EV sales surge could continue as Trump delays ending federal rebates, report says

By Nick Godt Published January 25, 2025

A surge in sales of electric vehicles in the final months of last year could continue well into 2025, as consumers continue to take advantage of federal tax incentives while they last, according to a report by the Associated Press.

On the day of his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Unleashing American Energy”, which says the government is “considering the elimination of unfair subsidies and other ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions that favor EVs over other technologies.”

During his campaign, Trump’s team said it was planning to end the Biden administration’s $7,500 tax credit on the purchase or lease of an EV, although it did not provide a timeline for doing so.

Americans rushed to take advantage of the incentive, helping fuel a surge of more than 15% in EV sales in the fourth quarter, according to Cox Automotive.

Recent surveys show that incentives have played a major role in fueling EV sales over the past few years, and that a majority of Americans are in favor of government incentives to help with the purchase of an EV.

Meanwhile, the wording in Trump’s executive order, which says his administration is still ‘considering’ its options, leaves room for ambiguity about the timing of its application.

“Temporarily, sales of EVs could skyrocket as car-buyers rush to take advantage of existing tax credits,” the report by the Associated Press says.

In order to repeal the EV tax credit, the Trump administration will need to obtain the approval of congress. The process will likely take place as part of broader negotiations on extending Trump’s first-term tax cuts, which are due to expire near the end of 2025.

It’s also not entirely clear if the Trump administration will seek to end the whole of the $7,500 EV tax incentive. In order to obtain the incentive for the purchase of an EV, restrictions apply for high-income households and for EVs with non-U.S. made batteries. But those restrictions don’t apply to leasing an EV.

According to Cox Automotive, members of the Trump administration are particularly keen on ending “this leasing loophole, which was created partly to appease Korean and Japanese automakers, who have invested billions in U.S. EV manufacturing.”

Ending rebates and other subsidies for EVs is also likely to meet challenges, be they legal or political, from different actors.

The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA), a trade group whose members include the likes of Tesla, Waymo, Rivian, and Uber, has come out in support of incentives for both the production and the sale of EVs.

ZETA says the incentives for both EV and battery-makers have led to enormous investments and job gains in Republican-dominated states like Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Georgia.