Type of vehicle you own or lease

For tax purposes, there are four types of vehicles you should know about. They are motor vehicles, passenger vehicles, zero-emission passenger vehicles and zero-emission vehicles.

The kind of vehicle you use may affect the expenses you can deduct. If you own or lease a passenger vehicle, there may be a limit on the amounts you can deduct for:

Motor vehicle 

It is an automotive vehicle designed or adapted for use on highways and streets. A motor vehicle does not include a trolley bus or a vehicle designed or adapted to be operated only on rails.

Passenger vehicle

A motor vehicle that is owned by the taxpayer (other than a zero-emission vehicle) or that is leased, and is designed or adapted primarily to carry people on highways and streets. It seats a driver and no more than eight passengers. Most cars, station wagons, vans and some pick-up trucks are passenger vehicles.

Passenger vehicles and zero-emission passenger vehicles are subject to limits on the amount of CCA, interest, and leasing costs that may be deducted. They do not include:

For more information on the type of vehicle you have, go to Vehicle definitions chart.

Zero-emission passenger vehicle (ZEPV)

An automobile that is owned by the taxpayer and is included in Class 54 (but would otherwise be included in Class 10 or 10.1). The rules that apply to the definition of passenger vehicles apply to ZEPVs. A ZEPV does not include a leased passenger vehicle, but other vehicles that would otherwise qualify as a ZEPV if owned by the taxpayer are subject to the same leasing deduction restrictions as passenger vehicles.

Zero-emission vehicle

It is a motor vehicle that is owned by the taxpayer where all of the following conditions are met:

Note

If the property was acquired after March 1, 2020, it may have been used, but a vehicle that was subject to a prior CCA or terminal loss claim cannot have been acquired by the taxpayer on a tax-deferred "rollover" basis nor previously owned or acquired by the taxpayer or a non-arm's length person or partnership.

Forms and publications

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