Free EV Test Drives Roll Into Vernon as Plug'n Drive's Cross-Canada Tour Reaches B.C.

Anyone in the North Okanagan curious about electric vehicles can get behind the wheel for free next month. Plug'n Drive is bringing its Western Mobile EV Education Trailer (MEET) to Kal Tire Place in Vernon from Sept. 3 to Oct. 4, offering test drives every Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., as part of the nationwide EVs are for EVeryone Cross-Canada Tour.

The tour is partially funded by Natural Resources Canada, championed by RBC, and supported locally by the City of Vernon. It is designed as a sales-free event: Plug'n Drive EV Ambassadors accompany every drive and answer questions on charging options, operating costs, winter performance, and government incentives with no brand pushing involved.

What you can drive

Vehicles available for test drives, subject to change, include the Cadillac OPTIQ, Chevrolet Silverado EV, Hyundai IONIQ 5, Hyundai IONIQ 9, Nissan LEAF, Toyota bZ, Toyota Prius PHEV, and Volvo EX60 PHEV — a spread that covers sub-$40K commuter EVs through to a full-size electric pickup. Drivers must be 21 or older with a full, unrestricted licence; ambassadors can drive instead, and passengers nine and up are welcome with a parent or guardian. Walk-ins are accepted during event hours, or you can reserve a slot at plugndrive.ca/event/meet-vernon.

Two Roadshows branch out to Kelowna

While MEET is in Vernon, two EV Roadshows will extend the experience to Kelowna: at the Highway 33 NAPA Autopro on Sept. 9 and the NAPA Autopro — A Plus Automotive in Rutland on Sept. 23, both 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The roadshows are run with NAPA's NexDrive program, whose director of training and emerging technologies, Yves Racette, points to the questions Canadian drivers actually ask — cold-weather range, battery longevity, and ongoing maintenance.

Why test-drive events matter in B.C.

Vernon's climate action specialist Kevin McCarty says the stop gives locals "a welcoming space to test drive a variety of EVs and speak directly with Plug'n Drive's EV Ambassadors." For B.C. drivers weighing a switch, hands-on seat time remains the most reliable way to replace range anxiety with real numbers — B.C. also runs some of the country's most generous purchase incentives, which we track in our complete Canadian EV rebates guide. Test-drive an EV at MEET and you can enter the tour contest: two winners — one from Eastern Canada, one from Western Canada — will each receive 250,000 Avion points.

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