Quebecers are choosing a provincial government today, and buried beneath the larger debates over affordability, public services, trade and sovereignty is a consequential decision about the future of the automobile. There is no separate electric-vehicle question on the ballot, but the five major parties have taken sharply different positions on how quickly new vehicles should electrify, whether buyers should continue receiving rebates and how aggressively Quebec should expand charging infrastructure. The differences are unusually significant because the province is approaching several policy turning points at once. Roulez vert is currently scheduled to disappear at the end of 2026, a new annual charge on EV registrations begins in 2027, and the government recently weakened its long-term zero-emission-vehicle requirement. Whoever forms the next government will inherit a transition that is already well underway—but far from settled.
Quebec’s EV Rules Are Genuinely Part of Today’s Choice
Approximately 6.4 million Quebecers are registered to vote across 127 electoral divisions, with polling stations open from 9:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. Eastern time. More than 1.6 million electors, or 25.59% of those registered, had already cast ballots before election day. EV policy has not dominated the campaign in the same way as the cost of living, health care or Quebec’s constitutional future, but the outcome could still produce a substantial change in transportation policy.
The distinction between the parties is larger than it might first appear. Electric Mobility Canada’s comparison of the five major parties found positions ranging from restoring a prohibition on new gasoline-powered light vehicles to eliminating Quebec’s zero-emission vehicle standard entirely. Rebates divide the parties almost as clearly. Charging policy raises another set of questions about apartment dwellers, highway fast chargers and who should finance the infrastructure. In practical terms, voters are choosing between different speeds—and in some cases entirely different philosophies—for Quebec’s automotive transition.
The CAQ Already Weakened Quebec’s 2035 EV Target
The outgoing CAQ government substantially changed the trajectory before the campaign began. Quebec had once planned to move toward effectively 100% zero-emission new light-vehicle sales by 2035. In June, the government announced that the long-term requirement would instead be reduced to 80%. The annual targets were also softened, including a 2026 requirement of 26%, rising gradually to 51% in 2030 and 80% in 2035.
Another significant change allows conventional, non-plug-in hybrids to generate credits temporarily for the 2025 through 2027 model years. That means the regulatory percentage should not automatically be interpreted as the percentage of cars leaving dealerships with charging ports. Manufacturers comply through a credit system, and different vehicle types can contribute differently. The CAQ argued that the revised system would preserve pressure to electrify while giving automakers breathing room amid supply-chain and trade uncertainty. Electric Mobility Canada says the party would keep that revised framework if returned to government.
The Parti Québécois Would Tighten the Standard Again
The Parti Québécois would move the regulatory dial back toward faster electrification, although it would not simply restore the former 100% requirement. Its plan targets an 85% zero-emission-vehicle sales standard by 2034—one year earlier and five percentage points higher than the CAQ’s 2035 target. It would also exclude conventional non-rechargeable hybrids from the credit system, preserving a clearer distinction between vehicles that can operate using externally supplied electricity and ordinary gasoline-electric hybrids.
The PQ combines that regulatory approach with targeted consumer incentives. It proposes maintaining the current $2,000 purchase or lease rebate for qualifying EV transactions below $50,000 and then phasing incentives out over four years rather than allowing Roulez vert to disappear at the end of December. The party would consider a larger incentive for zero-emission vehicles priced below $35,000, which it argues could encourage manufacturers to bring less-expensive products to Quebec. Its broader plan also calls for additional home-charging assistance, faster deployment along highways and residential streets, and development of vehicle-to-grid technology.
The Liberals Favour Continuity on the Mandate but More Flexibility on Rebates
The Quebec Liberal Party occupies a middle position on the sales mandate. Electric Mobility Canada’s campaign comparison says the Liberals would maintain the CAQ’s revised standard, including the 80% target for 2035 and temporary credits for conventional hybrids in the 2025, 2026 and 2027 model years. The party has emphasized regulatory predictability, arguing that manufacturers, consumers and infrastructure providers need policies that do not repeatedly change direction.
Where the Liberals differ more clearly from the outgoing government is purchase assistance. The party has opposed simply allowing Roulez vert to disappear and says incentives should be evaluated according to available public finances. It has stopped short of providing a fixed long-term rebate schedule comparable with the PQ proposal. On charging, the Liberals say deployment should rely on expert planning, include network redundancy and account for the needs of new buildings. That approach is less prescriptive than parties promising particular new spending totals or charging technologies, but it would preserve the central role of electrification rather than reversing it.
Québec Solidaire Would Restore the Hardest 2035 Deadline
Québec solidaire offers the most aggressive light-vehicle transition among the five major parties. Its plan would reinstate a prohibition on sales of new gasoline-powered light vehicles beginning in 2035. Electric Mobility Canada also reports that the party would prohibit registrations of new gasoline-powered vehicles beginning in 2045. That would go considerably further than the CAQ’s revised approach, under which some new combustion vehicles could continue to be sold after 2035.
Financial support would remain part of the transition. Québec solidaire says it would continue Roulez vert for another four years and increase support intended to make EVs more affordable. It has also proposed spending $10 million annually on a “Vieux bazous” program offering $1,000 to people who dispose of vehicles more than 15 years old, alongside either a one-year public-transit pass or access to car sharing. The party would add public and residential charging, spend an additional $10 million annually on road-charging deployment and pursue stronger electrification requirements for commercial vehicles, taxis and local delivery fleets.
The Conservatives Would Remove the EV Sales Standard
The Conservative Party of Quebec represents the clearest break with the existing regulatory approach. Electric Mobility Canada reports that the party would eliminate the province’s ZEV standard rather than replace the CAQ’s 80% requirement with a different percentage. Its campaign message has emphasized letting motorists decide which vehicles suit their budgets, geography and driving needs instead of having the provincial government determine the technological direction of the market.
The party has provided less detailed EV-specific policy than several of its rivals. AVEQ said the Conservatives did not complete its detailed questionnaire because of campaign-resource constraints, while Electric Autonomy’s synthesis of the available information characterized the party as favouring an end to EV purchase subsidies. Its broader program also proposes withdrawing Quebec from the cap-and-trade carbon market. Charging commitments are comparatively limited; AVEQ found no detailed plan for the Electric Circuit and noted only the party’s promise to simplify the Building Code, without clarity on how that would affect existing EV-ready requirements. A Conservative victory would therefore represent the largest shift away from policy-driven vehicle electrification.
Roulez Vert Could Disappear Less Than Three Months After the Vote
The election arrives at an unusually important moment for purchase incentives. Under current rules, Roulez vert ends on December 31, 2026. An eligible new battery-electric vehicle can currently receive up to $2,000 from Quebec, while qualifying plug-in hybrids receive either $500 or $1,000 depending on their specifications. An eligible used battery-electric vehicle can receive $1,000. Those amounts are already much smaller than the $7,000 provincial rebate offered on new BEVs as recently as 2024.
The next government will therefore have very little time to decide whether the scheduled expiry remains in place. Maintaining it would leave provincial vehicle-purchase support at zero in 2027. Extending or redesigning it would require policy and funding decisions almost immediately. Another change is already scheduled for January 1: electric vehicles will face an additional annual registration charge of $125, while plug-in hybrids will pay $62.50. The government introduced those fees partly to have electrified vehicles contribute to transportation infrastructure as gasoline-tax revenues decline. For buyers, the political transition could therefore have a direct and relatively quick effect on ownership costs.
Charging May Matter More Than the Purchase Rebate for Some Households
Quebec already possesses a substantial charging network. Provincial figures show roughly 31,150 public charging points in service as of March 31, 2026, including about 2,860 fast-charging points. More than 420,000 battery-electric and plug-in-hybrid vehicles were already on Quebec roads. The province’s existing charging strategy aims for 6,700 public fast-charging points and 110,000 public Level 2 points by 2030—more than 116,000 public charging points combined.
Home access remains the harder issue for many urban residents. The government estimates roughly 80% of personal EV charging normally takes place at home, yet approximately 3.2 million Quebec residents live in multi-unit buildings. Its 2030 strategy seeks to make 600,000 parking spaces in those buildings capable of supporting charging, representing 35% of their spaces. Current programs provide a $600 home-charger grant, while qualifying individual installations in multi-unit buildings can receive as much as $5,000. The parties broadly acknowledge this infrastructure problem, but differ significantly in how specifically they propose to tackle it.
Quebec’s EV Market Has Already Shown How Quickly Policy Can Matter
The debate is occurring after an unusually volatile period for electric-vehicle registrations. Statistics Canada reported that Quebec experienced a 48.7% year-over-year decline in new ZEV registrations during 2025—the largest provincial decrease reported. That came during a period of significant incentive disruption, including a temporary suspension of Roulez vert in early 2025 and major reductions in its value. Those facts occurred together, although the registration data alone cannot establish how much of the decline was caused specifically by rebate changes rather than prices, inventory or broader market conditions.
Momentum has since improved. Statistics Canada reported that Quebec’s new ZEV registrations rose 12.5% year over year during the second quarter of 2026. Nationally, 58,811 new ZEVs were registered during that quarter, accounting for 10.7% of all new registrations. That recovery helps explain why the parties can look at the same market and reach different conclusions. One interpretation is that electrification remains capable of growing with supportive policy. Another is that consumer demand should dictate the pace rather than increasingly stringent government requirements.
Federal Incentives Mean Quebec Is Only Deciding Part of the Picture
Whatever happens tonight, Quebec’s election does not determine every EV incentive available to a provincial buyer. Ottawa’s Electric Vehicle Affordability Program currently provides up to $5,000 toward eligible battery-electric vehicles in 2026 and as much as $2,500 for qualifying plug-in hybrids. For most vehicles, the federal program requires a final transaction value of $50,000 or less, although eligible Canadian-made EVs are exempt from that ceiling. A qualifying Quebec buyer can therefore currently combine provincial and federal assistance in some circumstances.
That distinction will become increasingly important if the provincial rebate disappears or is redesigned. Ottawa controls the federal incentive, while Quebec controls Roulez vert, provincial charging programs, registration charges and its own ZEV credit system. Today’s vote therefore will not determine whether electric vehicles continue to receive any public support at all. It will decide how much additional pressure—and assistance—Quebec itself places behind the transition. The choice ranges from significantly stronger electrification rules to keeping the recently softened framework to removing the provincial sales mandate altogether. For the province’s car market, those are materially different paths.
