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- Only used electric cars priced under $25,000 can qualify for a used EV tax credit.
- That's a limited number of used EVs.
- Automakers might offer shorter lease terms on new EVs to get those cars into the used market sooner.
Car buyers shouldn't be surprised if they run across shorter lease deals in the coming years for electric vehicles — and it could save them a lot of money.
It's not very clear exactly how EV tax credits will shake out over the next few years — or how many vehicles will actually qualify for them as automakers race to meet their stringent requirements.
So car companies are doing everything they can to tap into what the credits have to offer. That includes ultimately changing the length of leases to get more used EVs onto their lots that may qualify.
Used EVs are eligible for a credit when they're priced at $25,000 or less. The credit is for 30% of the used EV's sale price, up to $4,000. The EV also needs to be from a model year at least two years earlier than the year in which it is bought.
A lot of today's EVs are priced so high that they might not qualify for the used EV tax credit once they eventually make their way to the used market. The average new EV sold for $58,385 in January, according to Kelley Blue Book. A $74,000 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat, for instance, is not likely to depreciate enough to drop below $25,000 in just a few years. Even with uncertainty around EV resale values, it would likely take longer.
But perhaps a $46,000 base Mustang Mach-E would be more likely to fall to below that mark in three years' time.
And automakers and dealers, in anticipation of what the used EV tax credit can do for them in terms of spurring demand with customers who might not consider an EV otherwise, might adjust their EV lease contracts accordingly.
How EV leases could shift
Carmakers will have to be fine with giving a customer a multi-year lease for the more expensive EVs that they know they won't be able to resell with the used EV credit anytime soon. But for other, cheaper models, automakers want to profit off those cars as much as possible, so that might mean some unconventional lease terms.
A move like this requires buy-in from customers. After all, a 36-month lease is typically the gold standard in the auto business.
"Consumers haven't really shown a large appetite for really short-term leases," Tyson Jominy, J.D. Power VP of data and analytics, told Insider. But, "If you can tell someone, I can give you this vehicle for 6 months for $100 a month — sure, why not?"
It might make sense for a Chevrolet Bolt, starting at around $27,500, to have as low as six to nine-month lease terms so that it can find its way to the used market sooner rather than later. That gives customers the opportunity to lease an EV for a short period of time and makes the used EV market more accessible.
Shorter-term leases aren't far off from the vehicle subscription model, interest for which has fluctuated over the past several years.
Do you work for a dealership? Currently in the market for an electric car? Have a story to share? Get in touch with this reporter at astjohn@insider.com