Spring is a time of renewal in Canada, with tulips blooming, trees budding, flowers blossoming and new motor vehicle sales rooms bustling. Spring remained the busiest season for new car dealers in 2025, with sales topping $10.5 billion every month from March through May.
Just under 2 million new motor vehicles were sold in 2025, up 2.1% from a year earlier. However, 8.7% of new motor vehicles sold in Canada were zero-emission vehicles, down from 13.8% a year earlier.
By vehicle type, trucks (which include minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks, vans and buses) were by far the biggest sellers in 2025, accounting for 88.0% of total vehicle sales.
The number of trucks sold in Canada rose 16.2% from 2019 to just over 1.7 million vehicles in 2025. Conversely, sales of passenger vehicles have fallen by over half (-52.8%), decreasing from 496,851 units sold in 2019 to 234,278 vehicles in 2025.
Over two-thirds (70.3%) of the trucks and almost half (49.7%) of the passenger vehicles sold in 2025 were built in North America.
Overall, new motor vehicle sales remained below pre-pandemic levels, with 21,568 fewer vehicles being sold in 2025 than in 2019.
In 2025, car dealerships received on average $55,827 for every vehicle sold, compared with $43,567 in 2019.
New motor vehicle sales were down slightly in February 2026 compared with one year earlier. Over the same period, zero-emission vehicle sales increased significantly, rising by almost half (+47.2%). In mid February, the federal government began providing incentives of up to $5,000 for battery electric vehicles and $2,500 for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to support emissions reduction.
New motor vehicle sales data for March 2026 will be released on May 14.
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).