EV sales jump in March as federal rebates return, though market share up slightly

OTTAWA — Sales of new electric vehicles jumped in March as Canadian took advantage of the long-awaited return of federal government subsidies.

Data released by Statistics Canada on Thursday shows 21,547 new EVs were purchased in March, the highest since December 2024 — just before the government paused the rebate program.

Ottawa brought back subsidies for new EVs on Feb. 16, after pausing them in January 2025 when money from the previous program ran out.

March sales represented an 83 per cent jump from the month before, and 75 per cent from the same time a year ago.