Electric Cars For Sale in San Francisco, CA (2024)

FAQs

Is it worth buying electric car in California? ›

From a cost perspective, yes, it is a good time to buy. Federal and state incentives are bringing certain EVs on par with the cost of gas vehicles.

EV incentives from public utilities

For example, Pacific Gas and Electric entices residential customers with a California EV rebate of $1,000 for the purchase of a pre-owned electric car, while low-income residents may be eligible for a rebate of up to $4,000.

California hit a new record last year with 21.4% of new cars being all-electric, and once again Tesla led the pack with the two best-selling cars in the state, the Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3.

By the numbers: At a public charging station in California, it costs an average of $0.50 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to charge an electric car at a public charging station in California, according to data gathered by Stable Auto, an EV charger software developer. That's compared to the national average of $0.45 per kWh.

Purchasing an electric car can give you a tax credit starting at $2500. Other tax credits are available if the battery size is 5kWh with a cap of $7500 credit if the battery exceeds 16kWh.

Plan on a service life of between eight and 12 years if your EV is regularly used in more extreme conditions. As of 2023, the average age of all passenger vehicles in the U.S. is currently 12 and a half years old. Your EV's battery health might never even come under consideration.

As part of the Advanced Clean Cars II regulations, all new passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in California will be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. In October 2023, staff launched a new effort to consider amendments to the Advanced Clean Cars II regulations.

Electric vehicle sales were up 29% in 2023, though they slowed at year's end. California sales of new battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell cars increased 29% from 2022 to 2023. These sales accounted for 25% of new light-duty car sales in 2023.

Charging at home is usually cheaper than using a public charger. Where you live.

Drivers in California may expect to pay 30 cents per kWh to charge on Level 2, and 40 cents per kWh for DC fast charging.

Is charging an electric car cheaper than gas in California? ›

Hawaii and California have relatively expensive electricity prices, so charging an EV in those states costs considerably more than in other parts of the country. On the other hand, gasoline is pricey in those locations, too, so EVs still end up being cheaper to fuel.

A 2020 Consumer Reports study similarly showed that EV drivers tend to spend about 60 percent less each year on fuel costs compared to drivers of gas-powered cars.

AAA estimates that the electricity needed to drive 15,000 miles per year in a compact EV costs an average of $546. The organization estimates that with a similar gas-powered vehicle, it would cost $1,255 to drive the same distance. Using those estimates, driving an EV can save you $709 in fuel costs annually.

The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) promoted clean vehicle adoption in California by offering rebates from $1,000 to $7,500 for the purchase or lease of new, eligible zero-emission vehicles, including electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles.

There are plenty of reasons not to buy an electric vehicle in 2024: Auto loan rates are high. Despite a recent wave of discounting, many EVs remain pricier than gas-burning cars. And an incomplete network of sometimes glitchy chargers has stoked drivers' “range anxiety” about running out of juice.