Nova Scotia electric vehicle owners will pay a new $500 levy when registering or renewing their vehicle starting Oct. 1, while plug-in hybrid owners will pay $250.
The Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Levy applies every two years when an eligible vehicle permit is issued or renewed. It applies to passenger vehicles, light trucks and vans registered at 5,000 kilograms or less.
“Nova Scotians pay for construction and maintenance of our provincial roads and highways when they buy gas, through the tax included in the price. Electric vehicle owners don’t pay it, and plug-in hybrid owners pay less,” said John Lohr, minister of Finance and Treasury Board. “This levy will ensure that all vehicle owners are helping to pay for the cost of building and maintaining the roads we all rely on.”
The levy was included in Nova Scotia’s 2026-27 budget and approved in April. The Province said it is the fourth province to introduce an EV levy, following Saskatchewan, Alberta and Quebec.
Gas-powered hybrid vehicles are not subject to the levy.
The levy does not apply to vehicles registered over 5,000 kilograms or vehicles with certain restricted or specialized licence plates. Exemptions include emergency and government-owned vehicles, as well as vehicles registered as ambulances, hearses, school buses, motorcycles and several other vehicle types.
HST will not be applied to the levy. Vehicle owners will pay it alongside their regular vehicle permit fee when registering or renewing their vehicle, either online or at an Access Nova Scotia location.
Registry of Motor Vehicles staff will ask owners to declare the vehicle’s fuel type when processing a permit. Staff can also verify the information using the vehicle identification number.
Owners who sell an eligible vehicle before the end of the two-year permit period may be eligible for a partial refund of the levy based on the number of full calendar months remaining on the permit.
The provincial budget projects the levy will generate $1.6 million in 2026-27 and $3.3 million in 2027-28 once fully implemented.
