Bay Area Clean Cars for All Eligibility and Grant Amounts

Bay Area Clean Cars for All eligibility comes down to four things: your household income, where you live, the old vehicle you’re willing to scrap, and the cleaner vehicle you plan to buy or lease. If you clear all four, the grant runs from $4,500 for a zero-emission motorcycle up to $12,000 for a battery electric or fuel cell vehicle when you live in a designated disadvantaged community.¹

Income Limits by Household Size

The program uses fixed dollar caps rather than asking you to work out a percentage of the Federal Poverty Level. For 2026, your total household income must fall at or below:²

1 person: $46,950
2 people: $63,450
3 people: $79,950
4 people: $96,450
5 people: $112,950
6 people: $129,450
7 people: $145,950
8 or more: add $16,500 for each additional person

Income is verified from your most recent federal tax return, so the number the program checks is the one on your Form 1040.

Where You Have to Live

You need to live inside the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s jurisdiction, which covers Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties, plus southwestern Solano and southern Sonoma.²

Since March 2024, any resident of those counties who meets the income limits can apply. Before that, the program was restricted to specific disadvantaged ZIP codes identified through CalEnviroScreen 4.0.¹ Those tracts still matter: residents inside them receive a larger grant on the same replacement vehicle, as the amounts below show.

The Vehicle You’re Scrapping

For 2026 applications, the car you turn in must be model year 2011 or older, following the program’s rule that the vehicle be at least 15 years old from the current calendar year.³ It also has to meet these conditions:

Functional. It has to run and drive, and you may be asked to pass a drivability test or smog check during inspection.
Continuously registered in California for the two years before the current registration expiration date, with no gaps in registration totaling more than 120 days.³
Titled in your name, with a title that can be transferred to a program-approved dismantler.

The vehicle is permanently destroyed after the transaction. There is no getting it back, so be sure before you apply.

What You Can Get and How Much

Grant size depends on the replacement you choose and whether your address sits inside a disadvantaged community census tract:²

Battery electric vehicle: $10,000, or $12,000 in a disadvantaged community tract
Fuel cell electric vehicle: $10,000, or $12,000 in a disadvantaged community tract
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle: $9,500, or $11,500 in a disadvantaged community tract
Zero-emission motorcycle: $4,500, or $6,500 in a disadvantaged community tract
Mobility option (e-bike, bike accessories, pre-loaded transit cards): $7,500 regardless of location

You can purchase or lease the replacement; the grant applies either way.⁴ The mobility option is built for people who want to leave car ownership behind entirely and handle commuting through transit and bikes.

If you choose a plug-in hybrid or battery electric, you can also apply for up to $2,000 toward a Level 2 home charger installation or up to $1,000 for a portable Level 2 charger. Get written approval from the program before you buy or start installation.⁵

Price Cap and Used Vehicle Rules

The replacement vehicle cannot cost more than $48,000, excluding taxes, fees, warranties, and accessories. Manufacturer rebates count toward getting under the cap, so a $50,000 vehicle with a $2,500 factory rebate still qualifies. Other incentives like the Clean Fuel Reward do not count against the cap.⁶

Used vehicles are eligible as long as they are model year 2019 or newer (for calendar year 2026) and have fewer than 75,000 miles on the odometer.⁶ Pairing a used EV in the $20,000 to $30,000 range with a $10,000 or $12,000 grant is where the program does its heaviest lifting for buyers who otherwise could not afford an electric car. You also have to buy from a dealership on the program’s authorized list, working with the staff member trained to process Clean Cars for All grants.⁷

Documents You Need to Prove Eligibility

Pull these together before you start the application:⁸

Vehicle certificate of title in your name.
Two years of California vehicle registration records.
Your most recent federal tax return (Form 1040) plus IRS Form 4506-C authorizing the Air District to request your tax transcript. The 4506-C must be typed, carry a wet signature, and show the exact address on your most recent tax return.⁹
Proof of Bay Area residency. A current California driver’s license with your address works; if the license shows an old address, you’ll need a utility bill or similar.
Valid California driver’s license.

If you cannot produce a standard tax return, alternative income documentation such as an income affidavit may be accepted, but only if the Air District pre-approves it.

What You Agree to After You’re Approved

The replacement vehicle is yours, but with a string attached. The statewide Clean Cars 4 All framework requires you to keep and register the vehicle in California for at least 30 months. If something forces you out of that commitment, notify the program within 30 days; you may have to repay a prorated share of the grant. Providing false information or breaking other program terms can forfeit the entire award. Check the current Terms and Conditions for the retention period attached to your specific grant, since the number can shift between program cycles.

The Federal Clean Vehicle Tax Credit Is Gone

If older guides told you to stack a Clean Cars for All grant with the federal clean vehicle tax credit, that option is no longer available. The federal New Clean Vehicle Credit, Previously-Owned Clean Vehicle Credit, and Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit all ended for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025.¹⁰ The Bay Area grant itself is funded through California Climate Investments cap-and-trade revenue and continues to operate independently.¹

1
Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Clean Cars for All Program Now Open to Entire Bay Area
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Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Clean Cars for All – Eligibility
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Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Clean Cars for All Program Terms and Conditions
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California Air Resources Board. Clean Cars 4 All
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Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Charging Your EV
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Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Eligible Replacement Vehicles
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Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Participating Dealerships
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Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Clean Cars for All Program Terms and Conditions
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Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Clean Cars for All – Apply
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Internal Revenue Service. Clean Vehicle Tax Credits