Canadian Model S Forum

Well I think it is time to have a Canadian Model S forum started.
All those who have reserved a model S in Canada pls provide your Questions, Comments, Posts, Experiences Etc. Here Please.
As a model S Reservee in Canada it will be interesting and informative to get all the feedback possible.

Is there any info about Canadian pricing?

nothing yet. I really hope pricing is very close to that of the US pricing especially since 1 USD = 0.975 CAD at the moment. I'm more than willing to pay the purchase price in USD...

The roadster pricing in CAD commands a 15.7% premium over the USD price. If that holds true with the model S, expect the base model to be ~$66,400. If that's the case I'll probably end up opting for one of the smaller batteries. (as opposed to the signature I currently have reserved).

- mnx

There are some good reasons why the Roadster costs more:

- The gliders are made in Europe, and it's a large enough fraction of the price of the car that it doesn't qualify under NAFTA as North American built. This means you have to add 6.1% import duty. The California-built Model S will qualify under NAFTA, so the duty will not apply.

- Canadian cars require daytime running lights, immobilizer, etc., to meet Canadian regulations. This adds about $2000 to the cost.

- There were also extra costs involved in certifying the Roadster for Canada. This has to be amortized over a relatively small number of cars. I'm sure the sales rate of the Model S will by much higher and hopefully that won't be a factor.

I expect they are little bit conservative about the exchange rate, as it can vary quite significantly between when you place the order and when the car ships. So I'd also prefer to pay in US dollars if I could.

With the higher sales tax I will pay in Ontario I am hoping that we either have pricing parity or something close to it. I understand the Canadian requirements will boost the price a little, but I will be very disappointed and may even walk away if the price before taxes is significantly higher than the US price converted to Cdn dollars.

I have heard from other automakers that the Canadian Gov't requires a separate round of crash testing. Does anyone know if this is true?

Don't forget the rebate program for Ontario and Quebec ($8K to $8.5K) for electric vehicles. I understand there will be a financing and leasing program for Canadian customers also?


NAFTA provides for the import of vehicles with no duty. The Model S should be 0% as it is designed and built entirely in the USA.

As for special vehicle changes required for Canada, this is almost zero when comparing California to Canada requirements as they are very close to each other.

So why the difference, because auto manufactures and the dealer network has a system in place that promotes it, in other words we Canadians are getting screwed for the extra cash. In fact, a dealer in the US is not suppose to sell a Canadian a car if that dealer knows the Canadian is going to immediately take that car back to Canada. The dealer can get severely punished by the auto manufacturer.

As we know Tesla is changing the landscape with car designs and dealer networks concepts, so I'm hoping that that car crosses the border and costs less, as the Canaidan dollar is more valuable. I'll settle for even.

If Telsa attempts to gouge me for my Model S Signature, then I'll take one of three actions. If it is ridiculously priced higher (anything higher than 10%), then I'll walk away. If its from 5%-10% then I'll downgrade. If its less than 5%, then no problem.

Why? The myth of the $55k Model S won't happen here. I've priced out my Model S Signature with estimates on options and of course 13% HST here in Ontario. My car will cost about $105k and I'll get back $8,500 from the Ontario government.

That is certainly not the price point that Tesla has in mind. They wanted a car that was less than 1/2 the price of the $125k Roadster. I wanted that too. 66% to 80% is no where near it.

Remember that each successive car from Telsa is suppose to be 1/2 the price of the prior one, as they march towards a mainstream car of about $25-30k. Their $30k SUV/mini-van had better not cost $50k here in Canada, as it won't sell any units at that cost. Just look at the Honda Oddessey for sales figures at that price point. It is not good news.

I'm interested in purchasing a Model S AWD. Would you know the projected date it will be available and pricing?

No. Same with speculated Model S "Sport". It is not even clear if these variations are planned, let alone when they will be available. A SUV-version based on the Model S, called the Model X, has been announced but I am not aware if anything has been said regarding AWD in that Model.

In any case, the AWD topic has been extensively discussed here. Maybe you want to reconsider and find that the RWD Model S would do just fine for you?

For those of us in Quebec, the Quebec government announced yesterday that "on January 1, 2012, the refundable tax credit for the purchase or lease of fuel-efficient vehicles will be replaced to rebates for the first purchasers of hybrid or eco-electric vehicles. The rebate will be deducted from the after-tax purchase or lease price. Consumers will thus see their savings right on their vehicle bills of sale or lease."

For more info see

I looked at this and with a Model S, we'll get a $8000 rebate (for purchase/lease made in 2012 and 2013; and then $4000 in 2014, etc) and also a grant (for up to $1000) for the purchase and installation of an electric vehicle home charging station.

Now I just hope the Federal government will do the same! =D

thx, that's the site i was looking for, couldn't find the official version.

this is great news for us in qc.

I have been advised that the charge for Tesla Rangers in Canada is not $1 per mile as originally quoted. It is instead $1 per kilometer, which is 60% higher than in the USA.

This is something to bear in mind when considering the total cost of ownership, if you live outside of Toronto or Vancouver (which is near the Seattle store).

if the price in Canada is not similar to that of the united state, I cancels my reservation because the court of last year the canadian dollar is maintained at between $ 1.04 and .097 I have not the means to pay more.(sale taxe in quebec 15%) it would be sad:(

I'm with you nickatcammar@ho.....


I've read through that thread. Still not convinced. There's lots of justification on why 2WD with a better cg is stable. But not necessarily better than 4WD with the improved cg of an EV.

There's probably quite a few of us in colder climates who would choose this option.

Otherwise, there is the Model X. There's a reason Tesla is offering that vehicle....

keithz, I rarely receive replies to posts that I wrote more than a year ago! :-) May suggest that if you have a different opinion, you leave your comments in one of the threads linked above? I'm tempted to comment on the 4WD issue again, but I feel that this discussion does not belong here.

One letter is missing in my above post. Brian H will sure tell us which it is.

Your favorite letter!

So when do you think we will see our cars? My res is #P252 - Performance.... My guess is March 2013...

I expect the CDN price will be the same as US with current exchange.

CurrieG.......Elon did say that the CDN price will be similar to US with current exchange.

I am P157 and I expect delivery in Q1 or Q2 of 2013.

Thanks Stephen... That is what I expected.

Currie, Stephen,

According to the comment for the representative today in Laval you may have your car earlier than march, especially if you are looking for performance... it should be in 2012 even for Canada.

Great news if this is true... I guess we will know better once we get into the fall.


The bad news:

Apparently the battery is so much of the car mass and price that it didn't make the NAFTA cut. So import duties apply.

Freakin' boarder bandits -.-

Panasonic needs to set up a branch factory in Mexico ...

We should write a letter to the government and ask to define a new duty for "green product" which is much closer to 0.

It just doesn't make sense to me that Panasonic (who is in bed with Tesla) couldn't work out a price structure for the battery cells that allowed content accumulation by cost (which is one of the options manufacturers have under the treaty) to make the NAFTA cut.

Different Tesla reps have told me on several occasions that they just aren't going to pay attention Canadian import issues this year. I blame that attitude for ending up with a non-NAFTA product. Grrrrr!

Trying to distract myself from the NAFTA problem, however, I met with the president of Sun Country Highways (Kent Rathwell) this week, and he has a super encouraging tale to tell. Sun Country Highway is committed to the installation of 90A chargers all across Canada, allowing trans-continental travel without gaps. They seem to have already made a lot of progress, and I guarantee that Kent will make you believe he can do it!

What's in it for Sun Country? Attracting EV owners to preferred/member/?? sites?

@Brian H

I have no idea what's in it for Sun Country. They talk like true believers who understand that the presence of sufficient infrastructure is crucial to the widespread acceptance of the electric vehicle paradigm.

I don't know where their money comes from or what their business plan might be. The chargers are free to the users (forever? don't know.) If they are successful we'll no doubt find out more.

The name suggests a solar power provider.

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