Buying a car? Survey shows many Canadians aren’t ready to go electric [Video]

An Ontario man said he couldn’t believe he would need to spend almost $15,000 to fix the electrical system and replace the battery in his 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.

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“I was in total shock, just blown away,” said Darrin Smith of Mississauga, Ont.

Smith said his car had 97,000 kilometres on the odometer when it stopped working. After almost $5,000 worth of work, Smith was told he also needed a new engine and a new hybrid battery.

“If I had to look into buying a new vehicle, I wouldn’t get a hybrid again and I wouldn’t get an electric car, I would get a gas-powered car. I’ve learned my lesson,” Smith said.

The federal government wants all new cars sold in Canada to be electric by 2035, but a recent survey by AutoTrader found not all Canadians are ready to make the switch as they have concerns about charging stations, cold weather …