Sale of Light-duty Combustion Vehicles Prohibited in Québec Starting in 2035

Sale of Light-duty Combustion Vehicles Prohibited in Québec Starting in 2035

The Québec government adopted final regulations in December to prohibit the sale of passenger and other light-duty combustion vehicles in the province in 2035.

While the federal government has already adopted regulations to achieve a national target of 100 percent zero-emission vehicle (“ZEV“) sales by 2035, this is hallmark policy of the current Trudeau government, and a change of government may see the federal mandate relaxed or removed. Québec’s new regulations keep the 2035 target in sight, although Québec’s approach differs from the federal regulations.

The federal 100% ZEV sales mandate provides for milestones (at least 20 percent of all sales by 2026 to be ZEV vehicles, and at least 60 percent by 2030). Please refer to our bulletin on the federal regulations for more details.

By comparison, Québec’s new regulations do not set any incremental targets before the sales ban takes effect. Instead, the implementation of Québec’s regulation will be carried out in two phases:

• Starting January 1, 2034, it will be prohibited to market a passenger/light-duty combustion vehicle of model years 2035 and later, new or used, including hybrid and plug-in hybrid models.
• From December 31, 2035, it will be prohibited to sell and rent a new passenger/light-duty combustion vehicles of model years 2034 and earlier. The sale of combustion engines will also be prohibited, except to replace a defective engine in a vehicle already in circulation in Québec.

Under Québec’s new regulations, passenger/light-duty combustion vehicles of model years 2034 and earlier already registered in Québec will be allowed to continue circulating and be resold. Additionally, emergency vehicles, as well as those used by short-term rental companies, will be exempt, subject to specific conditions. In addition, mopeds, motorcycles, off-road vehicles (such as snowmobiles), and heavy vehicles are not subject to the regulation.

The province is also proposing a ZEV sales mandate for heavy-duty vehicles. Please refer to our bulletin for more details.

by Martin Thiboutot

A Cautionary Note

The foregoing provides only an overview and does not constitute legal advice. Readers are cautioned against making any decisions based on this material alone. Rather, specific legal advice should be obtained.

© McMillan LLP 2025