Earlier this year, Stellantis decided to change how it allocates vehicles and only send plug-in hybrids to dealers in California and the other states that follow the California Air Resources Board emissions guidelines. Dealers still get ICE cars if a hybrid version doesn’t exist, but if you want, say, a Jeep Wrangler, you either have to order it or buy the Wrangler 4xe on the lot. And considering the cheapest one is almost $20,000 more expensive than the least-expensive four-door Wrangler, that’s a tough pill to swallow.
The good news is, if you live in a CARB state, Jeep has a couple of incentives that should make getting into a Wrangler 4xe a little more palatable. CarsDirect reports that the Wrangler 4xe Willys, Sahara and High Altitude now come with $3,000 in “CARB State Regional Lease Bonus Cash.” If you want a Rubicon, though, you only get $2,000. Combine that with a $7,500 national lease incentive, and you’re looking at a $10,500 discount if you lease a Wrangler 4xe.
That brings the price of a Wrangler 4xe Willys down to a little over $44,000, which is much closer to the non-hybrid Wrangler Willys’s starting price of just over $42,000. Unless you really take advantage of the 4xe’s 22-mile electric range, you’re probably never going to save enough gas to make up the difference in MSRP. But $2,000? That’s going to be much easier to make up. You’ll still want to get as much use as you can out of the EV mode before your lease is up, but at least it’s doable.
Or you could just go through your dealer and order an ICE Wrangler. It’s not going to be as convenient, but it’s still an option.