What you need to know about the electric vehicle rebate

When you go to the page created by the Quebec government to promote electric vehicles, a tab on the left side of the page catches your eye: rebate on purchase or lease. This pilot project allows, according to the description on the page, to obtain a rebate of up to $8,000 for the purchase of an entirely electric vehicle. Smaller rebates are also in place for hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars. However, as of April 1, 2017, changes were made due to the 2017-2018 Budget.

The change in the project is in the area of used vehicles. From now on, a rebate of up to $4,000 will be available to buyers of used all-electric vehicles. However, this grant will only be available to the first 1,000 applicants.

What you need to know is that the subsidy only applies to vehicles with a maximum of four years of use, originating from outside of Quebec, but purchased from a dealer only, and with a three-year or 40,000 km warranty. The manufacturer's suggested retail price must also be less than $125,000. That's the downside. There are a lot of conditions to meet in order to take advantage of this government subsidy pilot project.

In terms of new vehicles, it is important to know that despite the duration of the project (i.e., April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018), the grant will not be applicable on hybrid vehicles 2018 and above. The list of eligible models is available online. In order for your dealer to apply for the grant, you must have the necessary documents, a list of which can be found in the participant guide.

Once you have signed the necessary documents, the amount will be subtracted from your purchase price. The government will then pay the grant to your dealer.

If you are interested in the grant, you can view the detailed participant guide.

Also, be aware that the government program also offers compensation if you wish to install a 240-volt terminal at your home.