The Manitoba government is making good on its campaign promise as it becomes the first “Prairie province” to offer a rebate

Electric vehicle sales in Manitoba may see a boost following the announcement of a $4,000 provincial rebate for new EVs and $2,500 for used EVs.

Manitoba is the seventh province in Canada to offer an EV rebate, which is stackable with the $5,000 federal rebate. Just Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta do not offer an incentive.

“This is a win-win for our province. We’re fighting the climate crisis while also lowering costs for families right away with a rebate on EVs and helping them save money every month on their daily commute,” says the minister for environment and climate change, Tracy Schmidt, in a press statement.

Both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are eligible with conditions including that drivers must procure the vehicles from Manitoba dealerships and rebates are limited to one per vehicle and per owner. New EVs must have a maximum manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $70,000, while used EVs may only be a maximum $70,000 and have to be less than four years old.

Leased vehicles on a four-year term are eligible for the full rebate.

The rebate is retroactive so that drivers who purchased an EV between Aug. 1, 2023 and July 1, 2024 will be able to apply. New Teslas costing $70,000 or less and purchased outside of Manitoba between Aug. 1, 2023 and May 2, 2024 will also qualify.

EVs in Manitoba

Manitoba’s EV rebates are being funded by the province’s new $25-million Manitoba Electric Vehicle Rebate program.

The initiative is garnering applause from some industry advocates.

“The members of Global Automakers of Canada wish to acknowledge and support the progressive efforts by the Manitoba government to make the transition to electric vehicles more affordable for Manitobans through the introduction of the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Rebate program,” said David Adams, president and CEO of the Global Automakers of Canada, in press materials.

Overall, EV adoption in Manitoba is on the rise. So far, in 2024, the province ranks fifth in Canada for new zero-emission vehicle registrations.

In 2023, ZEVs (including battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles) accounted for 3.5 per cent of new vehicle registrations in the province.

Multi-purpose vehicles are the most common EVs in Manitoba. So far, 449 ZEVs are on the road in Manitoba, with battery-electric vehicles accounting for 237 of them.

In addition to offering a rebate for EVs, the Manitoba government also declared a provincial tax holiday from January 1, 2024, to September 30, 2024 for fuel products. That has led to a 14 cent per litre reduction for combustion vehicle drivers.