Canadians registered 483,287 new motor vehicles in the third quarter, an increase of 5.7% from the same quarter in 2023 and a decrease of 5.5% from the second quarter of 2024.
In the third quarter, multi-purpose vehicles continued to lead in new registrations, with an increase of 10.5% when compared with the same quarter one year earlier, followed by vans (+7.1%) and pickup trucks (+1.6%). New registrations for passenger cars decreased by 7.9%, continuing its downward trend seen prior to the fourth quarter of 2023.
Most vehicle fuel types experienced an increase in new registrations in the third quarter when compared with the same period one year earlier. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) (+43.6%) had the largest percentage increase for the fifth consecutive quarter, followed by battery electric vehicles (BEVs) (+28.1%), diesel-powered vehicles (+20.8%) and hybrid electric vehicles (+19.6%). Gasoline-powered vehicles (-1.1%) had the sole decrease.
New zero-emission registrations exceed 15% of all new registrations
In the third quarter, 75,636 new zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) were registered, making up 15.7% of all new motor vehicle registrations. This represents an increase of 31.8% ZEV registrations from the same period the previous year, when ZEVs accounted for 12.6% of all new motor vehicle registrations.
BEVs accounted for 74.1% of all new ZEV registrations in the third quarter, while PHEVs made up 25.9%. Among ZEV registrations, pickup trucks (+113.5%) and multi-purpose vehicles (+38.9%) increased when compared with the same quarter of the previous year, while vans (-22.7%) and passenger cars (-4.5%) decreased.
New zero-emission vehicle registrations have the highest growth in Quebec, while they decline in British Columbia
In the third quarter, more ZEVs were registered in Quebec (+67.7%), Manitoba (+50.1%), New Brunswick (+43.5%), Saskatchewan (+18.3%), Ontario (+8.4%) and Prince Edward Island (+5.7%) when compared with the same period one year earlier. British Columbia (-4.4%) experienced the sole decrease in ZEV registrations, marking its first year-over-year quarterly decline since the second quarter of 2020, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada's three largest provinces accounted for 92.0% of all new ZEV registrations. Quebec comprised over half (53.9%) of all new ZEV registrations, followed by Ontario (21.1%) and British Columbia (17.0%).
Note to readers
Estimates for Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Alberta are currently unavailable because of contractual limitations of the existing data sharing agreement. However, they are included in the Canadian total.
This survey looks at registrations of new motor vehicles in the provinces and territories in a given year.
Estimates for British Columbia include the territories.
Reference
Data tables: 20-10-0024-01 and 20-10-0025-01.
- Note: some data tables may best be viewed on desktop.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5307.
Previous release: New motor vehicle registrations, second quarter 2024.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).