Chinese EV Import Permits Are Now Live in Canada — Here's What It Means

As of March 1, 2026, Canada is officially accepting import permit applications for Chinese-made electric vehicles. This is a watershed moment.

Here are the key numbers, straight from the Canada Gazette:

24,500 permits are available for the first tranche (March to August 2026). A second tranche of 24,500 covers September 2026 to February 2027. The tariff: 6.1%, down sharply from the 106.1% imposed in October 2024.

But — and this is a big but — there is no affordability requirement in year one. Zero of the 49,000 vehicles need to be priced under $35,000. That requirement ramps gradually: 10% in 2027, 20% in 2028, 35% in 2029, and 50% by 2030.

What this means in practice: the first Chinese EVs in Canada will be premium models. The Lotus Eletre at $119,900, not the BYD Seagull at $22,000.

There's another major hurdle. Chinese-made vehicles are NOT eligible for the new $5,000 federal EVAP rebate. That programme requires vehicles to be manufactured in Canada or a free-trade partner country. China is not one.

Bottom line: a $30,000 Chinese EV competes against a $30,000 Korean or American EV MINUS $5,000 rebate = $25,000 effective price. The price advantage is narrowed but not eliminated — Chinese EVs still undercut the competition by 20-30%.

The quota grows to 70,000 vehicles per year by 2030, with increasing affordability requirements. The real flood of cheap Chinese EVs is a 2027-2028 story, not a 2026 one.