The Benefits of Taking Your Electric Vehicle to a Dealership for Service
4 Benefits to Taking Your Car to the Dealership for Your Maintenance
Vehicle ownership brings with it a host of maintenance costs over the years. From regular oil changes and new tires to potential engine and transmission problems, your vehicle will need to be taken in for service at some point. You have a few options when youre choosing your vehicle service provider; you can take your car to an independent mechanic,but there are a few benefits to taking your car directly to the dealership.
Warranty
If your vehicle is still under warranty, basic maintenance is often free or discounted at the dealership. Youll likely save a significant amount of money by having your service done at the dealership if your vehicle is still under warranty.
Certified and knowledgeabletechnicians
Theres a major perk to taking your car to the dealership: your vehicle brand is their specialty. While independent mechanics are trained to work on a lot of different vehicle brands, dealership mechanics know your vehicle brand inside and out. Theyll know what to look for, and they are often factory-trained technicians.
Genuine parts
By visiting the dealership, all repairs will be done with genuine OEM vehicle parts. This means that the parts, rather than being generic brands, are designed specifically to fit your vehicle. Youre less likely to run into problems with these parts down the road.
Local businesses
While dealerships are often linked to specific OEMs, each dealership is a franchise. They are individually and family-owned, making them local businesses. By visiting your dealership rather than a chain mechanic, youre supporting local businesses in your community.
Sources: Wards Auto, Cowles Nissan, Nerd Wallet
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. Were located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on whats trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.
Credits for new clean vehicles purchased in 2023 or after
If you place in service a new plug-in electric vehicle (EV) or fuel cell vehicle (FCV)in 2023 or after, you may qualify for a clean vehicle tax credit. For more information on how to qualify see Publication 5866, New Clean Vehicle Tax Credit ChecklistPDF.
At the time of sale, a seller must give you information about your vehicle's qualifications. Sellers must also register online and report the same information to the IRS. If they don't, your vehicle won't be eligible for the credit. For more information see Information for Consumers Purchasing a New or Used Clean Vehicle, Publication 5905PDF.
Find information on credits forused clean vehicles,qualified commercial clean vehiclesandnew plug-in EVs purchased before 2023.
Who qualifies
You may qualify for a credit up to $7,500 under Internal Revenue Code Section 30D if you buy a new, qualified plug-in EV or fuel cell electric vehicle (FCV). The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 changed the rules for this credit for vehicles purchased from 2023 to 2032.
The credit is available to individuals and their businesses.
To qualify, you must:
- Buy it for your own use, not for resale
- Use it primarily in the U.S.
In addition, your modified adjusted gross income (AGI) may not exceed:
- $300,000 for married couples filing jointlyor a surviving spouse
- $225,000 for heads of households
- $150,000 for all other filers
You can use your modified AGI from the year you take delivery of the vehicle or the year before, whichever is less. If your modified AGI is below the threshold in 1 of the 2 years, you can claim the credit.
If you do not transfer the credit, it is nonrefundable when you file your taxes, so you can't get back more on the credit than you owe in taxes. You can't apply any excess credit to future tax years.
Credit amount
The amount of the credit depends on when you placed the vehicle in-service (took delivery), regardless of purchase date.
For vehicles placed in-service January 1 to April 17, 2023:
- $2,500 base amount
- Plus $417 for a vehicle with at least 7kilowatt hours of battery capacity
- Plus $417 for each kilowatt hour of battery capacity beyond 5kilowatt hours
- Up to $7,500 total
In general, the minimum credit will be $3,751 ($2,500 + 3 times $417), the credit amount for a vehicle with the minimum 7kilowatt hours of battery capacity.
For vehicles placed in-service April 18, 2023 and after:
Vehicles will have to meet all of the same criteria listed above, plus meet new critical mineral and battery component requirements for a credit up to:
- $3,750 if the vehicle meets the critical minerals requirement only
- $3,750 if the vehicle meets the battery components requirement only
- $7,500 if the vehicle meets both
A vehicle that doesn't meet either requirement will not be eligible for a credit.
Qualified vehicles
Click the button below to see if a vehicle is eligible for the new clean vehicle credit.Go to fueleconomy.gov
To qualify, a vehicle must:
- Have a battery capacity of at least 7kilowatt hours
- Have a gross vehicle weight rating ofless than 14,000 pounds
- Be made bya qualified manufacturer
- FCVs do not need to be made by a qualified manufacturer to be eligible. SeeRev. Proc. 2022-42for more detailed guidance.
- Undergo final assembly in North America
- Meet critical mineral and battery component requirements (as of April 18, 2023)
The sale qualifies only if:
- You buy the vehicle new.
- The seller reports required information to you at the time of sale and to the IRS.
In addition, the vehicle's manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) can't exceed:
- $80,000 for vans, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks
- $55,000 for other vehicles
MSRP is the retail price of the automobile suggested by the manufacturer, including manufacturer installed options, accessories and trim but excluding destination fees. It isn't necessarily the price you pay.
You can find your vehicle's weight, battery capacity, final assembly location (listed as "final assembly point") and VIN on the vehicle's window sticker.
How to claim the credit
To claim the credit, fileForm 8936, Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit (Including Qualified Two-Wheeled Plug-in Electric Vehicles)with your tax return. You will need to provide your vehicle's VIN.
Get a time-of-sale report
The dealer should give you a paper copy of a time-of-sale report when you complete your purchase.
- Keep this copy for your records because it affirms that the dealer sent a report to the IRS on the purchase date.
- If you didnt receive a copy of the report, follow ourstep-by-step guide.
File Form 8936 with your tax return
You must fileForm 8936when you file your tax return for the year in which you take delivery of the vehicle. This is true whether you transferred the credit at the time of sale or youre waiting to claim the credit when you file.
If you have questions or concerns, follow ourstep-by-step guide.
Related
Electric Car Maintenance: Everything You Need to Know
Electric motors have far fewer moving parts than internal combustion engines. This means electric cars often require far less maintenance (and can be cheaper to operate) than their gas-burning counterparts. Still, EVs require regular maintenance.
This includes familiar tasks such as rotating the tires, replacing various fluids, and changing out cabin air filters. There are also a number of EV-specific services that drivers of these battery-electric vehicles need to keep on top of.
Battery Maintenance
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the United States predicts today's EV batteries will have service lives between 12 and 15 years if used in moderate climates. This falls to between 8 and 12 years if regular use occurs in extreme environments.
Regardless, EV batteries require next-to-no maintenance throughout their service life. That said, there are a number of things drivers can do to extend the service life of their EV's battery pack.
Steer Clear of Extreme Temperatures
Extreme temperatures (both hot and cold) are Kryptonite to batteries. Automakers factor this into the development of their EVs, fitting them with the necessary auxiliary cooling and heating systems to help keep the temperature of the battery in acceptable levels.
Don't Plan to Use Fast Chargers All the Time
Despite their convenience in rapid recharging, fast chargers degrade battery packs at a quicker rate than slower 120- or 240-volt charging. However, just how much fast charging impacts battery life isn't known precisely in these relatively early days of modern EVs. Of course, in a road-trip scenario fast charging is necessary and there's no reason to avoid it. But buying an EV with the plan to use fast charging exclusively isn't a great idea, both from a battery life and a cost perspective. Fast charging costs three- to four-times more per kilowatt-hour of energy than you pay at home, a price that can bring the fueling cost of EVs on par with gas-powered vehicles. For example, we found it's possible to pay $100 to fast charge a Hummer EV from empty to full.
Try Not to Fully Charge or Deplete the Battery
Batteries degrade more quickly when charged to full capacity or when depleted of all their energy. On the plus side, many manufacturers prevent full-capacity charging in order to assist in the battle against battery degradation. Most cars have settings to charge to a level less than 100 percent, and many automakers suggest charging to a level of 85- or 90-percent for daily use.
EV Maintenance vs. Gas Cars
Converting electricity into mechanical energy creates heat, and like gas cars, electric vehicles need to keep their powertrain components cool to ensure everything continues to work as it should. Some use air to do this, while others use some form of coolant or refrigerant to prevent components from overheating.
Check the Cooling System and Wiper Fluid
For EVs that use coolant or the like, it may be necessary to flush or recharge the system periodically. The Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning owner's manuals recommend checking the integrity of cooling system hoses, as well as the cooling system level and strength, at six-month intervals. Meanwhile, the Porsche Taycan owner's manual recommends checking coolant levels as part of the car's routine service.
Regardless of what's powering your car, you're going to need to regularly refill your windshield washer fluid. Same goes for replacing the windshield wipers, as well.
Keep an Eye on Brake Fluid and Pads
Similarly, both EVs and gas cars rely on brake fluid to modulate their binders. Flushing and replacing this fluid at regular intervals is a necessary service no matter your vehicle's powertrain. Though replacement times vary between vehicles and manufacturers, Ford recommends replacing the brake fluid in the Mach-E and Lightning every three years.
Brake pads are also something EV drivers need to keep an eye on. The good news is that an EV ought to eat pads and rotors at a far slower rate than a gas car. Credit electric motors' regenerative braking function, which allows the motor to slow the vehicle by recovering its kinetic energy (and subsequently feeding that energy back into the battery pack). Though EVs still rely on their mechanical brakes, they tend to use them more infrequently, which subsequently puts less wear on pads and rotors.
The fact that the brakes aren't exercised as much on an EV is exactly why Tesla's service schedule includes lubricating the brake calipers every 12 months or 12,500 miles in areas that use salt to melt snow and ice. That service cost us about $100 each time, roughly oil-change money on a gas-powered car, on our long-term Model 3.
Tire Wear
Maybe this one's a bit obvious, but yes, you still need to replace the tires on your EV. In fact, you may even have to replace them more frequently. Partial blame goes to the extra weight of EVs (batteries are heavy).
The Michelin Primacy MXM4 tires on our long-term Tesla Model 3, for instance, have less tread depth than typical all-season tires. We suspect this is to help boost the range figure. But this decreases these all-season tires' lifespan. The ones mounted to our Model 3 required replacing after 30,000 miles and set us back a whopping $1157.
EV Maintenance vs. Hybrids and Plug-in Hybrids
Since hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars have gas engines on board, their maintenance routines are closer to those of a gas-powered car than an EVs. Nonetheless, these vehicles' electric motors allow them to slow down via regenerative braking. This means that hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles' brake rotors and pads tend to have longer service lives than those of gas cars.
Jack Fitzgeralds love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldnt afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.
