit: new Volkswagen Passat eHybrid Match and Black Editions

Wagons don’t get a lot of love Stateside, with American buyers choosing SUVs over – well, pretty much every other type of vehicle imaginable. That’s our loss, as the latest plug in hybrid versions of the Volkswagen Passat are here to prove.

The latest Passat Variant eHybrid (or, in some markets, Vario, which is what the Europeans like to call wagons) is different from the version we get in the US. Unlike the domestic version which is based on a low-cost platform specific to the US and China, the Euro-market version is built on the MQB platform that underpins VW’s flagship Arteon four-door coupe and both VW‘s and Audi’s entry-luxe SUVs.

That might seem weird, since VW has sold more than 34 million units sold worldwide and the Passat is the second top-selling Volkswagen of all time (behind the Golf and ahead of the Beetle). It’s understandable, then, that the European execs are pretty proud of their Passat.

The latest evolutionary stage of the modular transverse matrix (MQB evo)forms the highly innovative technical basis of the ninth Passat generation. Thanks to the significant economies of scale of the MQB evo, Volkswagen has again democratised numerous high-tech developments and made them available for hundreds of thousands of drivers. The two completely newly developed plug-in hybrid drives (eHybrid) are a perfect example of this. In combination with a new battery, they make all-electric ranges of around 100 km possible. This distance turns the new Passat Variant into an electric vehicle for everyday life – this is additionally ensured by short charging times as the battery can now be charged at AC charge points with 11 kW instead of the previous 3.6 kW. The Passat Variant eHybrid can even be charged with up to 50 kW at DC fast charging stations. In addition, the combination of electric drive motor and new economical turbocharged petrol engine provides overall ranges of around 1,000 km.

KAI GRÜNITZ
Member of the Brand Board of Management, VW

In case the jealous American wago-philes reading this aren’t jealous enough, Volkswagen has announced new Passat eHybrid Match and Black Editions that add nearly £5k of options for the new model year effectively for free.

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“Match is better equipped than the outgoing Life, with additional features including metallic paint, VW’s IQ.Light LED matrix headlights, tinted rear windows and an ‘assistance pack’ which adds area view and emergency assist,” reports Alastair Crooks, from the UK car site AutoExpress. “The new Black Edition comes with metallic paint, 19-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, tinted rear windows (darker than the Match’s), heated front and rear seats, a head-up display, a 15-inch central touchscreen and the same assistance pack as the Match.”

The entry-level Match replaces the previous Life trim, but costs the same £45,555 (about $60,500), while the Black Edition costs the same as the outgoing R-Line, from £48,900 (about $64,950). The order books open 14 August.

You can take a look at some of the VW press photos of the European Passat wagon Variant, below, then let us know if you’d rather have this for $60K or the discount American version in the comments.


SOURCE | IMAGES: VW, via AutoExpress.


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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E-quipment highlight: Wirtgen Vögele launches new electric MINI pavers

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E-quipment highlight: Wirtgen Vögele launches new electric MINI pavers

Wirtgen Vögele recently revealed the battery-powered MINI 500e and the MINI 502e electric pavers. With an electrically heated screed, a range of paving widths, and zero-emission operations, they’re paving a greener, cleaner path.

Co-developed by Wirtgen Vögele and Italian road equipment manufacturer C. M. S.r.l., the new electric pavers will enable contractors to bid on construction projects that are subject to even the strictest noise and emission limits – but the company is quick to point out that they’re capable enough to serve on conventional job sites.

“These pavers excel on small-scale construction projects and jobs covering a small area – the type of work for which paving crews would not previously have been able to use machines,” reads the official Wirtgen Vögele copy. “Thanks to their elimination of manual labor, among other benefits, the new MINI pavers improve the efficiency and quality of asphalt paving, particularly in the construction of sidewalks and drains, as well as in tight downtown locations.”

The new Wirtgen MINI 502e (the one with wheels) and the MINI 500e (the one with crawler tracks) offer pave widths from 0.25 to 1.8 m, feature a battery-electric drive outputting 22.8 kW (30 hp), and your choice of either a 15 kWh or 22 kWh 48V li-ion battery – good enough battery capacity for up to 16 hours of continuing paving. Both versions can be fully charged on a conventional 110/120 “L1” power socket in about eight hours.

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Electrek’s Take


Wirtgen Vögele MINI 500e; via Wirtgen.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what the federal EV incentives are or even what the guys on your crew want to operate. What matters is that construction noise upsets Mrs. Clancik’s terrier, and she will force the town council to keep the noise down all by herself.

If your construction company wants to bid on any municipal work, that means you’re gonna have to stay quiet. Maybe even keep the smells to a minimum, too. Buying electric equipment means you can do both.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Wirtgen, via Construction Equipment International.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

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