Vehicle registrations, 2023
Released: 2024-10-21
25.7 million
2023
-0.3% 
(annual change)
Highlights
In 2023, the total number of road motor vehicles registered in Canada was 25.7 million, down slightly (-0.3%) from 2022. The majority of registrations (91.7%) were light-duty vehicles, with electric vehicles accounting for 3.9%, up from 3.0% in 2022.
Please consult the product ''Light and medium-duty vehicle registrations: Interactive dashboard'' to explore the data.
Registrations of heavy-duty vehicles are now available by class of vehicle and fuel type in table 23-10-0308-01.
Total registrations edge down
In 2023, there were 25.7 million road motor vehicles registered in Canada, down slightly (-0.3%) from 2022. Affordability and the latent effects of a global semi-conductor shortage may be factors, as new motor vehicle sales in 2023 were 11.3% below the level seen in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Another factor explaining the decline was the number of unregistered vehicles in Ontario stemming from the pandemic exemption and subsequent elimination of registration fees in 2022 (see Note to readers for more details).
Light-duty vehicles (LDVs), which include passenger cars, multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs), pickup trucks, and vans, accounted for the majority (91.7%) of all vehicles registered, but edged down from 2022 (-0.3%) to 23.6 million vehicles in 2023. Registrations of medium-duty vehicles were up by 2.5%, with pickup trucks driving the increase.
In 2023, heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) registrations decreased 3.2% from 2022. Class 8 vehicles, or those with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of more than 14,969 kilograms, represented 87.4% of HDV registrations. The number of buses registered continued to lag pre-pandemic levels, with 1,048 fewer bus registrations in 2023 compared to 2019.
Multi-purpose vehicle registrations continue to surge
Within the LDV fleet, MPVs, which include sport utility vehicles and crossovers, grew by 3.7% from 2022 to more than 9.4 million registrations in 2023, surpassing passenger car registrations for the second straight year.
In 2017, 29.8% of registered LDVs were MPVs, but after six years of significant growth, they accounted for 39.9% of LDV registrations in 2023. Conversely, passenger cars accounted for 45.0% of LDV registrations in 2017, but dropped to 36.5% in 2023.
Chart 1
Number of light-duty vehicles, by type, Canada, 2017 to 2023
Although Ontario still had the highest proportion of LDVs (34.2%) in 2023, the 8.1 million registrations represented a 3.4% decline from 2022. All other provinces saw an increase in LDV registrations, while there were decreases in Yukon (-1.4%) and the Northwest Territories (-0.3%). Saskatchewan saw the largest yearly increase (+2.8%), followed by Prince Edward Island (+1.8%), and Alberta (+1.6%).
Nationwide in 2023, registrations of LDV pickup trucks edged up (+0.3%), while registrations of vans continued to decline, falling 4.4% from 2022.
Electric vehicles making inroads
Electric vehicles (EVs) made up 3.9% of LDV registrations in 2023, up from 3.0% in 2022. These consisted of 444,564 hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), 327,732 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 145,010 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Collectively, there were 210,467 more EVs (+29.8%) on the road in 2023 than in 2022, the largest absolute annual increase of EV registrations to date.
Chart 2
Annual growth in the number of light-duty vehicle registrations by selected fuel type, Canada, 2018 to 2023
While registered LDVs using gasoline represented 93.3% of the fleet in 2023, the number of registrations declined for the second consecutive year, edging down 1.2% from 2022. Registered LDVs using diesel also decreased in 2023, down 2.1% compared with 2022.
Two provinces lead zero-emission vehicle registrations
In 2023, 2.0% of LDV registrations in Canada were zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs)—defined as BEVs and PHEVs—up from 1.4% in 2022. Both British Columbia (3.8%) and Quebec (3.5%) continued to lead with the most ZEVs registered.
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Note to readers
The annual count of registered vehicles is based on administrative files provided by each province and territory. Registered vehicles are road motor vehicles including light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles as well as buses, motorcycles and mopeds.
Each iteration of these files contains updated information. Note that revisions were made for all vehicle types based on updated information to account for changes to vehicle registrations during the pandemic.
For Ontario, vehicle counts were revised downward for reference year 2022. The counts initially included both active and expired vehicles due to a COVID-19 pandemic registration exemption that ended in February 2022. In addition, as of March 2022, Ontario eliminated licence plate renewal fees and stickers for passenger vehicles, light-duty trucks, motorcycles and mopeds. This led to a decrease in active registrations because some drivers overlooked the need to renew their plates, which explains part of the 3.3% decline in the 2023 counts.
For Quebec, the 2023 vehicle registration file excluded commercial vehicles from the International Registration Plan, an agreement between Canadian provinces and American states allowing vehicles to travel between participating jurisdictions with one licence plate and registration document.
Comparing 2022 with 2023, it is estimated that there were roughly 33,000 fewer heavy-duty truck registrations in Quebec due to this exclusion, which explains part of the 22.5% decrease.
Definitions:
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): the maximum weight a vehicle is designed to carry. Manufacturers set the GVWR.
Light-duty vehicles refer to vehicles with a GVWR less than or equal to 4,536 kilograms (0 to 10,000 pounds) and includes GVWR classes 1 and 2.
Medium-duty vehicles refer to vehicles with a GVWR between 4,536 kilograms to 11,793 kilograms (10,001 to 26,000 pounds) and includes GVWR classes 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Heavy-duty vehicles refer to vehicles with a GVWR greater than or equal to 11,794 kilograms (26,001 pounds and greater) and includes GVWR classes 7 and 8.
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are vehicles powered solely by a rechargeable battery pack and produce zero tailpipe emissions.
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are vehicles with a rechargeable battery pack and an internal combustion engine. They run on electric power until the battery is drained and then the internal combustion engine takes over for propulsion.
Zero-emission vehicles are BEVs or PHEVs that have the potential to produce no tailpipe emissions.
Hybrid electric vehicles have a rechargeable battery pack providing an extra boost of power, in addition to having an internal combustion engine. They are not considered part of zero-emission vehicles.
Please visit the Transportation Data and Information Hub—a web portal developed jointly by Statistics Canada and Transport Canada—which provides Canadians with online access to comprehensive statistics and measures on the country's transportation sector.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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