Electric Vehicle Subsidy in India 2026: Complete State-Wise List & How to Claim

Let me tell you about my cousin Aman.

Bought an Ola S1 Pro in Pune last September. 1.42 lakh on-road. Happy guy, posted the helmet selfie, the whole thing.

Three months later his colleague, same scooter, bought two weeks after him, casually mentions over lunch that Maharashtra knocked 10 grand off his price through the EV subsidy.

Aman: "What subsidy?"

He calls the dealer. Dealer goes, "Sir woh to purchase ke time apply karna padta hai. Aapne pucha nahi tha."

Aapne pucha nahi tha. You didn't ask. That's the whole defense. You didn't ask, so I didn't tell, so I kept the money. I've turned that sentence over in my head a hundred times because it's the entire Indian EV subsidy story in five words. Nobody asks. Nobody gets told. The money quietly disappears.

This guide is everything Aman should've known. And the short version, before we even get to the tables, is this: the subsidy will not come to you. You have to drag it out of the dealer, on paper, before you pay. Everything else here is detail around that one fact.

FAME, in two lines

The big central subsidy, FAME-II, ran from 2019 and shrank every year. Around 2024 it basically ended for normal two-wheelers. PM E-DRIVE replaced it, and it does still cover your scooter, but only Rs 2,500 per kWh, capped at Rs 5,000, extended to March 2028 subject to funds.

So in 2026 most of the money is your state's, not the Centre's. That's why an identical Ola is priced differently across cities. Annoying, but that's the system.

Two-wheelers

Add the central PM E-DRIVE money (up to Rs 5,000) on top. Last checked 3 November 2026: several state schemes are capped or budget-limited and change often, so confirm the current amount on your state transport or EV portal before you buy.

Honestly the column most people glance past is the road tax one, and it's the one quietly saving you the most. Anyway. A quick thing on the kWh business, since I get asked: in states that pay per kWh, the subsidy scales with battery size, up to each scheme's cap. A few people I know upgraded to the bigger battery purely because the extra subsidy ate most of the price difference. Whether you need the range or not is a separate question.

Three-wheelers

On top of the state money, PM E-DRIVE still pays on e-rickshaws and e-carts until March 2028 (last notified at Rs 2,500 per kWh, capped at Rs 12,500). The central support for L5 e-autos has closed.

For an e-rickshaw guy who's spent six months scraping together a downpayment, this is the line between owning and renting for another year. I've watched a driver in Jalandhar do that exact math on his fingers outside a showroom. It's not abstract to him the way it is to us reading a table.

Electric cars

States went cold on car subsidies around 2024-25 once EVs started actually moving off the lot. Some still pay decent money, others just do the tax waiver and call it a day.

Don't write off the no-subsidy states though. The tax and registration waiver alone is 60k to over a lakh on a car.

The part that actually matters

You don't apply for the subsidy later. I keep repeating this because it's the thing everybody gets wrong. It goes on the invoice when you buy, or it's gone.

Dealer takes your PAN, Aadhaar, address proof. Files you on the state portal. Subsidy approved. Then the invoice gets made with the subsidy already knocked off. For the central PM E-DRIVE part, the dealer also generates an Aadhaar-linked e-voucher that you sign; make sure that happens.

What should be sitting on that invoice, as separate lines: ex-showroom, GST, insurance, road tax (zero in most states), registration (zero), and the subsidy as a negative line.

I know I sound paranoid. I am paranoid, on purpose, because this is the single spot where buyers across the whole country lose money every day.

What dealers actually do

Two moves, and I'll just name them.

The counter to both is one sentence. "Payment se pehle itemised invoice draft dikhao." A straight dealer pulls it up in two minutes. A shady one stalls, GM se puchna padega, baad mein hoga. That stall is your answer.

80EEB, quickly

Section 80EEB gives a deduction of up to 1.5 lakh a year on EV loan interest. Only for loans sanctioned April 2019 to March 2023, and only under the old tax regime. Still repaying one of those? You keep claiming it every year until the loan closes. A new loan in 2026 doesn't qualify. People keep hoping the window reopens in a budget. Maybe it will. Until it actually does, plan a new purchase like it doesn't exist. If it comes back, treat it as a bonus.

Rohan, Lucknow

IT guy, 31, Gomti Nagar. February, walks in for a Tata Tiago EV.

Dealer quote: 11.4 lakh on-road, one number, done.

He asks for the breakdown. Dealer goes quiet, then pulls it up. UP waives road tax and registration on EVs, and that waiver, 78k, wasn't reflected in the one-number quote. Real cost: 10.62 lakh.

He saved 78,000 by asking one question. If he'd nodded at the first number, that 78k was the dealer's. Simple as that.

His text after: "CA ne hazaar baar kaha tha breakdown maange bina sign mat karna. Aaj samajh aaya."

Stuff people get wrong

Where we come in

Credifin finances EVs across 14 states, online. The relevant bit: we size the loan on the post-subsidy price, not the headline number, so your EMI is smaller. And if the dealer's invoice is missing the subsidy line, we catch it before anything's disbursed. Your rate depends on your profile and is shared in writing before you sign, decision in 3 to 7 days.

Bottom line

Subsidies in 2026 are real. Up to 5k from the Centre plus 10 to 30k from the more generous states on scooters, up to 50k on three-wheelers, and on cars mostly tax waivers worth 60k to over a lakh. The whole strategy is one line: get the itemised draft before you pay, and if the dealer won't show it, go to the next one.

FAQs

Still available in 2026?

Yes. The Centre still pays up to Rs 5,000 on a scooter under PM E-DRIVE, and states add their own. Several states pay cash on two-wheelers, Delhi the most; the rest mostly give road tax and registration waivers.

Which state pays most?

Delhi for two-wheelers; Delhi, and Bihar on goods e-autos, for three-wheelers. For cars, most states now give tax waivers rather than cash.

How to claim?

At the dealer, filed on the state portal before your invoice. You don't apply separately.

Dealer didn't file it?

Push back before paying. Already paid? Raise a grievance with your state transport department or EV subsidy portal straight away; the window differs by state.

Used EVs?

No. New, first registration only.

Road tax really waived?

Yes in most states. Check your RC.

80EEB on a 2026 loan?

Not right now. It covers only loans sanctioned April 2019 to March 2023; those borrowers keep claiming it under the old tax regime until the loan closes.

Petrol-to-EV conversion?

Generally not covered.

Max car subsidy?

Most states have stopped direct car subsidies in 2026. The big saving now is the road tax and registration waiver, worth 60k to over a lakh on a car.