The Best U.S. Cities For Electric Vehicle Drivers

If you’ve done even the most preliminary research on electric vehicles (EVs), you know that California, especially the Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay areas, are EV-adoption hubs in the U.S. in terms of both charging infrastructure and government incentives. There is a $2,000 rebate for the purchase or lease of any EV, and 75% of charger installation costs can be covered by CALeVIP, not to mention loads of more localized incentives.

If you live in another part of the U.S., however, and you’re looking to switch to an EV, you might be wondering where your city ranks in terms of charging infrastructure and cost savings. In this post, we’ll discuss the top three cities for EVs that you might not expect, and three cities where EV adoption is quickly on the rise and will be the next big thing. 

Top 3 Cities for EVs that You Might Not Expect

Boston, MA

Boston has made itself a good home for electric vehicle drivers through the State of Massachusetts’ $2,500 rebate for the purchase or lease of an EV. Not only that, but businesses and multi-unit dwellings, such as apartment and condo complexes, that want to install chargers can do so for 60% less thanks to grants from MassEVIP. MassEVIP will even cover up to 80% of the cost if the charger is made public through a charging network like EVmatch.

Austin, TX

Like Massachusetts, Texas also offers a $2,500 rebate for the purchase or lease of an EV. Austin may be the best place to take advantage of this offer due to the high number of electric vehicles in the area, and as a result, the strong charging infrastructure. The Austin Energy Plug-In EVerywhere℠ network subscription plan offers unlimited charging at more than 800 public chargers for a flat rate of $4.17 per month. 

Portland, OR

Portland may be the most well-known hub of EVs on this list, and for good reason. Oregon is another state that incentivizes EV buyers with $2,500 in rebates, and Portland General Electric offers Portlanders discounted Time-of-Use rates on electricity, meaning you can save big when charging your car overnight. Pacific Power is also offering to cover the full cost of chargers for any non-residential entity, meaning that on top of the already strong charging infrastructure, there will be many new chargers available around Portland in the near future.

3 Cities Where EV Adoption is Rapidly Growing

The next three cities on our list are only going up in terms of electric vehicle adoption. Some of these cities already have a strong existing EV stock, but are primed to expand even more in the coming years. 

Denver, CO

Denver could be the most exciting place to be if you’re considering a switch to an EV. First, there is currently a $4,000 dollar tax credit from the State of Colorado for 2020-2021 (this credit decreases in future years, so the sooner you act, the better). There are Charge Ahead Colorado grants which will cover up to 80% of the cost for both individual drivers and fleets to install chargers, and new this summer is a program which aims to install $4 million worth of DC fast charging plazas in the coming years, making freeway travel and ride-hailing with an EV so much easier. Denver will be the next hotspot for EVs, especially once AWD electric SUVs and trucks gain traction and start increasing in availability on the market. 

New York City

In New York City, electric cars won’t immediately help with traffic, but they’ll help with cleaner air and fuel savings. New York State currently offers a solid $2,000 in rebates for purchasing or leasing an EV, but the biggest win here is the $4,000 rebate for anyone installing new charging stations! Businesses get up to an extra 50% off for installing their own charging stations, making New York a soon-to-be hub of EVs. Governor Cuomo has made it a priority to electrify New York, so expect to see the EV infrastructure take off in the near future. 

Burlington, VT

Burlington offers more return in rebates than other city on this list for those looking to purchase or lease an electric vehicle. The state of Vermont offers a $2,500 incentive, increasing to $4,000 for low-income buyers, which can be stacked with an $1,800 incentive from Burlington Electric Department (BED). More charging is also coming to nearby highway corridors through large scale grants from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust. The City of Burlington also has a growing network of chargers, including these, recently listed on EVmatch.com through a partnership between BED and EVmatch to increase charging infrastructure at multi-family properties.

Honorable Mention

Hartford, CT

Connecticut currently offers a $1,500 rebate for the purchase or lease of an electric vehicle, but this rebate amount increases to $5,000 for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, another new green-vehicle technology. Hartford offers a solid pre-existing charging network as well. 

If your city isn’t on this list, switching to an electric vehicle can still be easy – remember, there is a $7,500 federal tax credit for almost any non-Tesla and non-GM EV. Many cities beyond these 7 have solid charging infrastructure, and the number of chargers is increasing rapidly nearly everywhere. You can check evmatch.com for more charging locations near you, and you can even rent out your own charging station or outlet on the EVmatch app to help more people drive electric. Let us know what other parts of the U.S. we should have mentioned on this list of EV hotspots!