A survey by Toronto’s Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS) also found distracted and aggressive driving top the list of annoying things other drivers do

Nov 24, 2025

• A new Canadian survey found a majority don’t want to be forced to buy a zero-emission vehicle
• Gas-only vehicles were most popular among respondents, with plug-in models far behind
• As for other drivers? Distracted and aggressive driving top the list of annoying habits

The Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS), held each year in Toronto in February, is the largest event of its kind in Canada – and that means a lot of people with opinions on the automotive industry. The show has released the results of a survey it conducted on visitors to the 2024 and 2025 events, which found that a majority still favour gas-only vehicles and oppose mandates for zero-emission vehicles.

In the CIAS survey, 68% of those surveyed said they “Disagree” or “Strongly Disagree” with the 100% ZEV mandate by 2035; and of those who don’t want it, 72% were younger visitors between the ages of 20 and 39.

The Canadian government also dropped its federal “green” EV rebates earlier this year, which had provided up to $5,000 for those buying or leasing EVs and PHEVs. When asked if the rebate should return in the next one to two years to help meet the ZEV targets, 54% of respondents said they “Agree” or “Strongly Agree.” Along with that, 77% said expanding the public EV charging network is “necessary to encourage more EV sales.”

And finally, what are the top five annoying habits among fellow drivers? Two of them tied for the top spot: distracted driving from mobile phone use, and dangerous or aggressive driving. Tied for second place were tailgating/following too closely, and not using turn signals; while fifth place went to others driving too slowly. The majority of those complaining about aggressive driving were women, while almost half of those who didn’t like slow drivers were between the ages of 20 and 39.