Anyone tried getting a MOR-EV rebate with a salvage vehicle?

Hey folks, thought I’d share a bit of an experiment I tried out.

I bought a Tesla from a dealer in New Jersey and got the MOR-EV rebate in Massachusetts with no problems. Since that went smoothly, I decided to try something different… just to see if it would work.

So, I bought a SALVAGE title Tesla from a dealer in New Hampshire (Argo Cycles). Buying from a dealer seemed to be a key part here.

After taking delivery, I spent six weeks restoring the car, got it inspected by the state police, registered it, and applied for the MOR-EV rebate.

Initially, I got some pushback since the car was previously salvaged and is now rebuilt. But I pointed out a couple of things:

  • There’s nothing in the MOR-EV guidelines saying a salvage vehicle can’t qualify.
  • Honestly, if anyone deserves the rebate, it’s someone saving an EV from a landfill!

After two weeks, my case got escalated to a higher-up at the Department of Energy. A week went by with no updates, so I called the MOR-EV number, left a voicemail, and BOOM, within a few hours, my application was approved. They mailed me a check for $5,000!

End result? I’ve got a 2018 Model 3 Performance with FSD, purchased for $11,000 after the rebate.

Hope this helps someone out there! Just keep in mind this may not work for everyone. I might’ve just gotten lucky.

I’m curious, what kind of repairs did you have to do on the Tesla?

Someone on the Bolt EV forum mentioned they got a hole in their battery compartment (no damage to the battery itself) and wondered if that would make it a total loss according to insurance. Seems like people with some motivation can buy salvaged EVs and fix minor issues to get a great car.


By the way, here’s an interesting case with a full battery replacement:

Second update: the saga has a surprise twist! : r/BoltEV