From the Biden Administration’s $7,500 tax break to San Francisco’s trade-in program, elected officials from all over the U.S. are working to speed up the transition in the hopes that it will help them reach their emissions targets.
Right now, these incentives are primarily focused on the point of purchase, making the actual cost of the car easier to swallow for consumers. But in Europe, they’re taking a much broader look at the EV ownership experience to try to make it more appealing to drivers.
The latest carrot dangling on the EV-adoption stick in some European countries is a cheaper tolls for electric vehicles. It’s an idea the EU plans to implement throughout the whole continent. Jerry the Super app
has the details. How the EU’s toll-dropping program will work
Like it is between states in the U.S., electric car incentive programs in the EU look different from nation to nation. While France offers up to €12,000 in subsidies and Sweden offers a long list of tax cuts, Norway and Spain are the first to lower toll rates for EVs.
The idea to reduce tolls did not go unnoticed by the European Parliament. Inside EVs says the legislative body recently changed the rules concerning the EU’s road network.
One change stipulates that member-states must begin charging tolls based on greenhouse emissions
by 2026, with rates lowering based on the amount of pollution caused by the vehicle. The updates were made because programs like these work. Norway, which has been gunning for EV adoption since the ‘90s, is the continent’s leader in EV adoption, thanks in part to a law requiring all tolls to cost at least 50% less for electric vehicles.
EV toll deals in the U.S.
The idea of lowering tolls for low-polluting vehicles isn’t a foreign concept to Americans. California, Georgia, Minnesota, and New Jersey already have programs in place to make toll roads cheaper for EV owners.
Not every program works the same way or offers the same amount of savings. New Jersey offers a measly 10% discount from toll rates. Minnesota’s clean car plan, which lasts until October, offers a credit of up to $250 to use against tolls.
California and Georgia both allow EV drivers to use High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) and High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes free of charge. But while California’s exemption is only available to people with lower than average incomes, Georgia’s program applies to any EV owner.
MORE: California Has the Most Electric Cars, but It Might Not Be the Best Place to Own One
The cost of EV ownership
With all this talk of savings, you might be thinking that an electric vehicle is the cheaper way to go. Unfortunately, it’s a little more complicated than that.
Even with the grants and tax incentives available, EVs still cost more on average to buy and insure than vehicles with internal-combustion engines. Installing a charger at home raises the price of ownership even more.
In the long run, the savings made on fuel and maintenance help even things out, but they take a while to accumulate.
To help make EV ownership easier on your wallet, be sure to shop for car insurance
quotes with Jerry
. A licensed broker, Jerry can find cheap quotes from the top name-brand insurance companies. The average Jerry user saves $887 a year on car insurance. 
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