Your first EV,
costed honestly.
Honest EV vs gas costs in Canada: real Ontario electricity rates, current gas prices, actual rebate rules, and the costs nobody mentions - insurance, tires, depreciation. Every number sourced and dated.
Total cost of ownership · fuel & maintenance only
Why is the RAV4 Hybrid $70,520? That is not the sticker price - it is the full 10-year cost of ownership: $40,080 all-in purchase + about $3,044/yr for fuel and maintenance at 20,000 km/yr. The Mach-E total works the same way, starting at $48,640 minus a $5,000 EVAP rebate, then about $652/yr to run. Insurance is not included here - add your own quote in the calculator. Sales tax, depreciation, and financing are not included. Adjust every input →
Everything in one place
Six ways into your first EV decision
No account needed. Nothing here guesses - every figure traces back to a dated source.
Where charging actually happens
The same car costs 12.7× more to run on fast chargers
Energy cost per 100 km for the same vehicle, changing only where you plug in. Home overnight charging is what makes an EV cheap - public fast charging narrows the gap fast.
Off-peak charging
What your charger adds while you sleep
Ontario's Ultra-Low Overnight rate is 3.9¢/kWh between 11pm and 7am - about a tenth of the on-peak rate. Here's what that window actually buys you. Full ULO overnight math.
A Level 2 install in Ontario runs $1,000–$3,500 for most homes, and legally requires an ESA permit plus a Licensed Electrical Contractor.
What owners actually run into
The problems nobody puts in the brochure
Aggregated from owner communities, Canadian polling, and long-term ownership reports. Each one includes what you can do about it.
The most-cited road-trip frustration in owner communities: juggling multiple network apps, carrying adapters, and not knowing the price until you plug in. Roughly 1 in 5 owners report a charging session failure.
Set up accounts before you travel, keep a NACS/CCS adapter in the car, and plan routes around networks that support tap-to-pay.
2026 Canadian pricing
The five most affordable EVs
Ranked by all-in price - what you actually pay before tax, not the advertised MSRP. Efficiency moves the running cost more than the badge does.
Nissan LEAF
RebateS · Crossover
Kia EV3
RebateLight FWD · Crossover
Kia EV4
RebateLight FWD · Sedan
Tesla Model 3
Not FTA-builtPremium RWD · Sedan
Fiat 500e
RebateBase · Hatchback
31 EVs from 17 brands in the full catalogue - including Kia, Nissan, Audi, Volkswagen and Honda - with search, filters, and sorting. Energy costs assume Ontario overnight charging; gas uses $1.75/L.
Compare all vehiclesStraight answers
Common questions
The old iZEV program has ended. It was replaced by the Electric Vehicle Affordability Program (EVAP), live since February 2026, offering up to $5,000 for battery-electric and hydrogen vehicles and $2,500 for plug-in hybrids. Two conditions must BOTH be met: the final transaction value must be $50,000 or less (no cap for Canadian-built EVs), and the vehicle must be manufactured in Canada or a country with an active free trade agreement. See which catalogue models currently qualify.
Want the underlying numbers? Browse the Statistics Hub