Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle drivers will be charged a $500 renewal levy starting Oct. 1 in what the province says will contribute to road maintenance.
On top of the vehicle registration fee, electric vehicle owners will pay $500 and plug-in hybrid vehicles will be subject to a $250 levy while gas hybrid vehicles will not pay this levy. These permits renew ever two years and will not include HST.
“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 in a release. “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 new levy was approved in April as part of the budget and Nova Scotia will join Saskatchewan and Alberta who have previously introduced electric vehicle fees of $300 and $200 respectively. Quebec will start charging $125 a year in 2027.
Electric vehicle owners who have paid the levy and sell their car throughout the two-year period will be eligible for a partial refund.
The levy applies to passenger vehicles, light trucks and vans. It does not apply to vehicles used by municipalities, fire departments or police.
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