Free EV Charging With Purchase: 2026–2027 U.S. Offers Compared

New, model-year-specific BMW terms checked Nov. 6, 2026: BMW's U.S. 2027 i5, i7 and iX3 program offers eligible buyers/lessees $300 in BMW ChargingNetwork credit plus $200 usable at IONNA and one year of 25%-discount IONNA membership. The credits cannot be redeemed for Tesla Supercharger or Electrify America sessions, even when the car can access those networks on a separately paid basis. It is not a $500 unrestricted credit or a continuation of the previous BMW kWh plan; enrollment and payment method are required, and a temporary $50 session authorization may apply.¹² The offer is limited to eligible accounts and providers; credit availability is not guaranteed for every VIN.

The short answer: among the current U.S. manufacturer sources, BMW publishes fixed Electrify America kWh allowances for MY2025–2026 EVs; Mercedes-Benz USA lists two complimentary High-Power Charging years for MY2024–2026 EV/PHEV models, while its charging-network site separately lists MY2027 EVs; and Tesla offers a conditional 2,000-Supercharging-mile promotion for qualifying gas/hybrid trade-ins.³⁴⁵⁶

But several programs that still appear on live manufacturer pages are not open to a buyer purchasing today. Hyundai and Genesis pages still describe charging credits whose purchase windows ended July 31, 2025; Rivian's three-month RAN promotion required a qualifying order by Sept. 11, 2026; and Lucid explicitly says it stopped complimentary Electrify America charging for new owners starting Jan. 1, 2025.⁷⁸⁹¹⁰

Checked November 6, 2026: The manufacturer and network terms below have been compared by model year, purchase window, benefit unit and eligible charging provider. The Hyundai and Electrify America original documents still give different purchase cutoffs for the 2023 IONIQ 5 (December 31, 2024 versus February 28, 2025); those dates cannot certify an individual account's entitlement. BMW's MY2027 dollar credits likewise do not cover Tesla Supercharger or Electrify America sessions even though BMW lists those networks for separately paid access.¹¹¹²² Confirm actual VIN, account, activation, expiration and station eligibility before assigning monetary value to a benefit.

That is why this guide does not treat every free charging search result as the same benefit. It separates complimentary energy, complimentary sessions, promotional miles, dollar credits, discounted memberships, expired cohorts and cases where a current public benefit is simply not established by the checked source.

Home charger/cash is a different benefit from public-network energy: Ford's current MY2026 Mustang Mach-E Power Promise offers an eligible buyer a supplied home charging station and standard installation or $1,500 bonus cash. Its dated October 2026 terms and a homeowner cost-comparison worksheet appear separately below; the cash is not a verified $1,500 public fast-charging credit.¹³¹⁴

Audi charging at a retailer-owned Powered by Electrify America site: appearing in the EA app does not prove an Audi complimentary credit applies. Audi allows enrolled credits at EA-branded and only selected Powered-by sites; a retailer-owned site can set different charges. Use the station, promotion and payment check below before assuming a session will use your credit.¹⁵¹⁶

Current-state matrix

Not established is deliberate. It means the current first-party source checked for this guide does not prove that benefit state. It does not mean ATC is asserting that no dealer-, VIN-, region- or account-specific promotion exists anywhere.

Retailer-owned Powered by Electrify America: when an Audi credit does and doesn't follow

Original U.S. terms checked November 11, 2026: an Electrify America-branded charger and a retailer-owned charger labeled Powered by Electrify America can use related infrastructure without offering the same complimentary charging terms. Audi's published myAudi promotion applies at EA-branded sites and only select Powered-by-EA sites, and only for an eligible Audi account/vehicle with an active promotion. EA's current October 28 terms say Powered-by-EA stations can appear in its app while the commercial customer independently sets prices and may apply different fees.¹⁵¹⁶²¹

For an Audi owner with an eligible promotion: Audi says to sign into myAudi → Start Charging to inspect the included promotion's remaining kWh and expiration date. Verify the intended site's promotional eligibility and session terms before starting; a paid session can remain possible even where free-credit redemption is unavailable. Audi's public terms point to its FAQ for excluded Powered-by stations, but the publicly accessible charging FAQ section checked November 11 did not enumerate named retailer locations. That is a limitation of the checked public text, not proof of any store's eligibility or exclusion.¹⁵²²

This distinction concerns promotional billing, not whether the vehicle can physically charge or whether a charger is operational. There is no evidence here of an improper charge to a particular owner, a confirmed retailer-wide exclusion, or a current promotional entitlement for a 2026 Audi without an applicable account offer. This bounded November 11 check does not recertify the guide's other manufacturer sources, whose existing whole-guide review date remains November 13.

The biggest trap: free charging can describe five different things

1. A fixed energy allowance

BMW's current MY2025-2026 program is the cleanest example in this cohort because it publishes an actual energy cap: 1,000 kWh for iX/i4/i5 or 2,000 kWh for i7, each paired with a maximum time window.³

That is materially different from a plan that simply says two years without an energy quantity.

2. Time-limited complimentary sessions at one network

Mercedes-Benz USA's current page lists MY2024–2026 EV/PHEV models for two years of complimentary charging at Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging locations; the network's own current page additionally lists MY2027 EVs. Do not infer MY2027 PHEV eligibility solely from the network's explicit 2027 EV line.⁴⁵

The important phrase is the network scope. This does not make every charger reachable through MB.CHARGE Public free.

3. Promotional driving miles

Tesla's current trade-in offer uses 2,000 Supercharging miles, not kWh. Tesla itself says actual miles vary with factors including driving behavior and environment.⁶

This guide therefore does not convert those 2,000 promotional miles into a made-up energy allowance or dollar value.

4. A charging discount rather than free energy

Volkswagen's 2026 plan demonstrates a model-year change that generic roundups can easily miss. MY2024-2025 vehicles were published with 500 kWh of included charging plus three years of Pass+. For MY2026, Volkswagen's current page instead lists two years of Pass+ with roughly 25% savings and Plug&Charge, without stating an included kWh allowance.¹⁸

A 25% discount can still be valuable, but it should not be labeled 500 kWh free or two years free charging.

5. A dollar credit tied to an old purchase window

Hyundai and Genesis both have live pages describing ChargePoint credits, and both pages can look current at a glance. The controlling detail is the purchase window: the checked programs required an eligible purchase/lease by July 31, 2025.⁷⁸

Those pages still matter to an owner who qualified and has remaining credit. They do not establish a current Sept. 2026 incentive for a buyer walking into a dealer today.

Current standing offers worth comparing

BMW: 2027 dollar credits versus older model-year energy allowances

BMW's new MY2027 i5/i7/iX3 package is a $300 participating-network credit plus $200 IONNA-specific credit, not an unlimited free-charging session program. The $300 credit is not redeemable at every BMW-accessible charging network: BMW's current offer terms expressly exclude both Tesla Supercharger and Electrify America sessions from the MY2027 dollar-credit promotion. BMW access to these networks for separately billed sessions is a different question; the manufacturer does not say the older MY2025–2026 complimentary EA kWh allowances are canceled by this 2027 exclusion. A complimentary one-year IONNA membership advertises 25% discounted charging. BMW says enrollment and a valid payment method are required, that a $50 temporary card authorization may apply per session, and that the one-year expiration is tied to vehicle retail/in-service rather than necessarily one year after an owner eventually activates the benefit. BMW's current consumer terms describe an option to keep 25% IONNA savings with a paid membership after the complimentary year; without a paid membership, 10% is described for supported My BMW/Plug & Charge sessions. The two credits are not freely interchangeable and have no cash value. At an eligible IONNA session, BMW's current issuer FAQ supplies a definite order: (1) apply the 25% first-year membership discount to eligible charges, (2) use any remaining $200 IONNA credit balance, (3) use the eligible $300 BMW ChargingNetwork credit balance, and (4) bill eligible excess to the saved payment method. Neither the published priority nor the nominal $500 offer proves that an individual account has both credits available.¹²¹⁷

Those dollars cannot be converted into the older program's kWh without station-specific prices, fees and an actual account entitlement. A potential temporary $50 payment authorization is not a fixed additional charging fee. The program's credit order is published; an individual VIN's eligibility, remaining balance, expiration and actual session price are not verified here. Check the My BMW Charging Wallet and Shell Recharge transaction record rather than assuming the whole promotional value is available.²¹⁷

How to claim/check it: BMW's currently linked MY2027 offer instructions direct an eligible owner through My BMW app → Charging → More → Services → Charging Wallet → Public Charging → BMW ChargingNetwork to finish Shell Recharge account setup, add a valid payment method and accept the credit and IONNA membership offers shown. The Digital Charging Wallet then shows actual balances and expiry. The stated 25% IONNA membership discount applies to eligible charging started via Plug & Charge or the My BMW App; do not assume an ordinary station card-reader payment will receive that rate.²¹⁷

Model-list precision: BMW's Nov. 5 launch announcement specifically identifies the MY2027 i5, i7 and iX3. The live-linked current BMW offer FAQ additionally lists i3, iX4 and iX5 among potentially eligible 2027 BMW EVs and says eligibility is verified at enrollment. These are different original-document scopes, not a promise that every advertised model or VIN has an active credit award. Buyers should verify what their own Charging Wallet actually offers.¹¹⁷

For MY2025-2026 vehicles, BMW publishes both the maximum time and maximum energy:

• iX, i4 and i5: 1,000 kWh or two years, whichever comes first.
• i7: 2,000 kWh or three years, whichever comes first.³

BMW says the benefit begins on the purchase/lease date, is non-transferable and is not available for commercial use such as ridesharing. It also warns that restrictions and idle fees may apply.³

Mercedes-Benz: two years, but only at Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging

Mercedes-Benz USA says owners who activate MB.CHARGE Public receive two years of complimentary charging sessions at Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging, and currently specifies MY2024–2026 EV and PHEV models in its model-year statement.⁴

The separate Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging network site lists two years for 2024-and-newer EV/PEV cohorts and specifically lists 2025, 2026 and 2027 EVs. These source scopes differ; a 2027 PHEV buyer should check the actual account/program terms rather than relying on a combined 2024–2027 EV/PHEV claim.⁵

The generic current pages checked here do not publish one universal kWh cap. Keep the promise at two years at MB HPC, not unlimited free charging everywhere.

Tesla: current, but only if the trade-in qualifies

Tesla's offer is not a standard inclusion for every new Tesla buyer. Starting Oct. 30, 2025, Tesla says customers who trade in a gas or hybrid vehicle for a new Tesla receive 2,000 miles of free Supercharging.⁶

The miles are credited at delivery and expire two years later. They are non-transferable and cannot be redeemed for cash. Supercharger-related fees such as congestion fees still apply, and Certified Pre-Owned vehicles and B2B sales are excluded.⁶

Offers that look current but need a status warning

Rivian: September delivery deadline does not mean September ordering is still open

Rivian's historical offer covered a new 2026 R1 or a 2024-and-older pre-owned R1; it required the order to be placed between Aug. 21 and Sept. 11, 2026 and delivery by Sept. 30.⁹

As of November 6, both the September 11 order cutoff and the September 30 delivery cutoff have passed. Rivian's current page labels the offer closed. An owner who previously qualified may still be within their three-month period from qualifying delivery; the checked terms do not support a new buyer claiming this expired promotion.⁹

Hyundai and Genesis: live pages, closed purchase windows

Hyundai's page still describes up to a $450/$400 ChargePoint credit or a Level 2 home charger, and Genesis still describes a $500 ChargePoint credit or home charger.⁷⁸

Both source sets tie the relevant purchase/lease cohorts to July 31, 2025 or earlier. ATC keeps those rows because a current owner may still be inside a redemption/use period, but they are labeled expired for a current buyer.

Used 2023/2024 IONIQ 5: VIN-bound does not mean transferable

A used IONIQ 5 can still surface an old Electrify America offer or enrollment path, but the current first-party terms do not support treating an apparently unused or technically activatable plan as a benefit that automatically transfers to the second owner. Electrify America's 2023 and 2024 disclosures both anchor the 24-month plan to the vehicle purchase date, limit use to the submitted IONIQ 5 VIN, prohibit sale/loan/distribution of the benefit to a third party and prohibit transferring any portion to another Electrify America account.¹¹²⁴

Hyundai's original 2023 IONIQ 5 U.S. product page, directly readable on November 6 after an earlier truncated October 29 retrieval, separately labels the historical plan non-transferable and says its two-year clock begins at purchase. The page itself specifies a December 31, 2024 purchase cutoff, while the official Electrify America MY2023 plan terms specify February 28, 2025. Neither source verifies an individual owner's entitlement; these conflicting original-source dates must be checked with Hyundai/EA for that VIN.¹¹¹² Hyundai's current owner-benefit page says the legacy 2024 IONIQ 5 cohort purchased or leased before March 1, 2025 receives two years of Electrify America charging starting from the purchase date.⁷

That last column matters because current owner discussion includes reports of plans disappearing after dealer ownership records changed. ATC is not turning that anecdote into an official rule: the EA original full terms rechecked November 6 do not specify a record update -> cancellation within N days mechanism. Electrify America does publish broad rights to revoke, terminate or suspend promotional access under stated conditions, but those clauses do not prove why any particular used-owner account changed.¹¹²⁴

The practical used-buyer takeaway is to value the legacy benefit at zero unless the current program owner can establish your entitlement under the plan terms. Seeing a VIN-linked offer, an unused code or an app enrollment path is not the same thing as a transferable contractual benefit.

Lucid: current source explicitly says the new-owner EA perk ended

Lucid is unusually clear. Its current charging documentation says complimentary Electrify America charging stopped for new Lucid owners as of Jan. 1, 2025. Owners who qualified before the cutoff can continue under the parameters of their existing plan until it expires.¹⁰

Charging access and complimentary energy are different states: Lucid owners can still use supported public networks through Lucid Charging Service even when the charging session is paid.

Ford Power Promise: the home-charger-versus-cash exception (new 2026 Mustang Mach-E)

Verified offer edition, rechecked Nov. 6, 2026: Ford's Oct. 2 manufacturer announcement and Qmerit's directly readable Ford campaign terms agree on an election for a new MY2026 Mustang Mach-E purchased or leased from a participating Ford dealer: (1) one complimentary home charge station plus standard Qmerit installation, or (2) $1,500 bonus cash. Qmerit's current terms specify a Oct. 1, 2026–Jan. 4, 2027 qualifying purchase/lease window and retail delivery from authorized dealer stock by Jan. 4, 2027. Fleet/commercial customers are excluded; charger model/brand may vary, and an individual dealer must confirm the applicable offer and inventory.¹³¹⁴

Three different Ford deadlines govern the October 2026 purchase cohort. Qmerit's FAQ distinguishes the eligible purchase/retail-delivery cutoff from the two later charger-program steps. The latter two are relevant to buyers who choose the charger and standard installation, not those taking $1,500 cash.¹⁴

Qmerit recommends allowing 3–6 weeks for the overall installation process, depending on the arrival of equipment, scheduling and permits. This is planning guidance, not a guaranteed completion time. Buyers should confirm their signed/dealer-specific terms and should not assume other Ford purchase cohorts share these dates.¹⁴

What counts as “standard” is the deciding detail. Qmerit describes an eligible home as a single-family home, duplex, condo or townhouse with a dedicated meter; main panel and charger must be on the same structure, and wiring is externally mounted and visible. Its standard scope specifies up to 50 feet of exposed code-compliant wiring/conduit, a breaker up to 60 amps, a panel-load calculation, and charger hardwiring/mounting/testing. Permitting fees, electrical-panel/ampacity upgrades, trenching, concealed or longer runs and other nonstandard services are excluded. An installer reviews the actual site and quotes additional work; homeowners must obtain necessary property/third-party approvals.¹⁴

An inspectable cash-vs-install decision: Let I be the homeowner's real comparable quote for independently buying and installing equivalent hardware, and E the actual owner-paid extras on Qmerit's provided charger/standard-install option. Ignoring taxes and other unverified incentives, the conditional comparison is:

• Charger option: out-of-pocket E.
• Cash option: out-of-pocket I − $1,500 if the homeowner purchases equivalent equipment/installation.
• Compare E to I − $1,500; the cheaper outlay depends on your quotes and eligibility. A negative number means cash more than offsets the assumed equivalent purchase cost, not that Ford promises a cash profit or permits other stacking.

For illustration only—not observed program pricing—if an equivalent owner-arranged charger and installation were quoted at I = $2,000 and Qmerit quoted E = $200 in nonstandard extras, the charger option would require $200, versus $500 net after the hypothetical owner's $2,000 purchase and $1,500 cash; that would favor the charger option by $300. Replace both assumptions with actual written quotes. No generic installation price, automatic award, separately verified tax treatment or exception to the published June 30, 2027 current-cohort installation deadline is inferred.¹⁴

Checked-source boundary: The November 6 source check covers the offer terms cited here, not actual individual VINs, dealer inventory, paid session history or future promotions. The Hyundai 2023 historical product page still says December 31, 2024, while Electrify America's original MY2023 plan terms say February 28, 2025. Both are preserved as conflicting original statements; neither should be selected as a universal final eligibility date. Ford's January 4 purchase/delivery, March 31 coupon and June 30 installation deadlines belong to the exact Qmerit October 2026–January 2027 purchase cohort—not to all Ford programs.¹¹¹²¹⁴

Existing EVgo credits: check balance, expiry, and the exact station

Already earned a credit? Check the specific benefit's original terms, not just whether a charger appears in the EVgo app. EVgo-owned charging and third-party roaming are different eligibility tests. Generic promo codes, Honda OEM credit and Toyota complimentary charging do not all follow one rule.²⁶²⁷²⁸ The comparison below describes named historical programs and existing owner entitlements; it does not offer a new credit to a November 2026 buyer.

Before a session: (1) identify your exact model-year/issuer program or promo-code terms; (2) check the activation/expiry anchor for that individual benefit, not a generic EVgo time limit; (3) verify that the station is operated by a permitted network; and (4) use the issuing app/account and payment method required by the program.^26272928

After a session: For credits held in an EVgo account, open EVgo app → Payment & Billing → Transactions (or on the web Billing & Payments → Transactions) and inspect the Account Credit area and the individual transaction receipt for the actual amount of credit used.³¹ For HondaLink-managed credits, also inspect the issuing Honda account; do not assume that an EVgo balance view proves a separate OEM-wallet balance. An account's visible total does not by itself prove a given roaming station or session is eligible.³¹²⁷²⁸

What the public operator pages do not establish: a universal per-code expiration-date display, which of multiple stacked credits will be used first, any specific driver's live balance or expiry, or that an unsuccessful credit application was a billing error. If those details are missing, check the program issuer and transaction record rather than guessing; EVgo lists its Charging Crew support at 877-494-3833 for account/session assistance.²⁹

What to verify before valuing a charging perk

1. Purchase/order/delivery and separate redemption/completion dates. A live manufacturer page can describe a cohort that is no longer open to new buyers. Ford's Oct. 2026 Qmerit cohort, for example, has distinct Jan. 4 delivery, Mar. 31 coupon and Jun. 30 installation deadlines.¹⁴
2. Benefit unit. kWh, dollars, sessions, promotional miles and percentage discounts are not interchangeable.
3. Network scope and model year. Mercedes' checked complimentary sessions are restricted to MB High-Power Charging, Rivian's expired three-month promotion was RAN-only, and BMW's MY2025–26 complimentary kWh plan is for Electrify America. BMW's different MY2027 credits require checking the specific participating networks and charging-wallet terms; do not assume that access to a station makes its session credit-eligible.³⁴⁹¹²
4. Original-owner and transfer rules. BMW and Volkswagen explicitly restrict the checked plans; Tesla's promotional miles are also non-transferable.³¹⁸⁶
5. Fees that survive free charging. Idle or congestion fees can still apply even when energy/session charges are covered.³⁶⁹
6. Activation and account requirements. An included benefit can require OEM/network enrollment or an app/account before it works.³⁴¹⁸⁷
7. Home-charger alternatives. Hyundai and Genesis made their public credit mutually exclusive with a home-charger choice for the checked cohorts; do not add both values together.⁷⁸
8. Used-car entitlement. A plan being tied to a VIN does not mean the benefit transfers with the car; check the separate person/account transfer terms and the original term anchor.¹¹²⁴¹²

For recurring charging-network membership/payment economics after an included benefit expires, see ATC's DC fast-charging payment and membership guide. For OEM/app ownership transfer after buying a used EV, see ATC's used-EV connected-account transfer guide. For whether a non-Tesla EV can physically and contractually use Tesla Superchargers, see the non-Tesla Supercharger/NACS compatibility guide.

Sources