California announced that nearly 12,000 residents have used the state's MyFirstEV rebate program to purchase their first electric vehicle, according to Governor Gavin Newsom's office. The program, which launched in August, provides an instant $3,500 discount on new zero-emission vehicles with an MSRP up to $50,000, or $1,750 off used ZEVs priced up to $25,000 at the point of sale. The state estimates drivers save up to $2,000 annually in fuel costs by switching to electric vehicles.
The $135.5 million state investment was matched dollar-for-dollar by participating automakers—including Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, Toyota, Lucid, Nissan, Rivian, Subaru, and Volvo—for a combined $271 million in savings to California families.
The milestone comes as zero-emission vehicles accounted for 19.1 percent of new car sales in California during the third quarter of 2026. Californians have purchased nearly 2.8 million ZEVs to date, and the state reports more than 25,600 jobs in ZEV manufacturing and infrastructure industries.
Governor Newsom also announced the state's new 2026 Zero-Emission Vehicle Market Development Strategy, developed by the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. The comprehensive plan is structured around four core pillars: vehicles, infrastructure, end users, and workforce.
California has 224,438 public and limited-access charging ports installed, including more than 20,000 fast chargers, plus nearly 1.2 million chargers at homes. According to the California Energy Commission, this represents nearly 50 percent progress toward the state's projected 2030 goal of 478,000 ports to support 6.8 million electric vehicles. Fast charger installations have increased 221 percent since 2021.
Separately, Toyota launched two manufacturer-funded programs, MyNextEV and MyLexusEV, offering eligible buyers an additional $2,500 instant rebate on Toyota or Lexus electric vehicles.