A new bill in Congress would bring back the federal EV tax credit and double it, to as much as $15,000 on a new electric vehicle. Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio introduced H.R. 10881, the “21st Century Vehicle Choice Act,” on October 22, 2026 (Congress.gov). It is a proposal, not law. No federal EV credit is available for a Tesla bought today.
Where the credit stands today
The IRS says the new clean vehicle credit is not available for vehicles acquired after Sept. 30, 2025, and the used EV credit ended on the same date. The home charger credit covers equipment placed in service through June 30, 2026 (IRS). Our guide to what still helps in 2026 covers the state and utility programs that are left.
What H.R. 10881 would change
| Credit | When it was available | Under H.R. 10881 |
|---|---|---|
| New EV (Section 30D) | Up to $7,500 (IRS) | Up to $15,000: each of the two $3,750 parts becomes $7,500 |
| New EV income limits | $300,000 joint, $225,000 head of household, $150,000 other filers (IRS) | $225,000 joint, $169,000 head of household, $112,500 other filers |
| Used EV (Section 25E) | 30% of the price, up to $4,000 (IRS) | 60% of the price, up to $8,000 |
| Home charger (Section 30C) | 30% of the cost, up to $1,000 per item in eligible areas (IRS) | 50% of the cost |
| End date | Ended (see above) | None: all three credits become permanent |
All of the changes in the table come from the bill text. For the home charger credit, the bill changes the percentage; it does not change the $1,000-per-item limit.
Two details buyers should know.
What stays the same
The bill doesn’t touch the rest of the new EV credit’s rules (Electrek). Under those rules, a car must have final assembly in North America, meet critical mineral and battery component requirements, and stay under an MSRP cap of $55,000 for cars or $80,000 for SUVs, vans and pickups (IRS). Whether a given Tesla would qualify would depend on those tests at the time, so we won’t guess which trims would get the full amount.
The bill also asks the Commerce Department for a “Vehicle Choice Report” on vehicle variety and ownership costs, and asks the Energy Department for yearly reports on critical minerals (bill text).
What happens next
The bill was referred to three House committees: Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Natural Resources (Congress.gov). It had no cosponsors as of October 28 (Electrek), and The Lobby’s tracker still showed none on November 1 (The Lobby). To become law, a bill must pass the House and the Senate and be signed by the President. We’ll update this post if it moves.
What to do
- Check the state and utility incentives that still apply where you live.
- Price a Tesla with today’s numbers in the total cost of ownership calculator, which compares it with a gas car in your state.
- Follow the bill’s status on Congress.gov.
