Is CVRP Still Giving Out EV Rebates? (No — Here's What Replaced It)
A huge amount of "California EV rebate" content online still describes a program that hasn't accepted an application in years. Here's what's actually live right now.
CVRP (the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project) closed permanently on November 8, 2023. It is not paused, not "on hold pending funding" — it is done. The two programs that took its place are MyFirstEV and Clean Cars 4 All, and they work very differently from CVRP and from each other.
Why so much stale CVRP content is still out there
CVRP ran for over a decade and became the default answer to "how do I get an EV rebate in California." A lot of blog posts, forum threads, and even some dealer marketing pages that ranked well for that question years ago were never updated after the program closed. Google doesn't automatically know a page has gone stale — so outdated CVRP content keeps circulating even though the underlying program hasn't existed since 2023.
What replaced it: two separate programs, not one
Unlike CVRP, which was a single rebate that most EV buyers could tap into (with rebate amounts that varied by income), the state split the replacement into two programs aimed at different buyers:
- MyFirstEV — a flat rebate of $3,500 for a new vehicle or $1,750 for a certified pre-owned vehicle, with no income test. The only requirement is being a genuine first-time zero-emission vehicle buyer (BEV, PHEV, or FCEV).
- Clean Cars 4 All — an income-qualified rebate, generally in the roughly $9,500–$12,000 range depending on your local air district, that usually requires scrapping an older, high-polluting vehicle as part of the deal.
Because these are two independent programs with different eligibility tests, it's possible to qualify for one, both, or neither — something CVRP's single-rebate structure never had to account for.
What about home chargers?
That's a third, entirely separate track: CALeVIP, which rebates home Level 2 charger installation and isn't tied to the vehicle purchase at all. If you're buying your first ZEV, scrapping an old car, and installing a charger, you could plausibly be touching all three programs at once — CVRP never worked that way.
How to check what you actually qualify for
Rather than guessing which of these applies to your situation, run your numbers through our California EV Incentive Finder, which checks all three current programs in one pass. If you already know you're a first-time buyer, the MyFirstEV Rebate Checker gives you the exact number in seconds; if you're scrapping an older vehicle, use the Clean Cars 4 All Rebate Estimator instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still apply for CVRP in California?
No. CVRP stopped accepting new applications on November 8, 2023, and the program will not reopen. Any website, forum post, or ad still describing CVRP as active is out of date.
What replaced CVRP?
Two separate programs: MyFirstEV, a flat rebate for genuine first-time zero-emission vehicle buyers, and Clean Cars 4 All, an income-qualified rebate generally tied to scrapping an older, high-polluting vehicle.
Is MyFirstEV income-qualified like CVRP was?
No. MyFirstEV has no income test — the only requirement is being a genuine first-time ZEV buyer. Clean Cars 4 All is the income-qualified program in this pair.
This article is for general information only and is not affiliated with CARB or DriveClean.ca.gov. Program rules and funding change — confirm current status before making a purchase decision.