Electric vehicle rebates paused as federal program runs out of money

OTTAWA — The federal government has paused an incentive program that offered Canadians rebates of up to $5,000 when buying or leasing electric vehicles.

In an update on its website, Transport Canada says the Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) Program has been paused as “funds have been fully committed.”

The department says more than 546,000 vehicles have been sold or leased with incentives through the program since it began in 2019.

In 2023 zero emissions vehicles accounted for 11.7 per cent of Canada’s market, up from 3.1 per cent in 2019.

Canada has mandated that 20 per cent of all new vehicles sold must be electric by 2026 and 100 per cent by 2035.

The program was scheduled to pause either on March 31, or once all the available funding has been accessed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2025.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press