Survey finds range, charging infrastructure and winter performance now more of a barrier to adoption than price

More than a third of Canadian new-vehicle shoppers say they would seriously consider buying an electric vehicle, driven by higher fuel costs and the return of federal incentives, according to a new J.D. Power survey.

The 2026 Canada Electric Vehicle Consideration Study, released yesterday, found 34 per cent of new-vehicle shoppers are “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to consider an EV for their next purchase.

That’s up six percentage points from 28 per cent in 2025. 

It also marks the first increase in EV consideration in four years for the study, which surveyed 4,938 new-vehicle shoppers across Canada in March and April.

Among shoppers already inclined to consider an EV, 57 per cent said the return of a federal incentive had positively influenced their likelihood to do so. Across all new-vehicle shoppers, that figure dropped to 25 per cent — a sign that public awareness of the new program remains limited.

The deciding factor

Ottawa’s Electric Vehicle Affordability Program (EVAP) was introduced in February and replaced the previous iZEV incentive program, which ended in January 2025.

“A combination of steadily rising fuel prices and the return of programs like EVAP are spurring rising interest in EVs in Canada,” J.D. Ney, managing director of J.D. Power Canada, told Electric Autonomy Canada in an interview. 

“But for most shoppers, the deciding factors remain everyday practicality: how far they can drive on a charge, whether charging is reliably available when needed and how EVs perform in Canadian winters.”

Regional differences

Ney notes that results varied by region. 

While EV consideration rose across the country since last year, Quebec led all provinces with a nine percentage point jump in EV consideration, reaching 42 per cent. 

Ontario also rose from 25 per cent to 32 per cent for an eight percentage point rise. 

B.C. reached 38 per cent (five percentage point rise), the Prairies rose to 26 per cent (two percentage points higher) and the Atlantic provinces sits at 24 per cent (another two percentage point rise).

“Canada isn’t one market, it’s a collection of very different markets with very different market realities,” says Ney, pointing to differing levels of provincial purchase incentives and home-charging rebates as key factors. 

“Individual results may vary.”

Price no longer the barrier

For the first time since tracking began in 2022, purchase price has fallen out of the top three barriers to EV consideration. 

Instead, the leading concerns are now range anxiety, cited by 65 per cent of hesitant shoppers; lack of public charging infrastructure, at 56 per cent; and inadequate performance in cold weather, at 54 per cent — the latter newly emerging among the top obstacles.

Ney says the shift is significant. 

“Had you asked me in 2025, I would have said affordability was the tough barrier to overcome, but we’ve seen some impressive movement there. Now, if I were an automaker or a policymaker, it would be time to turn attention to those infrastructure concerns, combined with consumer education around range.”

He also notes that nearly 40 per cent of Canadians have never sat inside an EV. 

“There’s just a lack of personal experience with these vehicles,” he says, adding that familiarity tends to increase comfort with the technology.

Strong interest in Chinese EVs

The survey also found considerable openness to Chinese EV brands entering the Canadian market. Among shoppers likely to consider an EV, 56 per cent said they would put a Chinese brand on their shopping list, drawn primarily by expectations of lower prices and strong in-vehicle technology. Even among all new-vehicle shoppers, nearly one in three said they were open to a Chinese EV.

However, concerns remain. Quality and long-term reliability, cold-weather battery performance, and the absence of an established dealer and parts network were the most cited reasons for hesitation for Chinese EVs.

Chinese-made vehicles are also not eligible for EVAP. 

Still trailing the U.S.

Despite the national uptick in EV interest, Canada continues to trail the United States, where 59 per cent of shoppers say they would consider an EV — a figure unchanged from last year. 

Nearly half of Canadian shoppers (47 per cent) say they are “very unlikely” to consider one, compared with just 20 per cent in the U.S. 

Ney points to a vehicle price gap between the countries, with the U.S. often getting lower-priced models with fewer options. 

“Canadians have shown a tendency for small SUVs, extended-range batteries, and all-wheel drive, for a number of reasons, not least of which being it tends to get a little snowy and cold here. So, immediately that pushes the price point of the most desired EVs in this market to different echelon.”