New Survey Sheds Light on Car Shoppers’ Intentions, ZEV Mandates and More
What are the purchase intentions of Canadian drivers right now? And what do consumers think of the government's various strategies when it comes to electric vehicles? A new survey commissioned by the Canadian International AutoShow provides some answers.
First, just under half of respondents (47%) chose a gasoline-powered model when asked what type of vehicle they were considering for their next purchase. The others were looking for some form of electrification, either a traditional hybrid (30%), a plug-in hybrid (11%) or a fully electric model (10%).
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Overall, more than two-thirds (68%) of respondents oppose the proposed federal target for 100% light-duty zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. Earlier this fall, Ottawa paused its targets, which were set to begin in 2026 with a minimum of 20% ZEV sales, pending a review. An announcement is expected this winter.
Consumers are not the only ones who think this way and prefer wider selection: the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) also supports this decision by the Carney administration.
Whatever happens with ZEV mandates, 54% of people in the survey said they either agree or strongly agree with a hypothetical return of federal incentives for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Those incentives, which could reach $5,000, ended on January 13, 2025 after the funds were exhausted, and the latest Budget makes no provision for this.
What’s more, 77% wish for an expansion of public charging infrastructure in Canada to boost ZEV adoption.
Finally, when it comes to harmonizing vehicle safety and environmental standards in Canada with those of the European Union, Japan and South Korea to allow access to a wider variety of models, 62% of respondents said they were in favour, while only 13% opposed and 25% neither agreed or disagreed. These figures are fairly similar to those of another survey conducted by Abacus in early June on behalf of Clean Energy Canada.
Check out the full survey results right here.