Zero-emission vehicles grow sharply in Canada，2024

The data from Statistics Canada shows that，in 2024, a total of 26.8 million road motor vehicles were registered in Canada, up 4.2% from the previous year. More than 9 in 10 (91.6%) were light-duty vehicles (LDVs), 5.2% of which were electric vehicles (EVs), up from 3.9% in 2023.

In 2024, there were 26.8 million road motor vehicles registered in Canada, up 4.2% from the previous year. This growth was partly due to stronger new motor vehicle sales, which rose 9.5% year over year, and the implementation of an automatic registration renewal system in Ontario in July 2024.

LDVs—including passenger cars, multi-purpose vehicles, pickup trucks and vans—accounted for 91.6% of all registrations and increased by almost 1 million (+4.2%) from 2023 to 24.6 million vehicles in 2024. Registrations of medium-duty vehicles rose 4.0% year over year, with the most notable growth being among battery electric medium-duty vehicles, which multiplied more than 12-fold, reflecting the introduction of new battery electric models by several manufacturers.

In 2024, EVs accounted for 5.2% of LDV registrations, up from 3.9% the previous year. This count included 585,978 hybrid electric vehicles, 487,618 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 197,581 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Overall, EV registrations rose by 353,903 (+38.6%) from 2023, with BEVs (+48.8%) recording the strongest growth.

Zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs)—which include BEVs and PHEVs—represented 2.8% of LDV registrations in 2024, up 44.9% (+212,473 registrations) from 2023. The strongest growth in 2024 was seen in Quebec (+94,503 registrations; +47.6%), Ontario (+55,667 registrations; +47.8%) and British Columbia (+44,429 registrations; +35.3%).

Although ZEV growth was strong in 2024, its momentum seems to be slowing in 2025, as some government rebate programs have been paused or reduced starting in January 2025. Indeed, the number of new ZEV registrations fell year over year in the first two quarters of 2025, partly reflecting the impact of these program changes.