Canada’s EVAP rebate program tops 34,600 claims and $148 million in less than four months

Canada’s Electric Vehicle Affordability Program (EVAP) continues to gain momentum, with newly released data showing more than 10,000 incentives were claimed in May alone.

According to the data released by Transport Canada this week, Canadians submitted 10,364 incentive claims during May, representing more than $43 million in federal rebates. Since eligible purchases began on February 16, the program has now supported 34,601 vehicle purchases, with the total amount of rebates given out to customers now exceeding $148 million.

Toyota Leads EVAP Claims

Toyota currently leads all manufacturers with 10,425 incentive claims, driven primarily by strong demand for the Toyota bZ4X and the Prius plug-in hybrid. The combination of both fully electric and plug-in hybrid models has allowed Toyota to capture a significant share of EVAP rebates since the program launched. (h/t: @RJTesla)

Chevrolet ranks second with 5,438 incentive claims through May, supported largely by demand for the Equinox EV and Blazer EV. The brand recorded 3,422 claims in April before adding another 1,681 in May.

Kia sits in third place with 4,266 claims. The automaker’s EV lineup, led by the EV5, EV6 and Niro EV, has helped it maintain consistent incentive volumes, including 1,423 claims in May alone.

Ford and Hyundai round out the top five with 3,570 and 3,528 claims respectively. Ford benefited from strong demand for the Mustang Mach-E and Escape Plug-in Hybrid, while Hyundai’s broad electrified lineup, including the IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6 and Kona Electric, has kept it among the program’s strongest performers.

Tesla, on the other hand, sits near the bottom of the list, trailing automakers such as Fiat and Mitsubishi. Tesla recorded 227 incentive claims in May, up from 183 in April and just 46 in March, bringing its cumulative total under EVAP to 456 claims.

Tesla Claims Are Low, But Climbing

While Tesla’s numbers are increasing, they are never going to approach the volumes seen by the program’s top-performing brands. The reason is simple – Tesla currently has only one vehicle eligible for the federal incentive, while many competing automakers offer several qualifying battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models.

As a result, Tesla’s participation in the program is far more limited than that of its rivals. The only Tesla currently eligible for the federal incentive is the Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) imported from Giga Berlin. To qualify for the rebate, Tesla had to make some adjustments to how it priced the vehicle to ensure it met EVAPs requirement that eligible vehicles have a “final transaction value” of $50,000 or less.

Tesla’s recently launched Model 3 Premium Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD), despite its lower starting price of $39,490, does not qualify because it is imported from Giga Shanghai, making it ineligible under EVAP’s trade agreement requirements.

Quebec Remains Canada’s Largest EV Market

The provincial breakdown also highlights where EV adoption is strongest across the country, and unsurprisingly, the leader is Quebec.

Quebec accounted for 17,269 incentive claims, more than twice the amount of any other province. Ontario came in a distant second, with 7,135 rebate claims, followed closely by British Columbia with 6,757 claims.

From there, the numbers drop off quite considerably, with the next closest province being Alberta with just 1,351 claims.

The latest EVAP figures also align with broader Canadian sales trends. Following the return of federal incentives earlier this year, sales of all zero-emission vehicle sales, not just those that qualify for the EVAP reabte, surged across the country, including a 75% year-over-year increase in March.

Always get the latest - make Drive Tesla your preferred source on Google

Are you buying a Tesla? If you enjoy our content and we helped in your decision, use our referral link to get three months of Full Self-Driving (FSD).

Drive Tesla uses affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.