EV Charging Help

State guide

California

CA9 / 10Adoption

California leads the nation in EV adoption with the most aggressive ZEV sales mandate, the largest public charging network of any state, and a layered set of income-targeted purchase programs that replaced the now-closed Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.

Last updated June 2026

California EV adoptionAdoption 9 / 10

EV Charging Snapshot

Leading
EV Adoption Rate
15.7%
Public Chargers
201,000
Top Incentive
Driving Clean Assistance Program and Clean Cars 4 All, up to $12,000 combined for income-qualified buyers
Recent regulatory activity
Adoption score
9/10

What applies to your address?

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Cost to charge

Charging an EV in California costs about $95/month

At California's 33.35¢/kWh residential rate (EIA). See the full cost breakdown for California →

EV adoption snapshot

EVs registered in California

1,256,650

2024 data · U.S. DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Public chargers per 1,000 EVs

6.8

Lower ratio = more demand per existing charger

EV adoption by county: top 10

County-level light-duty plug-in EV registrations.

CountyRegistered EVsShare of state
Los Angeles County282,40022.5%
Santa Clara County152,10012.1%
Orange County95,3007.6%
Alameda County86,9006.9%
San Diego County81,7006.5%
San Mateo County55,4004.4%
Contra Costa County50,8004.0%
Riverside County45,2003.6%
San Francisco County35,9002.9%
Sacramento County32,5002.6%

Source: California Energy Commission · 2025 data

01

Incentives and rebates

Amounts shift as funding rounds open and close. Confirm the live program page before you apply.

Residential programs
Residential EV incentive programs in California
ProgramAmountWho qualifiesApply
Driving Clean Assistance Program (DCAP)$9,500 to $14,000 in grants (including a $2,000 charging incentive) depending on disadvantaged community status and whether an older vehicle is scrapped, plus low-interest financing capped at 8%California residents at or below 300% of the federal poverty level who have not previously taken a CARB light-duty purchase incentive, purchasing or leasing a new or used BEV, PHEV, or FCEV with a sale price at or below $45,000Learn more ↗
Clean Cars 4 All (CC4A)Up to $12,000 for income-qualified buyers in disadvantaged communities who scrap an older vehicleLower-income residents in participating air districts (Sacramento, San Joaquin Valley, South Coast, San Diego, and Bay Area as funding rounds open)Learn more ↗
PG&E Residential Charging Solutions RebateUp to $2,000 standard, up to $5,000 for income-qualified customersPG&E residential customers installing a Level 2 charger from PG&E's qualified equipment listLearn more ↗
PG&E Empower EV ProgramFree Level 2 charger valued at $500, plus up to $2,000 toward panel upgradesPG&E residential customers within 400% of the federal poverty level, single-family homesLearn more ↗
SCE Pre-Owned EV Rebate$1,000 standard, $4,000 for income-qualified customersSCE residential customers who purchase or lease a used BEV or PHEV with at least 8 kWh battery capacityLearn more ↗
SDG&E Pre-Owned EV Rebate$1,000 standard, $4,000 for income-qualified customersSDG&E residential customers who purchase or lease a used BEV or PHEVLearn more ↗
Federal Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (30C)Ended June 30, 2026 (no longer available)The federal 30C charger credit ended June 30, 2026. It previously covered residential charging equipment placed in service in an eligible census tract; property placed in service after that date cannot claim it.Learn more ↗
Commercial and property-owner programs
Commercial EV incentive programs in California
ProgramAmountWho qualifiesApply
CALeVIP Fast Charge California ProjectFCCP-2 (Oct 2026 to Jan 2027) caps at $100,000 per DC fast port; FCCP-3 (Feb to May 2027) caps at $55,000 per port and requires 150 kW minimumPublicly accessible commercial sites statewide, with priority for tribal lands, disadvantaged communities, and low-income communitiesLearn more ↗
NEVI Formula ProgramUp to 80% of project costsEV charging projects along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors; California Solicitation 3 ($79 million) closed March 25, 2026, awaiting Solicitation 4 announcement from the CECLearn more ↗
Federal Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (30C, commercial)Ended June 30, 2026 (no longer available)The federal 30C charger credit ended June 30, 2026. It previously covered commercial charging equipment placed in service in an eligible census tract; property placed in service after that date cannot claim it.Learn more ↗
HVIP (Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project)$7,500 to $120,000 per vehicleCommercial fleets purchasing new electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks; CARB's primary MHD voucher program, with $250 million in the current cycle and over $1 billion announced through 2030Learn more ↗
02

Time-of-use rates

Peak windows and prices are set by each utility and change at rate cases.

Residential EV time-of-usestatewide
Availability
statewide
Summary
All three California major IOUs offer dedicated residential EV time-of-use rates: PG&E's EV2-A and EV-B, SCE's TOU-D-PRIME, and SDG&E's EV-TOU-5. Peak windows are standardized at 4pm to 9pm every day, with off-peak rates substantially lower (SDG&E EV-TOU-5 carries a super off-peak window with deep discounts midnight to 6am). LADWP and other municipal utilities run their own EV-specific TOU schedules with separate-meter discounts.
Source
SourceVerified Jun 2026
03

Net metering and solar export

Matters if you pair rooftop solar with home charging.

Net metering / solar + EVnet billing
Status
net billing
Summary
California moved from full-retail NEM to a net-billing tariff (NEM 3.0) for systems interconnected on or after April 15, 2023. Exports are credited at hourly avoided-cost values from the California Public Utilities Commission's Avoided Cost Calculator, typically $0.05 to $0.08 per kWh versus retail rates of $0.23 to $0.30 per kWh. Pre-April 2023 systems are grandfathered into NEM 1.0 or 2.0 for 20 years from interconnection.
Source
SourceVerified Jun 2026
04

Right to charge

Whether an HOA or landlord can block a home charger install.

Statutory protectionStatute on the books
Statute
Cal. Civ. Code § 4745
Applies to
single family hoa, condo, rental
What it does
California voids any HOA covenant, deed restriction, or governing document that prohibits or unreasonably restricts installation of an EV charging station in a designated parking space, unit, or exclusive-use common area. The homeowner pays for installation, uses a licensed contractor, complies with reasonable architectural standards, maintains a liability coverage policy, and provides the association with a certificate of insurance. As of January 1, 2026, SB 770 removed the earlier requirement that the certificate name the association as an additional insured, though the owner must still carry liability coverage. Section 4745.1 extends parallel protections to renters.
Source
SourceVerified Jun 2026
05

Registration and EV fees

The annual surcharge that replaces gas-tax revenue.

Annual fees
California EV and PHEV registration fees
Vehicle typeAnnual fee
Battery electric (EV)$118/year
Plug-in hybrid (PHEV)None
The $118 Road Improvement Fee under California Vehicle Code section 9250.6 applies to model year 2020 and later zero-emission vehicles at each renewal, and is indexed annually to the California Consumer Price Index. It does not apply to initial registration of a new ZEV from a licensed California dealer. No statewide PHEV fee.
SourceVerified Jun 2026
Utilities

Utilities serving California

Your EV rate, rebates, and make-ready programs depend on who serves your address.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

EV rates, rebates & programs →

Southern California Edison Company

EV rates, rebates & programs →

San Diego Gas and Electric Company

EV rates, rebates & programs →

Network

Public charging network

Tesla Supercharger, Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint, and Shell Recharge operate dense statewide networks. California crossed 200,000 public and shared charging ports in late 2025, and NEVI corridor buildout continues on I-5, US-101, I-80, I-15, and I-10.

NetworkStations
Tesla Supercharger1,980
Electrify America320
EVgo540
ChargePoint4,200
Other networks1,450
DC fast ports4,280
Level 2 public ports38,500

Source: NREL Alternative Fuels Data Center, as of May 2026.

Cities

Top cities for public charging

  • 1Los Angeles
    5,400 stations
  • 2San Francisco
    2,100 stations
  • 3San Diego
    1,850 stations
  • 4San Jose
    1,720 stations
  • 5Sacramento
    1,090 stations
Context

Regulatory environment

CARB Advanced Clean Cars II requires 35% ZEV new car sales in model year 2026, ramping to 68% by 2030 and 100% by 2035, though Congressional Review Act resolutions signed in June 2025 repealed the EPA waivers underpinning ACC II, ACT, and the Low NOx Omnibus, and a DOJ suit filed in March 2026 seeks to block CARB enforcement while Section 177 states defend the waivers in court. Title 24 and the 2026 building code update require EV-ready wiring in all new residential parking spots, at least one EV-ready spot per multifamily unit, and 65% EV-ready parking at new hotels. AB 2127 directs ongoing statewide charging infrastructure assessments.

Reading

Articles mentioning California

California Reopens CALeVIP Fast Charging Grants: The Two New Windows and What Changed

In late May 2026, the California Energy Commission scheduled the next two windows of CALeVIP's Fast Charge California Project, making more than $55 million available for public DC fast charging. The October 7, 2026 to January 14, 2027 window covers up to 100% of eligible installation costs up to $100,000 per port; the February 24 to May 27, 2027 window uses a simplified flat cap of $55,000 per port for any charger of at least 150 kW. The new windows tighten eligibility: charging hubs, hotels, and business districts are no longer eligible site types, applicants must own the equipment they install, and projects must be ready to build with final utility design and permits in hand. Because any project funded through them will be placed in service well after the federal 30C charger credit ended on June 30, 2026, it cannot also claim that credit.

Updated Jun 20269 min read

California's Title 24 EV-Ready Rules for Commercial Construction: The 2025 Code Raises the Bar

California's Title 24 / CALGreen has required EV infrastructure in new nonresidential and multifamily construction for years. The 2025 code edition, effective January 1, 2026, is the biggest change in a while: it splits the nonresidential scoping table by building use (office/retail versus other), pushes a much larger share of spaces from merely capable to actually installed EVSE, and cuts the power that may be allocated to EV-capable-only spaces. This piece explains the tiers, the 2025 changes, and how enforcement has tightened.

Updated May 20266 min read
Sources

Sources

See how we source the data behind these pages.

Free guide

The Home EV Charging Guide

Everything a homeowner needs to go from curious to charging. Chargers, installation, costs, and the credits that pay for it. No sales pitch.

  • Do you actually need Level 2?
  • What installation really involves
  • Costs, credits, and incentives
  • Your install-day checklist
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The Commercial Charging Playbook

A property owner's guide to deploying EV charging that pays for itself. Planning, utility coordination, funding, and the real business case. No vendor spin.

  • Should your property offer charging?
  • Planning and the deployment process
  • Funding: NEVI, CFI, and state and utility programs
  • ROI and the business case
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