How important will electric vehicles be for Quebec consumers in 2025?

The automotive sector has been full of surprises over the past year.

Most recently, the Quebec government announced that they would be suspending their government incentives for consumers who purchased an electric vehicle.

The EV subsidy went from $7,000 to $4,000, and soon it will reach $0 as of Feb. 1. Experts say this will have a negative impact on the amount of people who planned on purchasing an EV.

The Roulez vert program took off quickly after it was launched and more than 114,000 applications for financial assistance were authorized in 2024.

Also, within the past year, more than $650 million was given to Quebecers who changed to electric vehicles, including financial assistance for charging stations.

The SAAQ registered over 40,000 new zero-emission vehicles in July, August, and September – which is more compared to the rest of Canada.

As of Oct. 1, there were more than 335,000 EV owners, according to data from the Association des Véhicules Électriques du Québec (AVEQ), and it’s expected that the total will reach over 400,00.

The CAQ government said it wants two million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030.

Another surprise that affected the automobile market was Chinese electric vehicle companies.  They tried to enter the Canadian market but were hit with a 100 per cent surtax like the United States.

Experts believe that if their cars were sold in Quebec, other manufacturers could struggle because the main complaint from consumers is that plug-in vehicles are too expensive, and the Chinese manufactures could offer more competitive pricing.

Lastly, the cost of insurance doubled over the past year – with thefts and high claims being the main reason.