An Ontario man said he couldn’t believe he would need to spend nearly $15,000 to repair the electrical system and replace the battery in his 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.
“I was in total shock, just blown away,” said Darrin Smith of Mississauga, Ont.
Smith said his car had 97,000 kilometers on the odometer when it stopped running. After nearly $5,000 of work, Smith was told he, too, needed a new motor and a new hybrid battery.
“If I had to think about buying a new vehicle, I wouldn’t buy a hybrid or an electric car, I would buy a gas car. I learned my lesson,” Smith said.
The federal government wants all new cars sold in Canada to be electric by 2035But a recent survey by AutoTrader found that not all Canadians are ready to make the switch, with concerns about charging stations, cold weather and battery life.
According to AutoTrader, in 2022 at least 68 percent of Canadians were interested in purchasing an electric vehicle. In 2023, that figure dropped to 56 percent. In 2024, it fell to 46 percent.
Part of the reason is the cost of electric cars, which can sell for an average of 15 to 20 percent more than gasoline cars.
“Consumers are a little hesitant and vehicle purchasing costs are a priority for obvious reasons,” said Baris Akyurek, vice president of marketing intelligence at AutoTrader.
The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association (CVMA) represents Ford, General Motors and Stellantis and believes the lack of charging stations across Canada is hurting sales of electric vehicles.
“We are seeing a slowdown in interest from Canadian consumers and that is largely due to charging infrastructure and the price difference between gasoline-powered vehicles and electric vehicles,” said Brian Kingston, president and CEO of CVMA.
Kingston says there are more than a million kilometers of roads in Canada that will require tens of thousands of charging stations if Canadians are to feel safe buying an electric car.
In the AutoTrader survey, it was found that of those interested in purchasing an electric vehicle, 62 percent would consider purchasing a hybrid.
CTV News Toronto also contacted Hyundai Canada about Smith’s vehicle and a spokesperson said, “Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention as it allowed us to investigate this case for the first time and provide support to Mr. Smith.”
“Hyundai Auto Canada fully reviewed the technical details of the situation and resolved it amicably with Mr. Smith.”
Smith told CTV News that Hyundai would now cover the cost of electrical repairs and hybrid battery replacement, which was great news for him.
“We were able to come to a resolution, so it’s great. “This is really incredible,” Smith said.
Currently, about 11 percent of new car sales are electric and the industry says prices should continue to fall.
Seventy-five per cent of respondents said they feel it is unlikely that Canada will meet its goal of selling only electric cars by 2035.