After a dip in Q2, ZEV registrations — led by battery electric vehicles’ record 7.9 per cent market share — rebounded to an all-time high in Q3, according to new data from S&P Global Mobility

The market share of zero-emission light-duty vehicle (ZEV) registrations in Canada — combining battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) — is pushing towards the 10 per cent threshold, hitting 9.4 per cent in third quarter, according to data compiled by S&P Global Mobility (formerly IHS Markit).

That 9.4 per cent mark shattered the previous best quarterly result of 8.3 per cent, recorded in Q1 of this year. Equally notable, BEV registrations made up the lion’s share of the latest total, coming in at 7.9 per cent, up from the previous high of 6.2 per cent in Q1.

The surge is particularly striking given that both of these percentages had dipped in Q2, when BEVs made up just 5.4 per cent of the market and ZEVs overall were at 7.6 per cent, according to S&P Global Mobility data.

The surge in BEV registrations meant that the overall ZEV share grew significantly even though the share of PHEV registrations actually fell to just 1.5 per cent in Q3, compared to 2.2 per cent in Q2 and 2.1 per cent in Q1.

ZEVs now one in five B.C. registrations

By province, British Columbia continued to lead the country, with ZEVs making up one in five vehicles registered in Q3 (19.9 per cent). That’s up from 15.6 per cent in Q2 and the province’s previous high of 17.1 per cent in Q1.

Quebec posted a 13.3 per cent ZEV market share in Q3, also up over Q2 but still below is the all-time high of 13.7 per cent set in Q1 of this year.

Ontario also had its strongest showing to date, with ZEVs making up 7.6 per cent of all registrations, topping the previous all-time high of 6 per cent set in Q2.

While Ontario still sits below the national average in terms of market share, in Q3 it edged out Quebec (by just three units) as the country’s largest market by volume. In percentage terms, its share of the national total of registrations was 30.9 per cent.

The next three highest market share percentages of ZEV registrations by province or territory in Q3 were Yukon at 5.8 per cent, P.E.I. at 4.8 per cent and Alberta at 4 per cent.

The market share of ZEV registrations in Canada’s three largest cities in Q3 saw Vancouver at 21.7 per cent, Montreal at 15.4 per cent and Toronto at 8.6 per cent.

Significant year-over-year changes

On a year-over-year basis, the 9.4 per cent ZEV market share in Q3 2022 compares to a 5.6 per cent share in Q3 2021.

This year’s Q3 BEV market share of 7.9 per cent is more than double the 3.7 share from Q3 of 2021.

By comparison, the total market share of fully combustion-driven light-duty vehicles (i.e., excluding non-plug-in hybrids) was 84 per cent in Q3 of 2022 versus 87.8 per cent in Q3 of 2021.

Tesla, Ford and Chevrolet led the way

According to S&P Global Mobility, in Q3 2022 three automakers were responsible for the most of Canada’s BEV registrations increase — Tesla, Ford and Chevrolet.

Tesla leads all manufacturers in BEV registrations in 2022 through the end of September, with 41,974 new vehicles registered.