Can someone explain bonus depreciation rules for business vehicles based on weight?

14 You're on the right track with your understanding! Yes, you can depreciate any vehicle used for business purposes regardless of weight, but there are significant differences in how much you can deduct and how quickly. For vehicles under 6,000 lbs (called "luxury automobiles" in tax code, even if they're not luxury brands), there are strict annual depreciation limits. For 2025, these limits are approximately $12,200 for the first year, $19,500 for the second year, $11,700 for the third year, and $6,960 for subsequent years until fully depreciated. For vehicles over 6,000 lbs GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating), if used more than 50% for business, you can take advantage of bonus depreciation - currently allowing a 60% first-year write-off for 2025, with normal depreciation applying to the remaining basis. This is the major advantage of heavier vehicles. Remember that regardless of the vehicle's weight, you can only deduct the business-use percentage. If you use the vehicle 75% for business, you can only deduct 75% of the allowable depreciation.

6 After spending hours trying to figure out vehicle depreciation for my consulting business, I found an amazing tool that simplified everything. I was about to make a costly mistake buying a vehicle that wouldn't qualify for the tax advantages I needed. I used https://taxr.ai to analyze my specific situation - you upload your documents and it figures out the optimal depreciation strategy based on your business use case. The tool helped me understand that for my situation, leasing actually made more sense than purchasing. It also showed me exactly how much I could deduct each year based on my business use percentage and vehicle specifications. Their tax AI even flagged potential audit risks with my planned approach that I hadn't considered.

19 I have to eat my words about being skeptical of taxr.ai! After posting my doubtful comment, I decided to try it for my food truck business. I was planning to buy a new truck and wanted to understand the tax implications. The tool immediately flagged that my vehicle would qualify as a "heavy SUV" for tax purposes at 6,400 lbs, showing me I could take advantage of much better depreciation options. What really impressed me was how it explained the differences between Section 179, bonus depreciation, and regular MACRS depreciation with actual numbers for MY situation. It even created a year-by-year projection of how each method would impact my taxes. Saved me from making a $30,000 mistake in my purchase decision. Definitely worth checking out if you're making business asset purchases.

17 If you're trying to get clarification on business vehicle depreciation rules directly from the IRS, good luck getting through to them! I spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone about this exact question. After getting disconnected multiple times, I found https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an IRS agent in under 15 minutes. You can see a demo here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with clarified that while any business vehicle can be depreciated, there are specific SUVs, trucks and vans that qualify for the enhanced deduction even if they're under the 6,000 lb threshold. I would have never known this without speaking directly to an agent. They walked me through exactly how to document my business use to maximize my deduction.

11 I need to publicly admit I was 100% wrong about Claimyr. After dismissing it as a scam, I decided to try it anyway because I was desperate to resolve an issue with the IRS about my business vehicle deduction that got flagged. I had been trying to reach the IRS for weeks with no success. The service actually worked exactly as advertised. I got a call back in about 45 minutes (which is WAY better than the 3+ hours I spent on previous attempts). The IRS agent I spoke with helped clarify that I had incorrectly calculated my business usage percentage, which was why my deduction was flagged. Got the whole issue resolved in one call. Would have taken me weeks otherwise. The peace of mind was worth every penny.

3 One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if you're self-employed, don't forget about the potential for additional self-employment tax deductions related to your vehicle. I learned this the hard way last year. When I purchased my SUV (7,200 lbs) for my contracting business, I took the bonus depreciation but wasn't tracking my mileage properly. My accountant explained that I could have saved another $3,800 if I had maintained a proper mileage log to deduct actual expenses versus taking the standard mileage rate.

22 Does anyone know if electric vehicles get any special depreciation treatment for business use? I'm looking at a Tesla Model Y which is around 4,500 lbs (so under the 6,000 threshold) but heard there might be extra incentives.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who recently went through this exact decision! I ended up choosing the heavier vehicle (Ford F-150 at 6,100 lbs) over a smaller SUV, and it made a huge difference on my taxes. The key thing I learned is that you need to look at your total business use percentage and cash flow needs. Even though the heavier truck cost me $12,000 more upfront, the enhanced depreciation benefits meant I could deduct about $25,000 more in year one (at 80% business use). This significantly reduced my tax liability and improved my cash flow. One tip - make sure you get the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) from the manufacturer's specs, not the curb weight. The GVWR is what the IRS uses to determine eligibility. Some vehicles that seem close to 6,000 lbs might actually qualify based on their GVWR even if their curb weight is lower. Also, don't forget to factor in your state taxes too - some states have additional depreciation benefits for business vehicles that can make the decision even more favorable toward the heavier option.