Last but not least, it's not only EVs that matter, it's making gas vehicles more fuel efficient & less polluting too. Trump is rolling back US tailpipe emission standards. The majority (58%) of Cdns believe Canada should stick with stronger standards introduced by Biden.

When it comes to the 100% tariff on Chinese EVs, 53% of Canadians say they would prefer a lower tariff that balances industry protection & consumer affordability, while 29% support removing the tariff altogether. Only 19% of Canadians support keeping in place a 100% tariff.

Affordability is a key barrier, so we asked about opening Canada's car market to EVs from elsewhere.

70% of Canadians support allowing for sale any vehicle that has passed safety and environmental standards in Europe, which could include some smaller, more affordable EVs.

Also worth noting that 45% is a lot higher than 2024 EV sales (which accounted for some 15% of new car sales), so there's a lot of remaining demand out there to still be captured.

In the GTHA, which has far lower EV uptake than Metro Vancouver, 55% of respondents still preferred getting an EV over a gas car—and that number increased to 62% when presented with a number of facts about EVs, suggesting more education and awareness is key.

Interest is even higher in Canada’s large urban regions. In another recent survey of the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area & Metro Vancouver also by Abacus Data on behalf of Clean Energy Canada, seven in 10 respondents (69%) in the Metro Vancouver region favoured EVs.

Interest varies significantly based on age and location. Majorities in Quebec (55%) and B.C. (53%) are still inclined to go electric over gas, as well as those aged 18 to 29 (57%) and 30 to 44 (52%).

45% of Canadians say they are certain, very likely, or inclined to purchase an EV as their next car, representing a 13-point decrease compared to when this question was asked in 2022. BUT...

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