Today's electric vehicles can comfortably handle most daily driving. The harder challenge is convincing hesitant buyers that many of their biggest fears no longer match reality.

Electric vehicles may be regaining momentum in Canada.

The share of new vehicle shoppers in Canada who say they are "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to consider an EV has risen to 34%, up from 28% in 2025, marking the first increase since tracking began in 2022 after years of flat or declining interest¹. The trend is also reflected in sales, with Canadians buying 20.8 per cent more EVs in the first four months of 2026 than during the same period last year², helped by higher gasoline prices, lower vehicle prices, and the return of federal rebates.

Yet for many Canadians, EVs remain a non-starter. The biggest concerns are limited driving range (65%), charging availability (56%), and performance in extreme temperatures (54%)³. Yet 96% of EV owners say they would choose an EV again⁴, suggesting these anxieties are often more perceived than practical, and tend to disappear once people actually live with one. Here’s why.

"I'll run out of battery mid-drive"

Because of our experience with smartphones, we all know the dreaded feeling of watching the battery percentage tick down one point at a time when there's only 10% left. But driving an EV is different. In reality, you're unlikely to find yourself in that situation very often.

First of all, today's EVs offer more than enough range for the vast majority of daily driving. In many markets, the average driver travels only around 40 km a day⁵. For context, a mid-size SUV like the VinFast VF 8 offers up to 412 km of range, enough for several days, or even more than a week for many commuters, of trips to the office, school drop-offs, errands, dinner outings, and more.

Of course, daily driving needs vary by region and use case. For example, the average daily driving distance in the United States, Canada's next-door neighbor, is around 65 km⁶. Taxi drivers typically drive between 150 and 250 km per day, which is still roughly half the range of the average battery electric vehicle. Even in those cases, you should still have a reasonably safe amount of charge left to make it back home.

"I won't find a charging station."

Yes, you probably will.

First of all, most EV owners ideally charge in the comfort of their own homes, and many brands even offer to install a home charger in your garage. That's almost the whole point, or at least one of the biggest benefits, of going electric. You no longer have to interrupt your daily routine to stop for gas. Just plug the car in overnight, make sure it's charging, and wake up to a full battery the next morning.

If you don't have a home charger, you still have access to public charging stations, which numbered at least 39,654 public charging ports at 14,743 locations nationwide as of March 25⁷. That number represents a 17.4 per cent year-over-year increase, meaning the network is continuing to expand.

Some apps that come with the car can also help you locate a list of public chargers. For example, the VinFast Companion App gives users access to 95% of public chargers across North America, allowing real-time access to charging locations, payment systems, and vehicle management.

"EVs aren't ideal for Canada's climate"

It's summer in Canada, but that doesn't stop people from worrying about winter driving. Sure, EVs don't perform quite as well in cold weather, but they still perform remarkably well. Just look at EV adoption in Norway, one of the northernmost and coldest countries in the world. For four or five months each year, temperatures remain below 0°C. Yet Norwegians have embraced electric cars, with EVs accounting for around 90% of new car sales (in 2023). If EV range completely crumbled in the face of harsh winters, Norwegian buyers would avoid them like the plague, wouldn't they?

What's more, cold weather affects both EVs and gasoline vehicles. EVs generally lose more efficiency, up to 39 per cent in mixed city and highway driving⁸. But much of that loss comes from heating the cabin and still leaves enough range for the vast majority of everyday trips. Gas vehicles, meanwhile, typically lose 10 to 20 per cent of fuel economy in city driving and 15 to 33 per cent on short trips when temperatures drop below minus 6°C, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates.

So when you live with an EV, the first thing to remember is not to panic. Then there are a few simple habits that make winter driving easier: pre-heating the cabin while the vehicle is still plugged in, keeping more range in reserve (just as gas drivers are advised to keep at least half a tank in winter), using the companion app to pre-conditioning the battery before arriving at a fast charging station, and planning trips ahead using an EV charging network app.

Some brands are also trying to make that transition smoother. VinFast, for example, pairs their all electric vehicles with an industry-leading of 10-year or 200,000-kilometer vehicle warranty—along with a 10-year unlimited mileage warranty for high-voltage batteries. VinFast also provides mobile maintenance and 24/7 roadside assistance, ensuring that help is always within reach.

¹ https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2026-canada-ev-consideration-study

² https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/ev-sales-increasing-canada-9.7241391

³ Same as #1

⁴ https://electrek.co/2026/02/18/once-you-go-ev-you-dont-go-back-96-of-owners-agree/

⁵ https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2026/trends-in-electric-cars

⁶ Same as #5

⁷ https://electricautonomy.ca/data-trackers/public-charging-networks/2026-04-01/2026-ev-charging-network-report-steady-progress/

⁸ https://electricautonomy.ca/opinions/2024-02-13/cold-weather-ev-anxiety-canada/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260824218918/en/

John.lindo@vinfastauto.com