ZEVs hit 13% of new vehicle sales in Canada in August

Zero-emission vehicles made up 13 per cent of new vehicles sold in Canada in August, up from 8.8 per cent a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada data released Oct. 15.

Canadians bought 22,716 new zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in August, up 55.1 per cent from August 2025, the agency said in its monthly new motor vehicle sales release. Total new vehicle sales reached 174,611 units, up 4.9 per cent.

Sales of new passenger cars rose 14.2 per cent, while new trucks rose 3.5 per cent. The dollar value of all new vehicle sales climbed 8.8 per cent.

Statistics Canada defines a ZEV as any vehicle that has the potential to produce no tailpipe emissions. That includes both battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. The release does not split the two, so the data cannot show how many buyers chose a fully electric model.

Using the agency’s percentages, Canada News Media estimates that about 14,600 ZEVs were sold in August 2025. On that basis, ZEVs added roughly 8,100 units over the year, while the whole market grew by roughly 8,200. In other words, nearly all of the net growth in new vehicle sales came from electrified models. These are rounded estimates, not figures published by Statistics Canada.

The jump follows a federal policy reset. The Electric Vehicle Affordability Program took effect Feb. 16, offering up to $5,000 for a new battery-electric or fuel-cell vehicle and up to $2,500 for a plug-in hybrid, applied at the dealership, according to Electric Autonomy.

Eligible vehicles must have a transaction price of $50,000 or less, although Canadian-built models are exempt from the cap. Vehicles must also come from a country with a free-trade agreement with Canada, which keeps Chinese-built models out. China’s overall exports jumped 36.3 per cent in September, as we reported. The program is funded at up to $2.3 billion and is scheduled to end March 31, 2031.

The rebate shrinks over time. For battery-electric vehicles it falls to $4,000 in 2027 and $3,000 in 2028, Electric Autonomy reported. The Statistics Canada release does not show whether buyers are moving up purchases ahead of that step-down.

Ottawa also announced Feb. 5 that it would scrap the EV Availability Standard, which would have required ZEVs to make up 20 per cent of light-duty vehicle sales in 2026 and 100 per cent by 2035, according to TD Economics. The government instead plans tailpipe emissions standards for model years 2027 to 2032, with a goal of a 75 per cent ZEV sales share by 2035 and 90 per cent by 2040. At 13 per cent, August sales sit below the 20 per cent mark the old rule set for this year, though that rule no longer applies.

The release text does not give provincial, brand or price breakdowns, and Statistics Canada noted the data are subject to revision. The agency is the only source for these figures, and Canada News Media did not find independent monthly data to compare them against. Trade uncertainty with Washington also remains a risk for the auto sector, after U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer signalled no zero-tariff deal in talks earlier this month.

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Via Statistics Canada, New motor vehicle sales, August 2026. Additional reporting from Electric Autonomy and TD Economics.