Photo: Honda Canada. 2025 Honda Prologue all-electric SUV.
Global Affairs Canada Notice 1168, dated August 29, 2026, opened the second period of Quota Year 1 on September 1. The window runs through February 28, 2027. The access quantity is 24,500 vehicles plus unused volume from the first period (March 1 to August 31). Eligible imports under a shipment-specific permit are assessed at the 6.1% most-favoured-nation rate. Permits are first-come, first-served. Global Affairs Canada, Notice 1168
What it means: Ottawa did not announce a new brand. It restated the arithmetic of a quota that started March 1. The annual ceiling for this first quota year remains 49,000 China-origin electric vehicles at 6.1%, not the old 100% surtax. The second-period notice is the paperwork that lets unused first-period volume roll forward instead of vanishing at midnight on August 31.
Auto123 reported that Global Affairs Canada had recorded 15,603 used permits as of August 28 — 15,344 electrics and 259 hybrids — so the first 24,500 allotment was not exhausted. That leftover is the roll-forward, not a second flood of new nameplates. Auto123 also noted Tesla, Lincoln, Lotus and Polestar among the early users. Those are companies that already had a Canadian retail path. A permit for an existing importer is not the same thing as a BYD store on Highway 7. Auto123
On the floor, the question I get is simpler than the notice: “Should I wait for the cheap Chinese EV?” The honest answer is still no if you need a car this fall. Honda Canada has not announced a China-built Honda EV for this market. Civic Hybrid is rated 4.9 L/100 km combined on honda.ca and is Alliston-built for the Canadian-market sedan. CR-V Hybrid is 6.4 L/100 km combined. Those are cars I can put a September Honda Financial Services quote on today. If you are cross-shopping a Tesla against that Civic or Accord hybrid, walk the numbers on considering Tesla over Honda in Vaughan before you park the decision on a permit window.
My prediction: By February 28, 2027, the second China-EV import window will close without a BYD-badged passenger vehicle delivered to a retail customer at a GTA dealer. The first period left unused volume on the table, and the named early users were existing importers. I will be wrong if a BYD store in the GTA hands a customer a car before that date.
If you're buying right now: Do not pause a Civic Hybrid or CR-V Hybrid that already fits because a customs window reopened. Use the written September quote if it works. If you are specifically waiting for a sub-$45,000 China-brand EV, treat February 28, 2027 as a permit deadline, not a delivery date, and keep the Honda hybrid comparison current.
Quick answers
Did Canada open a second China EV import window in September 2026?
Yes. Global Affairs Canada Notice 1168, dated August 29, 2026, set the second period of Quota Year 1 from September 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027. The access quantity is 24,500 vehicles plus unused volume from the first period. Eligible imports under a valid permit are assessed at the 6.1% most-favoured-nation rate.
Does the second China EV window mean BYD is on sale in the GTA?
No. A permit window is not a dealer network. Auto123 reported that Global Affairs Canada had recorded 15,603 used permits as of August 28, and named existing importers as the early users. Honda Canada has not announced a China-built Honda EV for Canada. Confirm any brand’s Canadian retail status on that brand’s .ca site before you wait.
Should I wait on a Honda hybrid because more China-built EVs can enter Canada?
Not if a written September Honda Financial Services quote already fits. Civic Hybrid is rated 4.9 L/100 km combined on honda.ca and is on the lot today. The second import window runs through February 28, 2027. A permit is not the same thing as a GTA delivery.
Waiting on a China-built EV, or buying a Honda this month?
Send the model you are comparing and the quote you already have. I will tell you whether September’s Honda hybrid numbers beat a permit window you cannot test-drive.
Henry Chen
Sales and Leasing Executive, Maple Honda
89 Auto Vaughan Dr, Maple, ON L6A 4A1
647-523-6878 · henry@maplehonda.com
Quota rules from Global Affairs Canada Notice 1168 and the Key Dates page. First-period utilization from Auto123’s report of Global Affairs Canada figures as of August 28, 2026. Honda fuel figures from honda.ca. Predictions are my personal read, not Honda Canada or Government of Canada policy.
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