Chinese EV Demand in Canada: What 1,676 People Asked For

As of early October 2026, the mainstream Chinese electric vehicle brands, BYD first among them, had not started selling cars in Canada, so there are no Canadian sales figures for these brands yet. People are already asking about them all the same.

Between June 28 and October 9, 2026, 1,676 people used a form on China-EV Canada to ask to be contacted about a specific model by the site and its partner dealerships. Each of them left a phone number. This article reports what they asked about, by brand, by model and by province.

It is not a poll and it does not represent all Canadians. The method and its limits are set out in full below. For the status of each brand, see our overview of Chinese EVs in Canada.

Key findings

BYD accounts for 83% of the people, and Quebec and British Columbia come first once population is counted.

• BYD draws 83% of the people, 1,396 of 1,676, but it also has 10 model pages on this site, against 3 at most for any other brand.
• Three models lead. The BYD Seal (438 people), the Atto 3 (399) and the Seagull (293).
• The Xiaomi SU7 ranks fifth with 126 people, ahead of every Zeekr, Chery and XPeng model, although this site lists it as expected rather than confirmed for Canada.
• Among the provinces, Quebec and British Columbia lead per capita, with 5.6 and 5.3 people per 100,000 residents, against 4.0 in Ontario and 3.7 in Alberta.
• Between August 20 and October 8, Quebec had about twice as many people per 1,000 readers of this site as Ontario: 18.3 against 9.3.
• Interest differs by province. In Quebec, the Seagull city car draws about as many people as the Seal and the Atto 3. In British Columbia, the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid pickup accounts for about twice the share it does in Ontario.

Brands: BYD, then everyone else

Xiaomi comes second with 126 people and Zeekr third with 113, far behind BYD.

A person who asked about two brands is counted under each, so the shares in the table add up to 109%. In all, 125 people (7.5%) asked about more than one brand. Lotus, Polestar and Li Auto each drew fewer than 10 people and are not reported.

BYD's lead should be interpreted with care. Here is one hypothesis, not tested here: BYD has 10 model pages on this site and no other brand has more than 3, and more pages mean more chances to fill in a form. Page count alone does not rank the brands, though. Xiaomi has a single page and comes second.

Models: the Seal, the Atto 3 and the Seagull

Three BYD models are well ahead of all the others.

The next ten are: BYD Sealion 7 (56), Zeekr 007 (53), Omoda E5 (48), Jaecoo E5 (32), Dongfeng Vigo (30), NIO ET5 (19), BYD Han (16), BYD Sealion 6 (14), Zeekr X (13), Dongfeng Box (12).

252 people (15%) asked about more than one model. Our pages on the BYD Seal and the BYD Seagull give their specifications.

Provinces: Ontario in volume, Quebec and British Columbia per capita

Ontario has the most people, as its population would suggest.

Once population is counted, the order changes: Quebec and British Columbia come first among the provinces, and Ontario sits at the Canadian average of 4.0 per 100,000 residents. The gap between Quebec and British Columbia is small and should not be read as a ranking.

The shares add up to slightly more than 100% because at least 18 people made requests from two provinces and are counted in both. New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island each had fewer than 10 people and are not reported, and neither are the territories.

Quebec stands out among our readers

We can also compare these people with our own readers, as counted by Google Analytics (browsers or devices). For this comparison we use August 20 to October 8 only, because our Google Analytics data is unreliable before that date: a tracking fault from July 6 to 17, then automated traffic from August 12 to 19.

In that period, Quebec made up 15% of our Canadian readers and 27% of the people who asked to be contacted. Its rate per 1,000 readers is about twice Ontario's.

These rates also depend on which pages and traffic sources bring each province's readers, which this study does not control for. British Columbia, for example, is ahead of Ontario per capita but at roughly the same level per reader (9.8 against 9.3).

This data cannot say why. Here are two hypotheses, neither of them tested. First, Quebec's Roulez vert rebate of $2,000, which applies to eligible vehicles registered by December 31, 2026, may keep electric vehicles on people's minds. Second, information about these models may be less plentiful in French than in English. Our guide to the 2026 Roulez vert rebate explains the deadline.

In Quebec, 323 people used the French form and 194 the English one. Twelve used both.

What changes from one province to the next

Each figure is the share of that province's people who asked about the model. Some of these shares rest on small numbers: in British Columbia and Alberta, several cells count fewer than 20 people.

• In Quebec, interest in the top three models is nearly level. The Seagull draws 110 people, the Seal 109 and the Atto 3 107. In Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, the Seal and the Atto 3 are ahead of the Seagull.
• British Columbia shows more interest in the pickup. The Shark 6 draws 11.3% of people there, about twice its 5.4% share in Ontario.

How demand has moved

Each person is counted in the month of their first request: 27 from June 28 to 30, 599 in July, 417 in August, 520 in September and 113 from October 1 to 9. In the four most recent complete weeks, the pace slowed: 152 new people in the week starting Monday, September 7, then 141, 96 and 88.

These figures probably depend on the site's traffic, which this study does not control for. They do not measure public interest.

What this data does not show

• It is not a representative sample. These are readers of one website who chose to fill in a form. They are likely more interested in Chinese EVs than the average Canadian.
• A request is not an order. It is a wish to be contacted. As of early October 2026, the mainstream Chinese brands had not started selling in Canada.
• The site's content shapes the result. Only models with a page on China-EV Canada can receive a request, and a brand with more pages has more chances to be chosen.
• Small differences may be due to chance. That applies to a gap of a few tenths per 100,000 residents, or of a few people in a table cell. No statistical tests were run.
• Province is declared, and readership is estimated. People choose their province in the form, while Google Analytics estimates a reader's province from the connection. The two are not measured the same way. A small number of people made requests from two provinces and are counted in both.
• One email address counts as one person. Someone who used two addresses is counted twice, and two people who share an address count once.

Method

• Source: requests sent through the vehicle forms on china-ev.ca from June 28, 2026, the date of the first request carrying the consent described below, to October 9, 2026 at 10 a.m. Eastern time.
• Who is counted: people who gave a phone number and ticked the box agreeing to be contacted by China-EV Canada and its partner dealerships about that vehicle. Of the 1,707 people who used these forms in the period, 31 did not give a phone number or this consent, which leaves 1,676.
• Unit: one person is one email address. The 1,676 people made 2,283 requests. One test entry was removed before counting. Phone numbers and email addresses were not verified one by one.
• Vehicles: the site's pages cover battery-electric vehicles and some plug-in hybrids, such as the BYD Shark 6.
• Population: Statistics Canada preliminary estimates for July 1, 2026 (Table 17-10-0009-01).
• Readers: Google Analytics users in Canada, by province, August 20 to October 8, 2026. These are browsers or devices, not unique people. In that table, people are those with at least one request in the same period.
• Privacy: only totals are published. Any group of fewer than 10 people is left out.
• Disclosure: China-EV Canada collects these requests in order to connect consenting readers with partner dealerships, which is a commercial activity.

Using these figures

Journalists, analysts and dealerships may quote these figures and reuse the charts, with credit to China-EV Canada and a link to this page. The totals are also available as a data file (CSV).

Suggested credit: China-EV Canada, contact requests for Chinese EVs, October 2026.

FAQ

Is this a survey of Canadians?

No. It counts people who asked, through this site, to be contacted about a Chinese EV. These are contact requests submitted voluntarily by visitors to this site. We did not verify each one individually. They are not the opinion of the general public.

Why is BYD so far ahead?

One hypothesis, not tested here, is that BYD has 10 model pages on this site and no other brand has more than 3, so BYD has more chances to be chosen. This data cannot say how much that explains.

Can these cars be bought in Canada today?

Not for the mainstream brands covered here, such as BYD, Xiaomi and Zeekr. As of early October 2026, they had not started selling in Canada. Our dealerships page lists announced openings, city by city.

Do Chinese-made EVs qualify for rebates?

Not for the federal rebate. In Quebec, the $2,000 Roulez vert rebate applies to eligible vehicles registered by December 31, 2026, when the program ends.

Can I get figures for my province or brand?

Write to contact@china-ev.ca. For this study, we publish and share totals only, never for a group of fewer than 10 people. This article contains no personal information.

Charts and data: China-EV Canada.