Most Canadians would prefer a more open vehicle market with more affordable electric options, according to a new survey conducted by Abacus Data on behalf of Clean Energy Canada.
When it comes to the heavily publicized 100% tariff on Chinese EVs, 53% of Canadians say they would prefer a lower tariff that balances industry protection and consumer affordability, similar to Europe, while 29% support removing the tariff altogether in order to lower costs and avoid trade retaliation from China. Only 19% of Canadians say they would prefer keeping in place a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs.
There is little difference of opinion on this question between voters of each political party, with support for the current tariff ranging from 15% among NDP voters to 23% among Conservative, suggesting a strong cross-partisan consensus.
Respondents were also presented with another way Canada could open up its car market: allowing for sale any vehicle that has passed safety and environmental standards in Europe. This would increase the availability of car brands and models in Canada, including some smaller, more affordable EVs. The idea is overwhelmingly popular, with 70% support and only 10% opposition.
A measure already implemented in Canada was also put to the survey: tailpipe emission standards, which require carmakers to improve the fuel efficiency of the cars they sell every year. President Trump is in the process of weakening these standards, while California is fighting to maintain them in certain states.
A solid majority (58%) of Canadians believe Canada should uphold its current tailpipe emission standards, in line with those set by Biden and supported by California, while only 18% support weakening our standards to align with the U.S. under Trump.
Finally, 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. Interest, however, 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%).
Interest is even higher in Canada’s large urban regions. In a survey of the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area (sample size: 1,500) and Metro Vancouver (sample size: 1,500) conducted between November 2024 and January 2025, also by Abacus Data on behalf of Clean Energy Canada, seven in 10 respondents (69%) in the Metro Vancouver region favoured EVs.
In the GTHA, which has far lower EV uptake than Metro Vancouver, 55% of respondents still preferred getting an EV over a gas car, while that number increased to 62% when presented with a number of facts about EVs, suggesting a degree of persuadability.
QUOTE
“The question for governments should not be whether Canadians want to go electric. It’s always been the case that so many do—especially younger Canadians. The question is how do we lower the barriers preventing them from doing so. And the biggest barrier, by far, is sticker price. The world has high-quality, lower-cost electric cars, and it’s clear that Canadians would like to get their hands on them.”
—Trevor Melanson, director of communications, Clean Energy Canada
The survey was conducted with 2,585 Canadians from June 2 to 5, 2025. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are typically double opt-in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 1.92%, 19 times out of 20. The data were weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population according to age, gender, and region. Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
