Fasten your seat belt! The country’s electric vehicle market is about to undergo a dramatic shift.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is reopening Canada to Chinese-made electric vehicles, reducing the 100% import tariff imposed in 2024 to 6%.
Max Morris, sales manager of Shift Electric Vehicles in Burlington, Ont., said there is demand for more affordable and environmentally friendly electric vehicles, and for ordinary consumers, having Chinese electric vehicles on the market means “more choices” and “more advanced technology.”
While some applaud the opening of the electric vehicle market, others have expressed concerns about the safety of vehicles produced by companies with ties to the Chinese government. Here’s what you need to know:
How many people are there?
China has shaken up the global EV landscape in recent years by offering more affordable cars, SUVs and other battery-powered and hybrid electric vehicles.
China has more than 100 electric car brands, supported by heavy subsidies, but 15 dominate, including Geely, Chery, MG, Wulin and American Tesla (Tesla also produces some models in China).
On October 9, 2025, BYD cars were assembled on the production line of the Camacari plant in Brazil. (Joa Souza/Reuters)
But BYD became the world’s largest automaker last year and even surpassed Tesla as the world’s largest seller of electric vehicles.
BYD intended to break into the Canadian market until then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau imposed steep tariffs, in line with similar measures under U.S. President Joe Biden.
Outside China, BYD’s largest market is Brazil, accounting for 80% of electric vehicle sales in the country. Australia and Mexico are also important buyers of Chinese electric vehicles.
How many people come to Canada?
Initially, up to 49,000 electric vehicles from China will enter Canada each year, which Carney said is less than 3 per cent of the entire auto market.
Within five years this number will increase to approximately 70,000.
Before the 100 per cent tariffs, Canada already had Chinese electric cars – exported by Geely and Tesla’s Swedish companies Polestar and Volvo.
Canada seems to have enough demand for cheaper Chinese cars.
An Abacus Data poll released last year on behalf of the Canadian Energy Center showed that a majority of Canadians want lower tariffs to increase affordability for consumers (53 per cent) or no tariffs at all on Chinese electric vehicles (29 per cent).
How long will it take for them to arrive?
We don’t have an exact timeline, nor do we know which models may be available.
But Adisu Rashitu, an associate professor at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business, said the vehicles could arrive at Canadian ports within weeks.
“Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers can ramp up production and shipments quickly, and BYD even operates its own cargo ships, which can further reduce shipping times,” he said in an email to CBC News.
(AFP/Getty Images)
He said hurdles will be regulatory licensing and other compliance steps.
He said the federal government may want to speed up the process to avoid mutual delays when Canadian canola and other products return to the Chinese market with lower tariffs.
Currently, China will relax tariffs on March 1
Lashitew said he wouldn’t be surprised if new Chinese electric cars hit the market as early as March or April.
Will they be cheaper than other electric cars?
It depends on the make and model, but Chinese EVs are $10,000 to $15,000 cheaper than similar size and range EVs already popular in Canada.
One of BYD’s best-selling products are short-range compact cars called the Seagull and Dolphin Mini, which sell for less than $30,000.
That could appeal to first-time and returning EV buyers, said Morris of Shift Electric Vehicles, which specializes in used models.
“The people buying these Chinese electric cars may already own an electric car and are looking for a change,” he said. “Maybe they’re not happy with their current car, or they’re not happy with the manufacturer of their current car.”
This, in turn, will bring more used electric vehicles to the market, which will also be more affordable, he said.
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Rashtoux said other automakers will have a “responsibility” to lower prices to make electric vehicles more accessible to consumers and ultimately help Canada meet its emissions reduction targets.
“Since electric vehicles are still about 30% to 50% more expensive than similar gasoline vehicles, lowering trade barriers will effectively alleviate affordability constraints,” he said.
Who will sell them?
Currently, there are no brand distributors for electric vehicles produced by Chinese companies.
But as Canada rolls out the welcome mat, these companies may move quickly.
Since entering the Australian market in mid-2022, BYD has opened dozens of dealerships across Australia, and as of the beginning of this year, BYD has sold more than 52,000 vehicles in Australia.
People charge Tesla cars in a shopping mall in Shanghai in 2017. (Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images)
How do they compare?
Price is one thing, but consumers also want quality.
In the image above, you can see that the battery range of both Chinese brands exceeds their advertised range compared to their popular Western counterparts.
Motortrend compared several Chinese brands in 2024 to the popular Tesla Model 3, also produced in China, comparing the distance they could travel on a fully charged battery.
Some Chinese-made cars surpass the Model 3, though the outlet noted that range depends on factors such as driver speed.
Cold weather can shorten battery life and cause charging to take longer, but review website ArenaEV said after testing 67 vehicles in extremely cold conditions that three Chinese brands, including BYD models, outlasted the similar Tesla Model Y.
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Are they safe?
According to InsideEVs, the safety ratings of electric vehicles in China have improved significantly.
Citing European New Car Assessment Program rankings, several Chinese electric cars ranked among the safest last year, including BYD Seal 6, Volvo EX90 and Tesla Model Y.
But when it comes to cybersecurity, Carney, who has previously called China a threat, is now faced with allowing Chinese-made vehicles into Canada.
Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the prime minister over safety concerns, as did Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who called Chinese electric cars “subsidized spy cars.”
Andreas Schotter, a professor of international business at Ivy Business School in London, Ont., said Carney needs to take the issue seriously.
“That’s an issue that I’m very concerned about for these vehicles that rely heavily on artificial intelligence and their more modern capabilities and digital data transmission,” he said.
But he said he was “confident” the federal government would address the issue in a “complex way”.
