Can someone please give me a conclusive answer as to whether I can claim the federal EV tax credit and California EV rebate on a leased Tesla or not? The official answer from Tesla is that I must purchase the vehicle, but I’ve got different answers from people who have leased Teslas. I myself have leased two non-Tesla EVs in the past, and I’ve managed to claim both incentives on each vehicle, despite returning the first one at the end of the lease. Do the rules governing this differ according to the manufacturer? Was Tesla perhaps passing the credit through to customers in the past but they’re not doing it anymore?
No, it can not. If you lease, you can not ever claim the tax credit. If you leased and then claimed a tax credit on your taxes, you should fully expect to pay it back with penalties in the future for the tax fraud.
On a lease, a tax credit goes to the owner of the vehicle; the bank. Some banks choose to provide an equivalent amount incentive on the lease, but that is like any other incentive and had nothing to do with your taxes. Tesla does not currently pass on amy incentive.
