In a significant development for the Canadian electric vehicle market, General Motors (GM) has emerged as the country’s top seller of EVs, dethroning Tesla, the long-standing leader. This shift, initially highlighted by GM Authority through a GM Canada Instagram post, underscores a dynamic change in consumer preferences and market conditions north of the border.
According to a General Motors spokesperson, the company’s claim to be Canada’s best-selling EV maker is substantiated by Canadian vehicle registration data spanning the third quarter of 2024 through the first quarter of 2025. “The data shows GM as the number one EV seller in Canada over that period,” the spokesperson confirmed. Specifically, GM’s EV sales figures point to a strong performance, with approximately 15,000 electric vehicles sold in the last quarter of 2024, followed by around 6,000 EVs in the first quarter of 2025. This surge propelled GM past Tesla in cumulative sales during these crucial two quarters.
While Tesla does not typically release detailed sales breakdowns for individual countries on a monthly basis, data from Quebec’s vehicle registration service (SAAQ) offers a telling glimpse into their recent performance. As reported by Global News, Tesla registrations in Quebec, Canada’s largest EV market, experienced a stark decline. The numbers plummeted from 5,097 vehicles in Q4 2024 to a mere 524 in Q1 2025—a staggering 90% decrease. Although comprehensive national data for Tesla is still pending, this regional trend is a strong indicator of the challenges the company faced at the start of the year.
| Automaker & Metric | Q4 2024 | Q1 2025 | Quarter-over-Quarter Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Motors EV Sales (Canada-wide) | ~15,000 | ~6,000 | -60% |
| Tesla Vehicle Registrations (Quebec only) | 5,097 | 524 | -90% |
Note: GM figures are company-reported national sales. Tesla figures are SAAQ registrations for Quebec only, Canada’s largest EV market. Both companies saw a decline in early 2025, but GM’s overall volume in Q4 2024 and Q1 2025 combined surpassed Tesla’s estimated national performance.
Several converging factors appear to have contributed to this notable shift in the Canadian EV sales landscape, ranging from governmental policy changes to brand-specific challenges and strengths.
A significant factor affecting overall EV sales for both General Motors and Tesla at the beginning of 2025 was the phasing out of key government incentives. The Canadian federal government’s iZEV (Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles) rebate program for battery-powered cars concluded in February. Concurrently, Quebec, a crucial market, paused its provincial Roulez vert rebate program during February and March. The removal of these financial incentives likely prompted a pull-forward of sales into late 2024 for some buyers and a subsequent cooling-off period as consumers adjusted to higher effective prices.
General Motors‘ ability to overtake Tesla can also be attributed to its diverse brand portfolio. GM offers EVs across multiple brands, such as Chevrolet (e.g., Bolt EV/EUV, Blazer EV, Equinox EV) and Cadillac (e.g., Lyriq). This provides Canadian consumers with a broader range of models, price points, and vehicle types compared to Tesla’s more focused lineup, which primarily relies on the Model 3 and Model Y for volume sales. While Tesla’s streamlined offerings have historically been a strength, GM’s wider net may now be capturing a more diverse set of EV adopters in Canada.
Furthermore, recent sentiment towards Tesla in Canada appears to have soured. Controversial remarks attributed to Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, including a statement that “Canada is not a real country,” have not resonated well with Canadian consumers. This, potentially compounded by ongoing trade tensions and tariff discussions between the U.S. and Canada, may be influencing some buyers to look beyond Tesla. For a segment of the Canadian market, these factors could make established automakers with a long history and manufacturing presence in Canada, like General Motors, a more appealing choice. This confluence of factors has seemingly created an opportune moment for GM to gain ground in the competitive EV sales race.
