A new Abacus poll for Clean Energy Canada finds 66 per cent of respondents support a version of the federal EV Availability Standard

The federal government is currently undergoing a review of Canada’s Electric Vehicles Availability Standard (also known as the EV mandate) and a new poll is saying two-thirds of respondents want some form of it to stay in place.

The survey, conducted by Abacus and Clean Energy Canada in June 2025, contacted 2,585 Canadians to ask a series of questions about the mandate.

“As climate policies go under the political microscope, it’s important we do not misread public opinion by oversimplifying the options before us,” says Trevor Melanson, director of communications for Clean Energy Canada, in a statement.

“A very strong majority of Canadians ultimately support keeping in place a version of Canada’s EV Availability Standard, and so the right question for [Prime Minister] Mark Carney is how the policy should adapt, not whether it should exist.”

Following the survey, but prior to the released findings, the government announced it was pausing the interim target of 20 per cent of all new light-duty passenger vehicles be zero-emission by 2026.

The reason was cited to be external pressures from global trade partners.

Poll findings

The high level findings of the survey are that 27 per cent of Canadians want no mandate at all and eight per cent responded that they do not know. The rest — 66 per cent — responded that they either want to keep the mandate in place as is (24 per cent), want the mandate to be more ambitious (16 per cent) or keep the mandate, but make it less rigid (26 per cent).

(Abacus and Clean Energy Canada warn that due to rounding the total percentages may not add up to 100 per cent.)

Younger respondents in the 18-44 years old bracket were most likely to be supportive of the mandate, including making it more ambitious.

When asked if they would support a revised standard to make EVs in Canada more affordable, 46 per cent of respondents endorsed the approach.

Controlling cost

The survey found 52 per cent of Canadians believe EVs here are more expensive than in other parts of the world.

“Typically, new EVs in Canada sell for at least $45,000, which is higher than in many other countries,” reads Clean Energy Canada’s summary of the survey results.

Melanson adds: “Transportation is the second biggest expense for households after housing, and lower-priced EVs would unlock considerable savings for drivers both on day one and for years to come thanks to considerable gas savings.”

A second recent Clean Energy Canada report studying affordable EV availability in Canada found there is one model of EV under $40,000: a low-range Fiat.

Meanwhile, in Europe, there are 21 models of EVs with ranges above 300 km that retail for under $40,000. Only seven of those models are from China.

“Canada could open up its car market: allowing for the sale of any vehicle that has passed safety and environmental standards in Europe,” reads the report, by way of identifying a solution to the affordability problem.

“Opening the gate to European EVs should be part of a broader suite of measures, including keeping the EV Availability Standard and lowering the tariff on Chinese EVs to ensure an adequately competitive market.”

For now, though, it is unclear what direction the government will go in. The consultation period to determine the strategy for Canada’s transportation decarbonization goals is continuing through the fall.