Select a region to see an overview of the aftermarket trends in that area.
Region at a glance
There are 26.8 million registered light vehicles on the road in Canada as of July 2017. The national fleet has been upward trending with an annual average increase of 2.6% since 2008. In the next five years, the Canadian light vehicle fleet is expected to continue growing and will sit just under 30 million registered vehicles by the end of 2022. The average age of a vehicle on the road in Canada reached 9.7 years old in 2017. Looking forward, in 2022, the average age of passenger cars is anticipated to reach 11.6 years while light trucks are expected to rise to 9.4 years resulting in an overall mean of 10.3 years.
Full Canada breakdown
Light vehicle registrations in Alberta total just under 3.6 million units in 2017 and 2.4 million (66%) are light trucks. The average vehicle age in Alberta is just over a decade (10.3 years). The fleet is anticipated to reach nearly 4 million vehicles by the end of 2022 and over 40% of the vehicles in Alberta will be over 10 years old.
Full Alberta breakdown
The Atlantic region is comprised of Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Looking at the vehicle parc, combined, these provinces have a fleet size of 1.83 million light vehicles as of July 2017 and represent 6.8% of Canada’s entire car parc. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick account for about 70% of the vehicle fleet in the region. Just over 50% of the vehicles in the region are light trucks. By the year 2022, the vehicle count in the region is anticipated to reach over 1.9 million units with a growth rate of 1.2% per year.
Full Atlantic Provinces breakdown
British Columbia is home to 3.7 million light vehicles and accounts for roughly 14.0% of all vehicles on the road in Canada. The province’s fleet is expected to grow to approximately 4.2 million by the end of 2022 representing an annual forecast growth rate of 2.6%. The fleet in the province is the third largest in the country next to Ontario and Quebec. The average age of vehicles in British Columbia is 11.7 years old, one of the oldest in Canada.
Full British Columbia breakdown
Ontario produced 15% of all of North America’s light vehicle production over the past five years. In fact, the province of Ontario holds the largest vehicle fleet in Canada with 9.71 million registrations in 2017 or 36% of all light vehicles in the country. The province has slightly more light trucks on the road compared to passenger cars. Ontario’s average fleet age is 9.1 years vs. the average for Canada at 9.7 years. Over the next five years, the fleet size is anticipated to reach 11.1 units in operation which represents an annual growth rate of 2.6%.
Full Ontario breakdown
A total of 6.09 million light vehicles were registered in Quebec in 2017, the second largest home for vehicles in Canada. The province of Quebec accounts for 23% of all light vehicles currently registered in the country. Unique to Quebec, the province has more passenger cars on the road compared to light trucks and usually has a young fleet. The average vehicle age in Quebec is 9.0, younger than the Canada mean of 9.7. Looking at the next five years, the fleet in the province is expected to grow at an annual rate of 2% and therefore will reach over 6.7 million vehicles by the end of 2022.
Full Quebec breakdown
Saskatchewan has over one million light vehicles in operation while Manitoba is home to approximately 830,000 automobiles. Saskatchewan and Manitoba will grow their vehicle fleets and are expected to reach 1.1 million and 903.3k vehicles, respectively, by the end of 2022. Combined, the two provinces represent 7% of all light vehicles registered in Canada. Like Alberta, most of the vehicles in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are light trucks.
Full Saskatchewan & Manitoba breakdown
2017
The aftermarket sector is growing
| Region | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 396,000 | 401,934 | 408,549 | 414,586 | 420,733 | 426,970 |
| British Columbia | 47,000 | 48,300 | 49,400 | 50,400 | 51,400 | 52,400 |
| Alberta | 53,000 | 53,400 | 54,300 | 55,100 | 55,900 | 56,800 |
| Saskatchewan & Manitoba | 31,300 | 31,400 | 31,900 | 32,300 | 32,700 | 33,100 |
| Ontario | 138,500 | 141,700 | 144,400 | 147,000 | 149,500 | 152,000 |
| Quebec | 96,800 | 97,700 | 99,000 | 100,100 | 101,300 | 102,500 |
| Atlantic Provinces | 29,400 | 29,400 | 29,600 | 29,700 | 29,900 | 30,100 |
Click on the numbers above to see the trade programs in that area.
The aftermarket sector is growing
| Region | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Ontario | 21 |
| Atlantic Provinces | 8 |
| Alberta | 8 |
| British Columbia | 13 |
| Saskatchewan & Manitoba | 5 |
| Quebec | 44 |
Diversity is a priority.
The aftermarket sector is more diverse than you would imagine. People from all backgrounds are coming together to provide exceptional service and do amazing work.
How does the employment rate compare?
Canada’s unemployment rate reached 7.7% while the automotive aftermarket* sector noted a 5.0% rate. Looking across Canada’s six regions, the unemployment rate in the automotive aftermarket is consistently lower than the overall unemployment percentage in each region. In fact, the lowest automotive aftermarket unemployment rates are found in B.C. (4.1%), Ontario (4.3%) and Quebec (4.4%).
Canadian Employment Rate vs. Aftermarket Employment Rate
Canadian Employment Rate
in 2017
Aftermarket Employment Rate
in 2017
People employed in the
automotive aftermarket
based on 2018 Outlook Study.
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