Electric Cars For Sale in San Francisco, CA (2024)

FAQs

Is it worth buying electric car in California? ›

From a cost perspective, yes, it is a good time to buy. Federal and state incentives are bringing certain EVs on par with the cost of gas vehicles.

S&P Global Mobility shared new research this week that showed the San Francisco region's 50% electrification rate, which includes both EVs and hybrid models, was more than three times greater than the national average of 16.6% during the same March period.

California hit a new record last year with 21.4% of new cars being all-electric, and once again Tesla led the pack with the two best-selling cars in the state, the Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3.

Aside from a couple of flat years of sales between 2018 and 2020, sales on electric vehicles in California have been rising since 2011. Today, one in four new cars sold in the state is an EV, said Dahlia Garas, program director at UC Davis' Electric Vehicle Research Center.

Get up to a $1,000 rebate for the purchase or lease of a used Battery Electric or Plug-in Hybrid vehicle made on or after January 1, 2023. View program website for eligibility requirements and incentive details. Eligible applicants may receive $1,000 for the purchase or lease of a pre-owned BEV or PHEV.

With regular use, the average lifespan of a gas vehicle is 150,000 miles or eight years, and EVs can last up to 200,000 miles, or about 12 years.

Los Angeles, USA.

LA boasts an impressive milestone of 100,000 cumulative EV sales, making it a global leader in the EV movement.

Particularly one started in California. Why does California have more Tesla's than other states? On a per capita basis, because the infrastructure for it is much better and fuel prices are higher per gallon than other states.

The highest number of plug-in electric cars per capita is in California, followed by Hawaii. The highest adoption ratio appears to be along the West Coast and the Northeast. Plug-in electric vehicle registrations per 1,000 people in 2022: California: 27.55.

Why are electric car sales declining? ›

Several automakers have said that concerns about driving range and charging infrastructure are increasing. These issues may lead consumers to have second thoughts about buying an EV.

EV sales in the U.S. saw an increase of 60% year over year from 1 million in 2022 to 1.6 million in 2023. The U.S., Europe and China represent the three largest global markets in EV sales.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently adopted “Advanced Clean Cars II,” set to take effect January 1, 2025, which would require 100% of new cars sold in Model Year 2035 to be electric vehicles.

EV battery packs are made with materials that are expensive, and in some cases, toxic and flammable. Primary materials include lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper. The mining of these rare materials, their manufacturing processes, and their eventual disposal all pose very real environmental challenges.

A 2020 Consumer Reports study similarly showed that EV drivers tend to spend about 60 percent less each year on fuel costs compared to drivers of gas-powered cars.

AAA estimates that the electricity needed to drive 15,000 miles per year in a compact EV costs an average of $546. The organization estimates that with a similar gas-powered vehicle, it would cost $1,255 to drive the same distance. Using those estimates, driving an EV can save you $709 in fuel costs annually.

To summarize, then, the high registration fees are based on the high current value of the vehicle and the fact that it is an EV (presumably because it is heavier than ICE vehicle of the same class and/or to compensate for non-payment of gas-tax).

"Generally, I find that charging an EV is less expensive than filling up a gas-powered car even in my neck of the woods, California, where we have the second-highest energy rates in the US," said CNET's 16-year auto and EV expert, Antuan Goodwin.