Monthly New Motor Vehicle Sales Survey (NMVS)

Detailed information for January 2026

This survey collects data on monthly retail sales (in dollars and in units) of new motor vehicles sold in Canada.

• Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s)
• Description
• Data sources and methodology

Description

This survey collects data on monthly retail sales (in dollars and in units) of new motor vehicles sold in Canada.

The interest in and need for detailed statistics on the automobile industry arose when the industry began playing a prominent role in the Canadian economy. For over 50 years, Statistics Canada has been collecting and disseminating statistical information on the retail sales of new motor vehicles. Not only are these statistics required to produce estimates of Canadian consumer spending for inclusion in the national accounts and the gross domestic product, but they have also served and continue to serve as one of the most important, most often requested indicators of the health of Canada's economy.

Over time, estimates of the total retail sales volume of new motor vehicles were not sufficient to meet the incessant demand for more information. There came an increasing need for data on the characteristics of the fleet of new vehicles sold at retail, either to learn more about the preferences of Canadian consumers or to assess the penetration of the Canadian market by major foreign manufacturers. Statistics on new motor vehicle sales were expanded in the early 1970s to provide separate figures for Japanese vehicle sales.

Statistical activity

The survey is administered as part of the Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP). The IBSP has been designed to integrate approximately 200 separate business surveys into a single master survey program. The IBSP aims at collecting industry and product detail at the provincial level while minimizing overlap between different survey questionnaires. The redesigned business survey questionnaires have a consistent look, structure, and content.

The integrated approach makes reporting easier for firms operating in different industries because they can provide similar information for each branch operation. This way they avoid having to respond to questionnaires that differ for each industry in terms of format, wording and even concepts. The combined results produce more coherent and accurate statistics on the economy.

• Additional documentation

Reference period: Month

Collection period: For the first until the last day of each month, monthly

Subjects

• Retail and wholesale
• Retail sales by type of product
• Retail sales by type of store
• Transportation
• Transportation by road

Data sources and methodology

Target population

This survey is a census of all new motor vehicle manufacturers and importers known to be active in Canada.

Instrument design

This questionnaire is comprised of variables compiled by automobile manufacturers based on consolidated totals from their dealers' monthly reports on sales of new motor vehicles. The items on the questionnaire have remained unchanged for several years. However, more detailed questions have been added to provide greater information on trucks and the prevalence of zero-emission vehicles sold within Canada. The questionnaire was developed in consultation with potential respondents, data users and questionnaire design specialists.

Sampling

This survey is a census with a cross-sectional design.

The sampling unit is the establishments, as defined on the Business Register.

The Business Register is a repository of information reflecting the Canadian business population and exists primarily for the purpose of supplying frames for all economic surveys in Statistics Canada. It is designed to provide a means of coordinating the coverage of business surveys and of achieving consistent classification of statistical reporting units. It also serves as a data source for the compilation of business demographic information. The major sources of information for the Business Register are updates from the Statistics Canada survey program and from Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) Business Number account files. This CRA administrative data allows for the creation of a universe of all business entities. Included in the Business Register are all Canadian businesses* which meet at least one of the three following criteria: 1) have an employee workforce for which they submit payroll remittances to CRA; 2) have a minimum of $30,000 in annual sales revenue; 3) are incorporated under a federal or provincial act and have filed a federal corporate income tax form within the past three years. The data provided in our products reflects counts of statistical locations by industrial activity (North American Industry Classification System), geography codes, and employment size ranges.

There are approximately 3,600 new car dealers in Canada. For this reason, it would be too costly and time consuming to collect the data from individual dealers across the country. Instead, Canadian automobile manufacturers (for North American produced vehicles), as well as importers of vehicles manufactured overseas, complete this survey. The respondents provide consolidated totals of their dealers' monthly reports on sales of new motor vehicles. These figures do not include new and "nearly new" vehicles imported by persons during trips to the United States and by brokers and domestic vehicle dealers for resale in Canada. In 2009, Statistics Canada estimated from administrative sources that the number of new and nearly new vehicles imported by persons, brokers and dealers was approximately 1% of total new motor vehicle sales in Canada.

Data sources

Responding to this survey is mandatory.

Data are collected directly from survey respondents.

The two methods in which this survey is collected is through electronic questionnaire and mail. Initial contact is made through email, and telephone follow-up is used if required. The capture method used for this survey is the Business Collection Portal. This survey is offered in both English and French languages.

View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s) .