Canada has released an updated report on its quota for electric vehicle (EV) imports from China, showing the number of imported vehicles has more than doubled since the last update. Not only that, the update also reveals new details about the types of vehicles entering the country.
Chinese EV imports more than double
According to the latest Global Affairs Canada report, 6,531 Chinese-built electric vehicles have been imported under Canada’s 24,500 vehicle quota between March 1 and August 31, 2026. That leaves 17,969 import allocations still available, meaning just over one-quarter of the available quota has been utilized.
The previous report, published at the end of May, showed 2,910 imported vehicles. At that time, every vehicle fell under a single customs classification for electric passenger cars with a customs value exceeding C$35,000.
New customs classifications emerge
The latest report paints a different picture however. While the number of vehicles in that classification has increased to 4,080, an additional 2,430 passenger cars are now listed under the C$35,000 and under customs value category. Another 21 vehicles were classified as electric SUVs, passenger vans, or similar vehicles with a customs value above C$35,000.
It’s important to note that these value thresholds refer to the customs value used for import classification, not the retail price consumers pay in Canada.
Are most of these imports Teslas?
Although the report does not identify manufacturers, the vast majority of these are likely Tesla, which has been importing Shanghai-built Model 3 sedans into Canada since earlier this year.
Perhaps the most interesting development is the addition of the 2,430 vehicles classified under the lower customs value category. Since the original report contained only vehicles in the higher-value classification, the change could indicate that additional manufacturers have begun importing qualifying EVs into Canada.
However, another possibility is that later shipments of the same vehicles, potentially including the Model 3, were declared under a different customs value classification. This is more likely as we have not yet seen any sign of other automakers selling Chinese imported EVs at the same scale as Tesla.
But since the report identifies only customs classifications and not manufacturers, it’s impossible to determine which explanation is correct.
Thousands of import permits still available
Another noteworthy takeaway is just how much capacity remains under the current quota. With only 6,531 of the 24,500 available import permits utilized so far, nearly 18,000 vehicle allocations remain available with only about six weeks left in the first quota period. More importantly for automakers, those unused allocations won’t simply disappear.
Under the program’s rules, any unused quota from the March-to-August period will carry over into the second half of the quota year, which begins on September 1. That means automakers could have access to well over 42,000 vehicle permits during the second period if utilization remains at current levels.
Global Affairs Canada has also said it will publish a new notice outlining how the second six-month period will be administered following consultations with industry stakeholders, so it would not be surprising to see some changes announced soon.
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