FI showroom red and grey logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Ford Outlines Dealer Requirements to Sell EVs

No-haggle prices and sizeable investments in charging infrastructure are required to sell the automaker’s electric vehicles.

September 14, 2022
Ford Outlines Dealer Requirements to Sell EVs

The automaker gave dealers until Oct. 31 to opt into one of two EV certification tiers.

2 min to read


Selling electric vehicles will not come without a cost for Ford dealers.

The automaker has outlined a series of requirements dealers must meet before selling its EVs. These include setting no-haggle prices and investing over $1.2 million in upgrades, including charging infrastructure, according to Automotive News.

Ad Loading...

Ford framed the investments for the automaker as necessary to remain competitive against direct-sale competitors, such as Tesla, at a conference in Las Vegas this week.

The automaker gave dealers until Oct. 31 to opt into one of two EV certification tiers. The higher tier will cost dealers $900,000 up front. The benefits of the higher tier include more EVs to sell and “elite” certification.

The automaker will only allow dealers who opt out of these programs to sell the company’s legacy internal combustion engine and hybrid vehicles.

The cash outlay will be spent on dealership DC fast chargers, one of which must be accessible to customers.

Installing EV chargers comes at high expense. A public Level 2 charger can cost around $2,000 but a DC fast charger of 150kW or more can have a $100,000 to $250,000 price tag.  Currently, only a few dozen of the automaker’s nearly 3,000 US dealers have high-speed chargers.

Ad Loading...

The automaker also urged that dealers cut up to $2,000 from the cost of delivering an EV to a customer, also to help the automaker better compete with Tesla.

Dealers also learned EV prices were to be non-negotiable and that dealers could not carry plug-in vehicles in inventory.

“We’re betting on the dealers. We will not go direct. But we need to specialize,” CEO Jim Farley told reporters Tuesday after briefing dealers about the plans. “The main message I have for the dealers, which I’ve never said before, because I didn’t believe it was true, is that you could be the most valuable franchise in our industry.”

Ford has no plans to follow General Motors brands like Cadillac and Buick in offering buyouts to dealers who don’t want to make investments to sell EVs.

“We want them to have the choice,” Marin Gjaja, chief customer officer of Ford’s Model e electric vehicle business, told CNBC.

READ MORE: Biden Announces Funds for EV Chargers at Auto Show

Originally posted on Auto Dealer Today

More Showroom

inside of car, view of steering wheel with hands on it driving
Showroomby Lauren LawrenceMay 29, 2026

Affordable, Safe Cars for Teen Drivers

Families looking to balance affordability and safety in vehicles for their teen drivers can look to the updated list of recommended vehicles by IIHS and Consumer Reports.

Read More →
Gray-scale photo of a line of Mini cars in a dealership parking lot
Showroomby Hannah MitchellMay 27, 2026

Auto Dealers Feel Better But Not Great

A second-quarter Cox Automotive poll of franchised retailers and independents found better views of the current market after a good spring but anticipation of third-quarter storminess.

Read More →
exterior daytime image of Porsche North Miami dealership
Showroomby Lauren LawrenceMay 22, 2026

Holman Opens Porsche Dealership in Miami

The North Miami store features the brand’s signature Destination Porsche design concept, combining contemporary architecture and technology to create what the auto group calls an ultra-luxury experience.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Outside of a Cadillac dealership.
Showroomby Lauren LawrenceMay 20, 2026

Chicago to Gain Cadillac Rooftop in 2027

The two-story Cadillac dealership is being constructed at the former Lincoln Yards site, owned and operated by Canada-based Jack Carter Auto Group.

Read More →
Photo of sold Ford store exterior
Showroomby Hannah MitchellMay 11, 2026

Mid-Atlantic Ford Store Has New Owner

A growing Maryland automotive group is only the 93-year-old dealership’s third owner after its longtime proprietors retired.

Read More →
groundbreaking ceremony for new Barrington Porsche dealership with Murgado Automotive Group and Joseph Nicholas Construction
Showroomby Lauren LawrenceMay 11, 2026

Porsche Dealership Breaks Ground in Illinois

Barrington Porsche will be the new location for Murgado Automotive Group’s existing Porsche dealership currently in the Motor Werks of Barrington auto mall.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
aerial view of Fireside Honda in Ohio
Showroomby Lauren LawrenceMay 6, 2026

Michigan Auto Group Acquires Ohio Rooftops

Feldman Automotive Group added two new brands, Honda and Toyota, to its portfolio with its latest acquisition of four Fireside dealerships in Ohio.

Read More →
Photo of Scout Terra pickup truck outside farm building
ShowroomMay 4, 2026

California VW Dealers Go After Scout

The franchisees’ state-level actions follow a California auto dealers trade group lawsuit against the VW affiliate last year, both efforts to stop the EV maker’s plan to sell direct to consumers.

Read More →
Photo of rear of Mercedes VLE passenger van
Showroomby Hannah MitchellApril 27, 2026

EVs Gain Traction in Europe

First-quarter auto sales increased as more consumers took advantage of government incentives. Hybrid deliveries are leading the way on the electrifieds boom.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
road winding through redwood trees, California EV Market Cools, F&I and Showroom logo
Showroomby Lauren LawrenceApril 22, 2026

California Holds EV Lead Despite Annual Decline

At nearly 14%, California had the lowest zero-emission vehicle market share in the first quarter since the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the California New Car Dealers Association.

Read More →