Illinois Electric Vehicle Rebate Program Application Cycle to Open October 28

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Director James Jennings today announced the dates for the next EV Rebate Program application cycle, as well as updates to the program that reflect legislation passed by the Illinois General Assembly in 2025. Program requirements are included on theIllinois EPA’s EV Rebate Program webpage. The next application cycle for the EV Rebate Program will open Tuesday, October 28, 2025, and run through Saturday, January 31, 2026.

• Change to the definition of low-income applicant: A “low-income applicant” is defined as “persons and families whose income does not exceed 80% of the regional or county median income for the current State fiscal year, as established by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's Illinois Income Limits by metropolitan area and county.” Median income can be found on the HUD website at Illinois Low Income Limits by County.
• Longer time to apply from the date of vehicle purchase: Applicants now have 180 days from the date of purchase to apply (up from 90 days previously). Applications must be submitted during an open application period. Applications postmarked prior to October 28, 2025, will be rejected.

The Illinois General Assembly has appropriated $14 million to the Illinois EPA for the current fiscal year (FY26), which ends on June 30, 2026. Actual funding amounts will be determined by the amount of money available in the Electric Vehicle Rebate Fund. Rebates will be issued to eligible individuals as funding is available.

Historically, this has been a popular program and Illinois EPA anticipates available funds being depleted before the close of the application window on January 31, 2026. Individuals are encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible to increase the chance of receiving a rebate.

Full eligibility requirements are found in the EV Rebate Act and associated Illinois EPA program rules. These requirements include, but are not limited to:

• The vehicle must be a new or used all-electric vehicle and legally permitted to drive on all public roadways, including interstate highways.
• The vehicle must be purchased (not rented or leased) from a dealership licensed by the Illinois Secretary of State.
• The vehicle cannot have been the subject of a previous EV rebate under this program.
• Only individuals that are Illinois residents can receive a rebate, and an individual can only receive one EV rebate under this program.
• The purchaser must retain ownership of the vehicle for a minimum of 12 consecutive months immediately after the vehicle purchase date.

Questions about the EV Rebate Program may be submitted toEPA.EV@Illinois.gov. Individuals interested in receiving updates on Illinois EPA’s EV programs may register for the EV Listserv located at the bottom of the Electric Vehicle Rebate Program webpage.