I currently have a Clarity 2018 and love it. Unfortunately, my purple sticker expired on Jan 2023 and I am now languishing in the slow lanes. Would like to know if one possible gambit would be to trade this for a 2021 Clarity which would have a better sticker. However, after researching this I was not able to determine how long that sticker would last for (I think Jan 2025 at most). Also, not sure how much I would lose out on this kind of transaction. Any advice appreciated.
We left CA a few years ago, so I’m not up to speed on all those regulations. CA seems to have a “the first one’s free” policy, then you get peeled. In 2004 we bought a Prius. It qualified for a carpool lane sticker with just one occupant. Once that sticker expired, it was necessary to have 2 occupants in the vehicle in order to use a carpool lane. Interestingly, the second occupant could be an unlicensed driver or a 2 year old, who would presumably be unlicensed as well. The second person didn’t remove a vehicle from the road. Later some carpool lanes, which were built with taxpayer dollars, became FastTrack lanes and the privilege of paying a second time to use the road was introduced. You may be able to milk another year or two out of the program by buying a newer Clarity. Ultimately, they want you to buy an EV.
I've often thought we should have a Clarity exchange program, where you trade your Cali Clarity [plus $$$] with one from out of state. At least previously, each VIN could get the sticker once, so the out-of-state car would be eligible for a new one. No idea if they've changed it.
First off, the whole program supposedly ends 9/25/2025, so all stickers will expire then regardless of when issued. The color and expiration is based on when the car first had a sticker issued, not the model year. Some owners didn't apply for a sticker right away or at all, so even a 2018 could qualify. In theory such a used car should be worth more to some buyers. On the other hand, someone might have applied for a sticker for a 2021 in late 2020, shortening its expiration, so you have to ask/check (beware that some crappy dealers did that for cars on the lot, "lost" them, and didn't tell the buyer, who was then surprised when they went to apply). Here's the Sticker issued in 2020 -- expires 1/1/2024 Sticker issued in 2021 -- expires 1/1/2025 Issued in 2022 or 2023 -- expires 9/25/2025 For example, I bought a 2019 Clarity (later sold) and didn't apply until January 2020; that car's blue sticker expires in 3 months. I then bought a 2020 Clarity, but didn't apply until January 2022, so I have a yellow sticker valid until 9/25/2025. More info here: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/license-plates-decals-and-placards/clean-air-vehicle-decals-for-using-carpool-lanes/ Now, as to whether it's worth trading, that depends on a lot of factors. In October 2020, Vroom was offering what I thought was a ridiculously high price for my 2019, and at the same time Honda had $6000+ incentives on new ones and some dealers would go very low on pricing beyond that (I suspect the computerized pricing Vroom et al had didn't take all of that into account). And then with the $7500 federal tax rebate, I effectively couldn't afford to not sell the 2019 and buy a 2020 -- made around $3000 doing so. I don't think any of those conditions apply now though; it's usually quite costly to sell a late model car and buy a new one.
I believe that any specific car can only be issued a sticker one time. If the car is not brand new and had a sticker issued previously, another sticker cannot be obtained. At least that's what I remember from when I bought my 2018.
That used to be true, and still is for all Clarities, but there's now a recent program with income limits (<70K a year I think?) where a used car that had a sticker issued to another owner in 2016 or earlier can get a new sticker. But that's before the first Clarity PHEVs.
Theoretically, a Fuel Cell Clarity that was issued a sticker prior to 1/1/2017 would be eligible for a second sticker. The 2017 FCX was listed as an eligible vehicle. Interestingly, the Clarity FCX was also listed as an eligible vehicle for the model years 2008-2013. In California, the expensive fuel is only available at select locations and the sticker will expire in less than 3 months.
