Charged Up and Let Down: How Dealerships and Rental Companies Are Slowing Canada's EV Revolution

Canada is one of the most exciting countries in the world to drive electric. We have federal purchase incentives, growing charging infrastructure, a passionate EV community, and some of the best EV-suited vehicles ever built rolling off production lines right now. By every measure, the conditions for an EV revolution are here.

So why are so many Canadians still walking away from the dealership in a gas car?

A big part of the answer isn't the technology. It isn't the range. It isn't even the price — especially once you factor in the federal iZEV incentive of up to $5,000 and the provincial rebates stacked on top of that in many parts of the country.

A big part of the answer is what happens at the point of sale — and at the rental counter.

In this post, I want to walk through the specific dealership and car rental practices that are, intentionally or not, pushing Canadians away from electric vehicles. These are things I hear about constantly from people I talk to through my consulting work, from listeners of the True North EV podcast, and from EV community members across the country. They're frustrating. But the good news is that once you know about them, you can work around them.

Let's get into it.

Part One: What's Happening at Canadian Dealerships

1. "Steering" — Being Talked Out of the EV You Came In For

There's a term in the automotive industry called "steering." It describes what happens when a salesperson — sometimes consciously, sometimes out of nothing more than a knowledge gap — guides a customer away from the vehicle they originally wanted, and toward something else.

In the EV world, this usually looks like walking into a dealership asking about an electric vehicle and leaving having been sold on a hybrid or a gas-powered SUV instead. Sometimes the salesperson raises vague concerns about charging. Sometimes they emphasize range in a way that feels scarier than it actually is. Sometimes they just don't mention the government incentives that would make the EV significantly more affordable — and without that context, the sticker price feels prohibitive.

Research backs this up. Studies have found that car dealers push buyers away from electric vehicles worldwide, and Canada is not an exception. A lot of this comes down to training. EVs require salespeople to understand charging infrastructure, government rebate programs, total cost of ownership, and the differences between battery types and charging speeds. That's a genuine learning curve, and many dealerships haven't invested in getting their teams up to speed.

The result: customers who came in curious about EVs walk out feeling like it's "not the right time yet." For some of those people, that hesitation lasts years.

What you can do: Go in informed. Know which incentives apply to your province. Know the basics of Level 1 vs. Level 2 vs. DC fast charging. When you already know the answers, it's a lot harder to be steered in the wrong direction.

2. Low Inventory and Long Wait Times

Even if you find a fantastic, EV-knowledgeable salesperson, you may run into the next wall: there's simply nothing on the lot to buy or test drive.

This is one of the most underappreciated barriers to EV adoption in Canada. Buying a car is an emotional decision. You need to sit in it. Feel the acceleration. Picture yourself in the driver's seat on your morning commute. When a dealership has zero EVs in stock and the best they can offer is a factory order with a 6-to-14-month wait time, that emotional momentum dies on the spot.

And factory orders carry their own friction. You're being asked to commit a deposit — sometimes thousands of dollars — to a vehicle you've never actually driven, and then wait up to a year for delivery. Life changes in a year. Budgets shift. Enthusiasm fades. A lot of potential EV buyers who place factory orders end up cancelling them simply because the wait disconnects them from the excitement they originally felt.

Part of this is a genuine supply chain issue that is slowly improving. But part of it is also that some dealerships don't prioritize EVs on their floors because gas cars and trucks historically carry higher profit margins. Until that changes at scale, inventory will remain a hurdle.

What you can do: Call ahead before visiting. Ask specifically whether they have the model you're interested in available for a test drive — not just listed for sale, but physically on the lot to drive. If they don't, check other dealers in your area. With more manufacturers offering compelling EVs than ever before, you have options.

3. The Add-On Avalanche

This one isn't unique to EVs — it happens across the industry. But when you're already a little overwhelmed navigating a new technology, the pressure of the finance office hits differently.

You've agreed on a price. You feel good. Then a sheet slides across the desk with a list of add-ons: extended warranty, paint protection, rustproofing, fabric guard, nitrogen-filled tires, gap insurance, and — very commonly for EVs — a home Level 2 charger installed by the dealership's "preferred partner."

Each item sounds reasonable in isolation. Together, they can add $3,000 to $8,000 or more to your final purchase price.

A few things worth knowing:

The home charger markup is real. Yes, you probably want a Level 2 charger at home — it's genuinely one of the best investments you can make as an EV owner. But the dealership version is often significantly overpriced. And in many provinces, there are rebates available to offset installation costs that the dealership may not think to mention. Shop around, get independent quotes, and check what incentives your province offers for home charger installation.

Nitrogen tires are largely unnecessary. Regular air is already about 78% nitrogen. The performance difference in everyday driving conditions is negligible. It's a high-margin, low-value add-on — and one of the most commonly pushed on EV buyers.

Extended warranties deserve scrutiny. EVs have fewer mechanical components than gas cars, which is genuinely good for long-term reliability. Make sure you understand what the manufacturer's warranty already covers before paying for additional coverage.

What you can do: Know before you go what add-ons you're willing to consider, and be prepared to say no to the rest. Every single item on that list is negotiable.

4. Service Gaps — When the Dealership Can't Actually Fix Your EV

The final dealership issue is one that doesn't show up until after you've bought — but it shapes the ownership experience significantly.

EVs are mechanically simpler than gas-powered vehicles in many ways: no oil changes, no transmission fluid, far fewer moving parts overall. But they do have specialized systems — battery management, electric motors, thermal regulation, regenerative braking — that require trained technicians and specific diagnostic tools to service properly.

Here's the problem: not every dealership service department has caught up. Even at dealerships that are officially certified to sell electric vehicles, the service side may be lagging. EV owners across Canada report longer-than-expected wait times for warranty work, delays due to parts availability, and in some cases, being told their local dealer can't handle a specific repair at all.

This erodes trust — not in the car, but in the system around it. And for someone still on the fence about going electric, hearing "my dealer can't fix it" is a powerful deterrent.

This is improving as manufacturers push dealerships harder on EV service certification. But it's worth asking the right questions before you buy.

What you can do: Before purchasing, ask your dealership directly: How many EV-certified technicians do you currently have on staff? What's your average service wait time for electric vehicles? Their answers will tell you a lot about how seriously they've invested in the EV side of their business.

Part Two: What's Happening at Car Rental Companies

For many Canadians, renting an EV could be — should be — their first real hands-on experience with one. A weekend road trip in an electric vehicle, done well, has converted countless skeptics into believers. Rental companies have an enormous opportunity here.

Most of them are squandering it.

1. Handing Over Keys Without a Proper Orientation

Picture this: you pick up a rental EV at the airport. The agent hands you the keys, points at the car, and sends you on your way. You've never driven an EV before. You don't know how far it will go on a charge. You don't know what apps to use to find chargers. You don't know how to use the in-car navigation to route through charging stops. You don't know whether the charging port on this car is compatible with the charger at your hotel.

You drive away hoping for the best. And somewhere along the way, the anxiety sets in.

This is happening to first-time EV renters across Canada right now. And the experience doesn't just make the rental frustrating — it makes people walk away thinking EVs aren't ready, when really the rental company wasn't ready.

A proper EV handover doesn't have to take long. Five to ten minutes to cover the state of charge, the charging network in the area, which app to download (PlugShare is a great starting point — it shows you every public charger nearby), and how to use the car's navigation to plan around charging stops. That small investment changes the entire experience.

What you can do: If you're renting an EV, ask questions before you leave the lot. Find out the current charge level, the return policy around charging, and ask the agent to show you where the charging settings are in the car's screen. Download PlugShare before you drive away. Five minutes of prep makes an enormous difference.

2. Surprise Recharging Fees and No Guarantee of a Full Battery

This one costs people real money and real frustration.

Unlike gas cars — where you can stop at virtually any intersection and fill up in three minutes — EVs require a bit more planning around charging. So when a rental company hands you an EV that isn't fully charged, that's a genuine inconvenience, not a minor one. You're either starting your trip with reduced range, or you're spending time early in your rental finding a charger.

And then there are the return fees. Many rental companies charge significant "recharging fees" — sometimes $30, $50, or more — if you return the vehicle below a certain charge level. Which sounds fair in principle, until you realize that chargers aren't as universally available as gas stations, and the rental location itself often isn't anywhere near a fast charger. Returning a car to a downtown airport with a low battery because there was nowhere convenient to charge on the way isn't driver negligence — it's a gap in the rental company's own infrastructure.

CAA has noted that driver experience is a genuine concern in Canada's EV transition, and this kind of friction at the rental level is a meaningful part of that picture.

What you can do: When renting an EV, ask upfront about the return policy. Ask what charge level is expected at return, and what the fee is if you fall short. Knowing ahead of time lets you plan accordingly.

3. Shrinking EV Fleets — Just When We Need More

Perhaps the most disheartening trend: at the exact moment when more Canadians should be getting access to EVs through rentals, some of the largest rental companies are pulling back.

Hertz made international news when it began offloading a significant portion of its EV fleet, citing higher-than-expected repair costs and slower consumer demand. While that story played out primarily in the United States, the effect on Canadian rental availability has been real. Major agencies have been slow to grow their Canadian EV fleets, and some have quietly scaled back.

This matters because car rentals represent one of the lowest-risk ways for a curious Canadian to try an EV. A long weekend in a rental electric vehicle — actually driving it, charging it, living with it — is often all it takes to convert a skeptic. When that opportunity disappears because the fleet isn't there, we lose a crucial pathway to adoption.

And even when EVs are available, the rental experience is only as good as the preparation that comes with it. Knowing which apps to use, how to navigate to a charger on the car's screen, what to expect from charging speeds — these aren't things people intuitively know. They need to be taught, briefly and clearly, at the point of handoff.

What This Means for You — And What We Can Do

None of these barriers are insurmountable. None of them are inherent to the technology. The cars themselves — across brands and price points — are genuinely excellent. The experience of owning and driving an EV in Canada, once you get past these systemic friction points, is something most owners describe as transformative. Lower fuel costs, lower maintenance costs, smoother drives, and the satisfaction of knowing you're reducing your footprint.

The barriers are real, but they're also navigable — especially when you have the right information and the right support going into the process.

That's exactly what I built True North EV Consulting to provide. Whether you're just starting to think about making the switch or you're ready to buy but not sure where to start, I work with you one-on-one to figure out which plug-in hybrid or fully electric vehicle actually fits your life — your driving patterns, your budget, your home setup, your province's incentive landscape. And I don't stop at picking a vehicle. I walk with you through every step: the purchase process, understanding your incentives, and getting a Level 2 charger properly installed at your home. The goal is a transition that feels comfortable, confident, and genuinely exciting.

If you'd like to learn more, head to truenorthev.ca or reach out directly at truenorthev@gmail.com. I'd love to help.

And if you want to hear this topic discussed in more depth — including stories, examples, and a lot more back-and-forth — listen to the full episode right here on Spotify, or find the True North EV podcast wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find us on Facebook at @truenorthev.

If you're in Manitoba, I'd also strongly encourage you to connect with the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association at manitobaev.ca — an incredible community resource for anyone on their EV journey.

The road to a cleaner, electric Canada runs right through our driveways. Let's make sure the on-ramp isn't blocked.

— James Hart True North EV | truenorthev.ca

Sources: Green Car Reports, Transport Canada iZEV Program, CAA EV Driver Experience Report, The Atlantic