Canada's EV incentive requests fell 14.3% in Q3; Quebec's share hit 52.5%

Dealerships and authorized sellers submitted 34,486 requests under the federal Electric Vehicle Affordability Program (EVAP) in the third quarter of 2026, worth C$151.7 million in eligible incentives, according to Transport Canada's September 2026 statistics, posted on October 13. That is 14.3% fewer than the second quarter's 40,239, by our arithmetic.

The decline is an April story. April logged 20,426 requests, the first full month in a file that begins on March 30, although purchases and leases of 12 months or more have qualified since February 16, 2026. May and June averaged about 9,900 a month, below the third quarter's average of about 11,500. Within the quarter, requests climbed every month: 9,228 in July, 11,015 in August and 14,243 in September, 54% above July.

Quebec carries the program. Quebec residents accounted for 18,115 requests, 52.5% of the quarter, ahead of Ontario's 7,356 and British Columbia's 6,022; every other province and territory together added 2,993.

Plug-in hybrids fell to 17.2% of the quarter's requests, 5,944 of them, from 25.5% in the second quarter. The average eligible incentive rose to about C$4,400 from about C$4,300, by our arithmetic.

The Chevrolet Bolt led all models with 5,637 requests. Second was the Tesla Model Y at 3,336, up from 193 requests in July to 2,386 in September. By dealership, the Model Y is an Ontario car: Ontario dealerships filed 2,394 of its quarter's requests. By recipient, most went elsewhere. British Columbia residents were the largest group of recipients, at 1,485, with Ontario residents at 1,260.

The figures count requests received rather than payments, and Transport Canada says they are subject to change as claims are processed. Buyers never file: the incentive comes off the bill of sale or lease, and the seller claims it back from Transport Canada. Organizations were the recipients on 1,841 of the quarter's requests. The program pays up to C$5,000 for a battery-electric or fuel-cell vehicle in 2026 and up to C$2,500 for a plug-in hybrid; for eligibility assessments submitted in 2027, those caps drop to C$4,000 and C$2,000.