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A forest green 2021 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid in the forest

The IRS Will Pay You to Buy a 2021 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid SUV

By now, I'm sure you've heard of the EV tax credit. Basically, the government will pay you to buy a hybrid or EV. The plan is, it'll get Americans into EVs and hybrids, working in conjunction with Biden's new EV infrastructure moves to make American transport greener. However, the polar opposite of green now qualifies for the tax credit: the 2021 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid.

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of the EV tax credit. Basically, the government will pay you to buy a hybrid or EV. The plan is, it’ll get Americans into EVs and hybrids, working in conjunction with Biden’s new EV infrastructure moves to make American transport greener. However, the polar opposite of green now qualifies for the tax credit: a Bentley. Not just any Bentley, the 2021 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid.

How much is the Bentayga Hybrid?

A green Bentayga Hybrid photographed through lights at night
I’m a sucker for British Racing Green paint | Bentley

Let’s get one thing straight. The EV tax credit will not make a dent in the purchase price of your Bentayga Hybrid. The MSRP on a 2021 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid is $160,000. At least, to start. After all, Bentley is a boutique manufacturer of luxury goods. In reality, the sky is the limit. I’m sure if you asked Bentley nicely enough (and came with a big enough check), they’d build you a $1,000,000 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid.

In fact, Bentley’s configurator won’t even tell you how much your 2021 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid will cost you. Because, you know, “if you have to ask you can’t afford it.” They offer ridiculously luxurious options like Lambswool floor mats and “Dark Fiddleback Eucalyptus” veneer, which I’m pretty sure costs $500 to say out loud. Point being, the 449 hp 2021 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid is expensive. So, why are buyers getting a tax credit?

Should the 2021 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid qualify for the credit?

"Hybrid" script on the side of the new Bentley
I’d like to know who Bentley’s photographer is | Bentley

Frankly, the 2021 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid isn’t very green right now. I mean, how many eucalyptus trees will Bentley have to kill to make the veneer in my Bentayga or Continental? How many cows? Moreover, how many will they use during the vehicle’s life cycle? Now, in all fairness, Bentley is making changes to become greener. The brand’s first all-electric car in 2025 will be carbon neutral “cradle to grave.” By 2030, the brand will be fully electric and only offer vegan leather. So, that’s Bentley’s side of things taken care of.

However, there’s other reasons the Bentayga shouldn’t be on this list. The whole purpose of the EV tax credit is to incentivize your average Joe and Jane into buying a greener car next time around. That $7,500 is 18% off the purchase price of a Volkswagen ID.4, and that same $7,500 is barely 4% off the purchase price of a 2021 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid. Guess which buyer needs that discount more.

This isn’t in the spirit of the EV tax credit

The flying "B" logo on the hood of a white Bentayga
Bentley pledges to become more sustainable, but is it enough for the here and now? | Harold Cunningham via Getty Images

And that’s the point I’m trying to make here. We’ve given this country’s wealthy plenty of ways to hide their money from the taxman. Now, the taxman is paying them. No matter how small the sum, the government is literally paying rich people to buy nice cars for themselves.

We’ve well and truly ruined the climate, and now more than ever our EV transition is more important. You’ll still get to keep your gas-powered cars for a while, but guess who’ll still have a barn full of them worth millions in 20 years? The same people getting paid by the IRS to buy Bentley’s.

RELATED: Range Anxiety Means Much of America Isn’t Ready for Biden’s EV Move

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