Most Popular EV in Canada, Tesla Model 3, No Longer Eligible for Federal Rebate

Most Popular EV in Canada, Tesla Model 3, No Longer Eligible for Federal Rebate
In this May 19, 2019, file photo, a line of unsold 2019 Model 3 sedans sits at a Tesla dealership in Littleton, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
The Canadian Press
12/2/2021
Updated:
12/2/2021

OTTAWA—The Tesla Model 3 will no longer top the list of Canada’s most rebated electric car.

Transport Canada says the popular battery-operated vehicle was removed from the eligibility list for the federal zero-emission vehicle rebate in late November.

The carmaker just raised the base price for the Model 3 to $59,990, well above the $45,000 qualifying price to get the $5,000 rebate.

In 2019 the company lowered the price to just under $45,000 to make it eligible for the rebate.

Since the rebate program began in May 2019, nearly 35,000 Teslas qualified for it, more than twice as many as the second-place Toyota Prius.

More than half a billion dollars has been spent on EV rebates in the last three years, of which more than one-third went to Teslas.

By Mia Rabson