Electric SUVs, trucks now eligible for Canadian EV rebates

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says the feds will raise the maximum qualifying prices on Monday, April 25

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The Canadian federal government is expanding its electric-vehicle rebate program to include new larger, more expensive offerings from automakers, such as vans, SUVs, and trucks.

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Starting on April 25, car models with a base price of $55,000 and maximum price with options of $65,000 will now qualify for the rebate, Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in a statement Friday. A new category will also offer a rebate for larger vehicles up to $70,000.

“Today’s announcement is about making sure Canadians have the options they need — whether you want to make your next family car, or your ride to work, a zero-emission vehicle,” Algahabra said.

The Zero-Emission Vehicles Program or iZEV, launched in 2019, gives Canadian drivers a $5,000 rebate on the purchase of a new fully electric vehicle, or up to $2,500 for hybrid cars. With the price-cap extension, the full $5,000 rebate will now also apply to hybrid vehicles with an electric range of 50 kilometres or more.

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Over the life of the program so far, more than 141,000 vehicles have seen the rebate applied.

Earlier this month, the federal government released its 2022 budget, which called for $1.7 billion to continue the program into 2025; the move comes as the government aims to move 100 per cent of new-vehicle sales to zero-emission models by 2035.

Additionally, Trudeau recently announced it’d be his government’s goal to make 20 per cent of new cars sold electric by 2026.