ZEVs qualifying for federal rebate surged to all-time monthly high in March

Shipments of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles eligible for the federal incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) program swelled to an all-time high in March.

Deliveries across all brands reached 9,794 during the month, more than their level in January and February combined, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada, which also revises down previously reported figures for February.

Following its high-profile pricing cut Jan. 12 that requalified the Model 3 for the iZEV program, Tesla distanced itself from the pack in March with 2,695 eligible deliveries. Hyundai and Chevrolet placed second and third with a respective 1,239 and 1,187 qualifying shipments.

Following just the Tesla Model 3, the Chevrolet Bolt EUV posted 975 eligible deliveries in March.

Hyundai’s pair of all-electric models ranked third and fourth, with qualifying deliveries of the Kona and Ioniq 5 reaching 614 and 504, respectively.

The Volkswagen ID4 rounded out the top five BEVs with 454 eligible deliveries.

Among PHEVs, the Mitsubishi Outlander added to its commanding lead in the segment so far this year. The automaker shipped 809 eligible models in March, bringing its tally for 2023 to 1,911.

No other eligible PHEV has topped the 1,000-vehicle-mark so far this year.

The Toyota Rav4 PHEV is closest. The automaker delivered 618 qualifying Rav4s in March and has shipped 916 since the start of the year.

March marked a new high-water mark for the iZEV program with eligible coast-to-coast deliveries climbing to nearly 10,000, several thousand more than any previous monthly high.

Provincial distribution remained static, however, with Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario accounting for 94 per cent of all qualifying deliveries.