The best credit cards for EV charging in Canada for 2025

FAQ about EV charging

Get solutions to steadily requested questions on charging electrical autos in Canada, together with charging instances and prices, and areas of Petro-Canada charging stations.

How lengthy does it take to cost an electrical automobile?

It is a bit like asking how lengthy it takes to fill a pool. The reply is determined by the scale of the pool, the hose you’re utilizing and even the climate. Whereas there’s no one-size-fits-all reply, understanding just a few key components will assist you estimate charging instances, whether or not you’re topping up in a single day or fuelling up on a highway journey.

Charging time is determined by the facility supply, the automotive’s charger and its battery measurement, and even climate situations:

• The ability supply: A fundamental family outlet might take days to replenish an EV—consider it as trickling water right into a barrel with a tiny spout. A sooner house setup, like a 240-volt charger you’d use for a dryer, cuts that right down to just some hours in a single day. Public stations are fast-charging and are the speediest possibility. These can juice up your battery in lower than an hour.

• The automobile: Take a small battery, like in a Nissan Leaf—it would cost totally in seven to eight hours with a 240-volt setup, or about an hour with a quick charger. An even bigger battery, say in a GMC Hummer EV, might take nearer to 13 hours at house or round two hours with quick charging. 
• Climate: Climate can nudge these instances a bit—chilly or scorching days may sluggish issues down—nevertheless it’s normally a minor issue. Excessive temperatures, nonetheless, can significantly enhance cost time. Excessive chilly can scale back battery effectivity by round 20% to 40%. 

So, charging might vary from a fast 20 to 120 minutes at a quick station to a leisurely 5 to 13 hours at house, relying in your setup and EV. 

How a lot does it value to cost and electrical automobile?

At house, the place most EV homeowners cost, prices tie into your electrical energy invoice. In a metropolis like Toronto, charging in a single day throughout off-peak hours may run you lower than $1 per day—round $300 a 12 months for the typical driver. That’s a steal in comparison with a tank of gasoline. Charges differ by location and time, although. The associated fee could be increased throughout peak hours and in pricier areas.

Public charging stations provide comfort however usually include a price. Some cost by time (e.g., $0.30 per minute), some cost by power use (e.g., $0.40/kWh), and a few cost a flat charge per session (e.g., $5 to $7 for a fast enhance). Power-based billing continues to be creating in Canada. Free stations exist too—it’s possible you’ll discover them close to companies or in parks—however they’re not the norm. Quick-charging spots, like superchargers, are likely to value extra for his or her velocity, although they prevent time on the go.

The make-up of your EV issues, too. A smaller battery, like in a plug-in hybrid, prices much less to fill than a giant one in a full electrical SUV. Effectivity performs a job as effectively. Extra environment friendly fashions stretch every cost additional, trimming prices.

So, you possibly can count on a spread of costs: roughly $0.78 each day at house in a metropolis like Toronto (throughout off-peak hours) to round $10 for a fast public top-up on the highway. In comparison with gas-powered autos, EVs normally win on financial savings, particularly with sensible charging habits.

EV charging stations in Canada

Petro-Canada EV charging

Petro-Canada was the primary main gasoline retailer to increase on Canada’s EV charging infrastructure. In 2019, it opened an EV charging station in Victoria, B.C., marking the completion of Canada’s Electrical Freeway, the nation’s first coast-to-coast community of quick chargers.

Extra of Canada’s finest credit cards: