Four in 10 consumers in Canada considering buying an electric vehicle said they could delay the purchase until there are more options for Chinese-made EVs. Expectations are growing for price competitiveness and advanced technology as restrictions on imports of Chinese-made EVs are eased.

InsideEVs reported on Oct. 15 that a survey commissioned by Canadian think tank Clean Energy Canada found 42 percent of prospective EV buyers said they could wait for Chinese-made EVs to launch.

Pollster Abacus Data conducted the survey of 2,762 Canadian adults from Sept. 18 to 23. Of all respondents, 48 percent said they were considering buying an EV as their next vehicle, up 3 percentage points from April.

The Canadian government decided in January to lower barriers to EV imports through a trade agreement with China. It scrapped an existing 100 percent additional tariff and introduced an import quota from March that applies a 6.1 percent tariff to up to 49,000 vehicles a year.

That is accelerating Chinese automakers' entry into the local market. Geely signalled it will begin sales in Canada in 2027, and Chery, BYD and Dongfeng are also preparing to build local distribution networks and enter the market.

Consumers' interest in Chinese-made EVs is driven by price competitiveness and advanced technology. Chinese companies are seen as offering a range of convenience features and strong performance at relatively low prices.

Still, it is uncertain whether low selling prices in China's domestic market will be maintained in Canada. Additional costs include logistics, certification and building local distribution networks.

In the first half of this year, battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids accounted for 10.8 percent of newly registered vehicles in Canada.

As attention turns to whether Chinese-made EVs can draw new demand, actual sales performance is expected to depend on local pricing, supply volumes and charging infrastructure.