Clean Cars for All in California: Income, Grants, and Rules

California’s Clean Cars for All program pays income-qualified residents up to $12,000 to scrap an older, high-polluting vehicle and switch to a zero-emission car, plug-in hybrid, electric motorcycle, e-bike, or transit pass, with an additional $2,000 available for home charging equipment. The program is run by the California Air Resources Board and delivered locally through five regional air districts, with a separate statewide option for people who live outside those districts.1California Air Resources Board. Clean Cars 4 All

Who Qualifies by Income

Your household income has to be at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level.2California Air Resources Board. Clean Cars 4 All – About Districts publish their own current tables based on the federal poverty guidelines, and the numbers move each year, so pull the exact figure from your district’s page before you apply.

Household size includes you, your spouse or partner, and anyone you claim as a dependent on your tax return.3Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Clean Cars for All – Eligibility Roommates who file their own taxes and aren’t your dependents don’t count, even if they live with you.

Which Vehicle You Can Scrap

The car you’re retiring has to be old enough to be a real pollution source. Some districts require model year 2009 or older; others set the cutoff at 2007 or older.3Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Clean Cars for All – Eligibility These cutoffs shift, so confirm the current year with your district.

The vehicle also has to meet several other conditions:

  • It has to run. Districts verify this through a tailpipe smog check or a functionality test at an authorized facility.4Spare the Air. Clean Cars for All Program Terms and Conditions
  • It has to be registered with the California DMV in your name, at an address inside the district where you’re applying.
  • You need continuous California registration for the two years before your application. A gap over 120 days triggers extra proof-of-operability requirements, such as insurance records covering the gap or repair invoices from two separate calendar years.5San Diego County Air Pollution Control District. Clean Cars 4 All Program Documentation
  • You have to hold the California Certificate of Title in your name with no lienholder listed.6Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District. Clean Cars 4 All Program Application Resource Guide

Where the Program Operates

Clean Cars for All runs in California’s five largest air districts, each handling its own applications and waitlists:1California Air Resources Board. Clean Cars 4 All

  • South Coast AQMD, covering much of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, where the program is branded “Replace Your Ride.”
  • San Joaquin Valley APCD, covering the Central Valley from Stockton to Bakersfield.
  • Bay Area AQMD, covering the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.
  • Sacramento Metropolitan AQMD, covering Sacramento County and surrounding areas.
  • San Diego APCD, covering San Diego County.

If you live outside all five, the Driving Clean Assistance Program is a separate statewide option administered in partnership with CARB that provides similar scrap-and-replace incentives to income-qualified residents anywhere in California.7Driving Clean Assistance Program. Driving Clean Assistance Program DCAP has seen heavy demand and periodically closes pathways to new applicants, so check its site for current availability.

How Much You Can Get and for Which Replacement

You don’t have to buy another car. There are four replacement categories, and your grant amount depends on the category and whether you live in a disadvantaged community as identified through the state’s CalEnviroScreen tool. The statewide base amounts set by CARB are:2California Air Resources Board. Clean Cars 4 All – About

Standard Grants

  • Zero-emission vehicle (battery electric or fuel cell): up to $10,000
  • Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle: up to $9,500
  • Zero-emission motorcycle: up to $7,500
  • Mobility option (e-bike or public transit voucher): $4,500 face value

Disadvantaged Community Grants

  • Zero-emission vehicle: up to $12,000
  • Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle: up to $11,500
  • Zero-emission motorcycle: up to $7,500
  • Mobility option: $6,500 face value

Your district can look up your address during the application process to tell you which tier applies. One detail that trips people up: traditional hybrids that never plug in are not eligible replacements. Only plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles qualify. The replacement also has to be 8 model years old or newer, which for 2026 means model year 2019 or later.2California Air Resources Board. Clean Cars 4 All – About

If you go with a plug-in hybrid or a zero-emission vehicle, you can also receive up to $2,000 for home charging equipment.2California Air Resources Board. Clean Cars 4 All – About Districts structure this differently: some reimburse installation of a Level 2 home charger by a licensed electrician, some offer a public charging credit, and some combine a smaller charging credit with a portable charger.8San Diego Air Pollution Control District. San Diego Clean Cars 4 All Charging Grant Guidelines Ask what your district offers when you apply.

Stacking With Federal and Utility Incentives

The Clean Cars for All grant can be combined with the federal clean vehicle tax credit, worth up to $7,500 for a new EV or up to $4,000 for a used one.9Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Other Clean Car Grants and Rebates A participant in a disadvantaged community could combine a $12,000 grant, $2,000 in charging funds, and a $4,000 used EV credit for roughly $18,000 in total assistance.

Some utilities layer on more. PG&E offers a pre-owned EV rebate of $1,000 to $4,000, and several community choice energy providers run their own instant rebate programs.9Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Other Clean Car Grants and Rebates These vary by service territory and can run out of funding fast. The one thing you generally cannot stack is the Driving Clean Assistance Program’s financing pathway, since DCAP and Clean Cars for All are designed as alternatives to each other.

Documents to Gather Before You Apply

Having your paperwork ready saves weeks of back-and-forth. Districts typically ask for:

  • Income verification: your most recent federal tax return or IRS Tax Return Transcript showing Adjusted Gross Income (line 11 on Form 1040). If you didn’t file, you’ll need a notarized household income affidavit and an IRS Letter of Non-Filing.10Internal Revenue Service. Adjusted Gross Income6Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District. Clean Cars 4 All Program Application Resource Guide
  • Proof of residency: a recent utility bill or California driver’s license showing an address inside the air district.
  • Vehicle title: the California Certificate of Title (pink slip) in your name, with no lienholders and no void stamps.
  • DMV registration history: a two-year vehicle registration history from the DMV website or a field office. Two consecutive years of registration cards may be accepted instead.

Check that the name on your title matches the name on your tax return. Mismatches are one of the most common reasons applications stall.

Applying and the Order of Operations

Each district runs its own application, so exact steps vary. Most take applications online, some also by mail. The CARB Clean Cars for All page links to all five participating districts.1California Air Resources Board. Clean Cars 4 All Some districts quote roughly 30 days to review, though heavy demand can push that longer.

The critical rule: do not buy a replacement vehicle or scrap your old car before you receive official approval. Acting early can disqualify you from the grant entirely.

Once you’re approved, the sequence is fixed. You take your old vehicle to an authorized dismantler for a pre-inspection that confirms the car matches your application and runs. You then purchase or lease your replacement. You return to the same dismantler for a post-inspection, the title transfers, and the vehicle is permanently scrapped.4Spare the Air. Clean Cars for All Program Terms and Conditions The grant funds then go to the dealership or are issued as a mobility voucher.

After You Get the Car: the 30-Month Rule

Your obligations don’t end at purchase. You have to keep the replacement vehicle for at least 30 months, and it must stay registered in California that whole time. If you sell or otherwise dispose of it early, you’re required to notify your district within 30 days and may have to repay a prorated share of the grant.11San Diego Air Pollution Control District. Clean Cars 4 All Program Terms and Conditions People sometimes forget the retention requirement and list the car a year later, which can trigger a repayment demand that turns a good deal into a financial headache.