SASKATCHEWAN / Content Syndication Services / – Electric vehicle sales in Canada rebounded in early 2026, but Saskatchewan still trails most of the country in adoption. The province posted faster growth than Canada as a whole in new zero-emission vehicle registrations. Its market share remains far below national levels. The gap shows how EV growth can rise from a small base while still leaving a province behind in the wider shift to electric cars.
Statistics Canada reported 43,113 new zero-emission vehicle registrations in the first quarter of 2026. That represented 10.8 percent of all new motor vehicle registrations. The total was up 15.8 percent from the first quarter of 2025. Battery-electric vehicles made up 29,808 registrations. Plug-in hybrids accounted for 13,305 registrations. The result marked the first annual increase since late 2024.
Saskatchewan recorded a 22.1 percent annual increase in new zero-emission vehicle registrations in the first quarter. That ranked behind Quebec at 42.1 percent and Manitoba at 36.8 percent. Transport Canada data for 2025 still placed Saskatchewan at 2.5 percent light-duty EV market share. Canada’s national rate was 10.3 percent. Quebec reached 18.5 percent, while British Columbia reached 18.3 percent.
Charging data shows scale gap
Public charging data gives more context for Saskatchewan’s position. The province had 404 public chargers and 5,755 electric vehicles in operation as of the latest federal dashboard. That equals 14 EVs for each public charger. Canada had 38,364 public chargers and 1,030,949 electric vehicles. The national ratio stood at 27 EVs for each public charger. Saskatchewan’s challenge is not only charger count, but the size and spread of its EV market.
The province also applies a separate annual road-use charge to Class LV electric vehicles. The charge rose to C$300 from June 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2026. It had been C$150 before that date. The charge applies when a vehicle is registered. It will be indexed to the national inflation rate starting Jan. 1, 2027. Saskatchewan Government Insurance collects the fee at registration.
Federal incentives return in 2026
Ottawa launched a new Electric Vehicle Affordability Program in February 2026. The program offers up to C$5,000 for battery-electric and fuel-cell vehicles. It also offers up to C$2,500 for plug-in hybrid vehicles. The Canada Energy Regulator said the incentive levels match the former federal iZEV program. The same review said Canada’s zero-emission vehicle share recovered in late 2025 after a weaker start to that year.
Canada’s EV market now shows two trends at once. National registrations are growing again in 2026, led by battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Saskatchewan is also growing, but its share remains among the lowest in Canada. The province’s 2025 rate was less than one quarter of the national share. For buyers, dealers and planners, the latest data places Saskatchewan at the center of Canada’s uneven electric vehicle rollout.