The province with the most eager EV shoppers

Despite concerns, the interest level Canadians have to own an electric vehicle as their next car remains high, a new survey found. And interest is highest in Quebec.

The second annual Car Ownership Index from Turo, a peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace, reported that about a quarter (26 per cent) of those interested in buying or leasing an EV are motivated by the idea of choosing a better car for the planet.

More, however, are looking at electrics as a way to save money spent at the fuel pump (38 per cent).

Still, costs to purchase are getting in the way. The survey found the biggest hesitation around purchasing or leasing an EV (31 per cent) is based on cost.

But that hasn’t slowed down interest in finding an alternative to an internal combustion engine.  Turo’s survey reported that more than half of Canadians (54 per cent) plan to buy a hybrid or electric vehicle. That’s similar to what the survey found one year ago.

“Although the focus around car ownership and usage has shifted to affordability this year, the study shows several Canadians continue to seek EV and hybrid options,” said Christian Bourque, executive vice president and senior partner at Leger, which conducted the survey on behalf of Turo.

And it’s Quebecers who are the most eager to adopt EVs — 64 per cent said electric is their next choice.

What would help EV interest, the survey found, is growing familiarity around these vehicles with the buying public. If they had the opportunity to test drive an EV for a few days or weeks before making a decision to purchase, 54 per cent of Canadians said they’d be more comfortable buying one.

“Canadians’ lack of experience with EVs remains a strong barrier to adoption and, given the continued interest in extended test drives from our initial index into this year, we believe increased exposure to EVs may accelerate ownership in Canada,” said Cedric Mathieu, senior vice president and head of Turo in Canada.