Canadian standard hybrid registrations reached a record 91,868 during the second quarter of 2026.
Hybrids captured 16.8% of new vehicle registrations – leading among alternative powertrains.
Internal-combustion vehicles at 72.5% market share, down from 79.3%.
Standard hybrids, as in non-PHEVs, reached a Canadian quarterly registration record in the second quarter of 2026. Already the top alternative to conventional internal-combustion vehicles, hybrids continue to gap other non-ICE powertrains.
Registrations of standard hybrids reached 91,868 between April and June, according to Statistics Canada data. That represented a 39.5% increase compared with the same three-month period in 2025. Much of the same is taking place in the U.S., where hybrids have been the fastest-selling powertrain choice since the end of the first quarter.
In Canada, the growth lifted hybrids to 16.8% of all new vehicle registrations during the quarter. Their growth also exceeded the pace of the battery-electric segment. EV registrations totalled 40,585 during the quarter, representing 7.4% of the Canadian market.
Plug-in hybrids accounted for a smaller portion of registrations. Only 18,226 PHEVs were registered from April through June, equivalent to a 3.3% market share.
Combined, standard hybrids, EVs and PHEVs represented 27.5% of registrations during the quarter. Standard hybrids alone accounted for more registrations than EVs and PHEVs combined, highlighting their growing role in the new vehicle market.
The gains for electrified powertrains came as conventional internal-combustion vehicles surrendered market share. ICE models recorded just under 400,000 registrations during the second quarter, holding on to 72.5% of the market.
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A year earlier, conventional powertrains represented 79.3% of registrations. That amounts to a 6.8-percentage-point year-over-year decline in market share. Influencing market conditions during the quarter included elevated fuel prices thanks to the Iran war. Higher fuel costs increased the potential lower operating-cost appeal of electrified vehicles.
The federal government’s return of zero-emission vehicle purchase incentives also supported renewed interest in full EVs. Standard hybrids do not qualify for those rebates, meaning their registration growth occurred without support from the federal ZEV purchase incentive.
The second-quarter figures clearly show the growing gaps within Canada’s electrified vehicle market – the same observation can be made about the U.S. market. Although EVs and PHEVs continued attracting buyers, standard hybrids gained extra momentum and captured nearly one in six new registrations nationwide.
Source: Automotive News
