Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Tax Exemption

New passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles that are dedicated AFVs are exempt from state motor vehicle sales and use taxes. Qualified vehicles include vehicles capable of operating exclusively on natural gas, propane, hydrogen, or electricity, and plug-in electric vehicles that are capable of being charged by an external power source and can travel at least 30 miles using only electricity. Qualified vehicles must meet the California motor vehicle emissions standards, comply with the rules of the Washington Department of Ecology, and have a base model price of $42,500 or less. The sales tax exemption applies to up to $32,000 of a vehicle's selling price or the total amount of lease payments made. If the original lessee purchased the leased vehicle before the exemptions expire, the exemption applies the total lease payments made plus the selling price of the leased vehicle, up to $32,000.

As of April 2018, the maximum number of qualifying vehicles sold after June 15, 2015, 7,500, has been reached, and the sales tax exemption applies to vehicles delivered to their owners by May 31, 2018. A vehicle purchased or leased before June 1, 2018, is exempt from the use tax until it is retired or changes hands. For more information, see the Green Incentives section of Washington Department of Revenue's Incentives Programs website. (Reference Revised Code of Washington 82.08.809 and 82.12.809)