Most people know the Sea to Sky Highway as one in all Canada’s most beautiful drives. It winds from the sting of Vancouver along Howe Sound, climbs past waterfalls and mountain viewpoints, and continues toward Whistler and Pemberton.
Now, it has another excuse to be in your road trip list: it has been named among the best EV road trips on this planet.
According to a study by iSelect, British Columbia’s Sea to Sky Highway ranked seventh globally among the many world’s most EV-friendly road trips. The study analyzed 48 iconic road trips across six continents and scored each route based on aspects similar to charging infrastructure, distance, estimated charging cost, and traveller reviews.
For Canadian travellers, that could be a big deal. EV road trips aren’t any longer nearly whether you’ll be able to make it from one charger to the subsequent. The best routes now mix scenery, reliable charging access, reasonable costs, and places you really need to stop along the way in which.
Why EV Road Trips Are Becoming More Popular in 2026
Electric vehicles have gotten a much bigger a part of travel planning. The International Energy Agency expects global electric automobile sales to achieve 23 million in 2026, representing 28% of total automobile sales. That means more travellers are serious about charging stops the identical way they used to take into consideration gas stations, rest areas, and low breaks.
Charging infrastructure can be expanding. The IEA reported that the worldwide stock of public charging points reached greater than 7 million at the top of 2025, with nearly 1.8 million public chargers added in 2025 alone.
That shift matters for road trips. A number of years ago, EV travel could feel like a math problem with scenery attached. Now, on the precise routes, it will probably feel much closer to a traditional road trip — so long as you intend ahead.
Sea to Sky Highway EV Road Trip at a Glance
| Route | Country | Chargers Available | Charger Distribution | Estimated Charging Cost | Road Trip Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea to Sky Highway | Canada | 49 | 100% | $4.53 CAD / $5.09 AUD | 88.15 |
The Sea to Sky Highway ranked seventh globally in iSelect’s study. The route stretches from Horseshoe Bay toward Pemberton, passing through a few of British Columbia’s most famous scenery, including Howe Sound, Squamish, Whistler, and the Coast Mountains.
The World’s Top 10 EV Road Trips
| Rank | Route | Country / Region | Road Trip Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gotthard Pass | Switzerland | 99.81 |
| 2 | Kootenay Highway | Canada | 99.24 |
| 3 | The Deep South | USA | 95.64 |
| 4 | Transf?g?r??an Highway | Romania | 91.93 |
| 5 | Jurassic Coast | United Kingdom | 91.04 |
| 6 | Causeway Coastal Route | Northern Ireland | 90.75 |
| 7 | Sea to Sky Highway | Canada | 88.15 |
| 8 | Grossglockner High Alpine Road | Austria | 87.93 |
| 9 | Czech Paradise Route | Czechia | 87.37 |
| 10 | Peak District Scenic Drive | United Kingdom | 86.36 |
Chart idea: create an easy horizontal bar chart titled Top 10 EV Road Trips within the World, using the Road Trip Score column. This would work well just under the table.
Canada Has Two of the World’s Best EV Road Trips
One of essentially the most interesting parts of the rating is that Canada appears twice in the worldwide top 10.
The Kootenay Highway ranked second on this planet, with a rating of 99.24 out of 100. The Sea to Sky Highway ranked seventh, with a rating of 88.15. That gives Canada two of the highest-rated EV road trip routes on this planet based on iSelect’s index.
That mustn’t be surprising to anyone who has road-tripped through British Columbia. Canada’s western mountain routes already offer a few of the perfect scenery on this planet. The difference now’s that EV infrastructure is beginning to make those drives more accessible for electric vehicle owners.
Why the Sea to Sky Highway Works So Well for EV Drivers
The Sea to Sky Highway just isn’t a protracted cross-country endurance test. That is an element of what makes it such a superb EV route.
The drive from Vancouver to Whistler is brief enough for a lot of modern EVs to handle comfortably, but scenic enough that you’ll want to stop anyway. Instead of treating charging as an inconvenience, you’ll be able to construct it into the trip.
Stops like Squamish, Shannon Falls, Brandywine Falls, Whistler Village, and Pemberton give travellers natural breaks along the way in which. For EV drivers, meaning charging can occur when you eat, hike, shop, or take photos as a substitute of sitting around watching a battery percentage crawl upward.
Best Stops on a Sea to Sky Highway EV Road Trip
Horseshoe Bay
Horseshoe Bay is an incredible place to start out in case you are coming from Vancouver. It has waterfront views, ferry traffic, cafes, and a relaxed village feel before the highway begins climbing toward Squamish.
Shannon Falls
Shannon Falls is one in all the simplest scenic stops on the Sea to Sky Highway. The short walk to the waterfall makes it an ideal break on the method to Squamish or Whistler.
Squamish
Squamish is among the best stops on the route. It has food, coffee, outdoor shops, hiking access, and views of the Stawamus Chief. It can be a practical place to stop, stretch your legs, and check your charge before continuing north.
Sea to Sky Gondola
The Sea to Sky Gondola is one of the crucial popular attractions along the route. It offers sweeping views over Howe Sound and the encircling mountains, making it a straightforward method to turn the drive right into a full day trip.
Brandywine Falls
Brandywine Falls is one other easy stop between Squamish and Whistler. The walk is brief, the waterfall is impressive, and it’s a superb reminder that the Sea to Sky Highway just isn’t nearly attending to Whistler.
Whistler
Whistler is the foremost destination for a lot of Sea to Sky road trips. In summer, it’s great for hiking, biking, patios, lakes, and mountain views. In winter, it becomes one in all North America’s most famous ski destinations.
Pemberton
Pemberton is a quieter extension of the trip beyond Whistler. It offers mountain scenery, farmland, and a slower pace for travellers who need to proceed past the busiest a part of the route.
Tips for Driving the Sea to Sky Highway in an EV
Plan Your Charging Stops Before You Leave
Even on EV-friendly routes, it continues to be smart to plan your charging stops ahead of time. Check charger locations, charging speeds, plug types, and whether stations can be found or out of service before you begin driving.
Do Not Wait Until Your Battery Is Almost Empty
The Sea to Sky Highway just isn’t the place to play battery roulette. Mountain roads, weather, traffic, and detours can all affect range. Keep a buffer so that you will not be stressed if a charger is busy or unavailable.
Expect Range to Change With Terrain and Weather
EV range can drop in cold weather, heavy rain, strong winds, or mountain driving. The Sea to Sky Highway includes elevation changes, so it is healthier to plan conservatively.
Charge While You Stop
The best EV road trips are those where charging matches naturally into the route. Stop for lunch in Squamish, explore Whistler Village, or take a scenic break while the automobile charges.
Download Charging Apps Before You Go
Do not wait until you might be in a parking zone with weak signal to download a charging app. Set up your accounts, payment methods, and route planning tools before you allow home.
Best Apps for Planning an EV Road Trip
For an EV road trip, we might use a combination of navigation, charging, and general travel apps.
Useful apps include:
- Google Maps for navigation
- PlugShare for charger reviews and locations
- A Better Routeplanner for EV route planning
- Your vehicle’s own charging/navigation app
- Booking.com or Google Maps for hotels and food stops
- Weather apps for road and mountain conditions
For more trip-planning tools, see our guide to the perfect travel apps for 2026.
Is the Sea to Sky Highway Worth Driving Without an EV?
Absolutely. The Sea to Sky Highway is one in all Canada’s great scenic drives whether you might be driving an electrical vehicle, hybrid, or gas-powered automobile.
The EV rating simply shows that the route is becoming more accessible for contemporary travellers. The scenery was already there. The charging infrastructure is what makes it easier for EV drivers to benefit from the route with more confidence.
What This Ranking Means for Canadian Travel
The Sea to Sky Highway’s global rating is an element of a much bigger shift in travel. Sustainable travel is not any longer nearly selecting trains over planes or staying in eco-lodges. For many travellers, it now includes how they drive, where they charge, and whether road trips could be done with lower emissions.
Canada has the scenery. The challenge has at all times been distance. As charging infrastructure improves, more Canadian road trips will turn out to be realistic for EV drivers.
That is sweet news for travellers, but it is usually excellent news for smaller communities along the way in which. EV road trips encourage people to stop longer, spend locally, and construct their route around towns, restaurants, viewpoints, parks, and overnight stays.
Sea to Sky Highway EV Road Trip Checklist
Before driving the Sea to Sky Highway in an electrical vehicle, be certain to:
- Check your vehicle’s real-world range.
- Map chargers before leaving Vancouver.
- Download charging apps and arrange payment.
- Check whether your hotel has EV charging.
- Leave a battery buffer for mountain driving.
- Watch the weather and road conditions.
- Plan scenic stops around charging breaks.
- Bring a daily charging cable in case your vehicle supports it.
- Avoid arriving at chargers with critically low battery.
- Have a backup charging location in mind.
Final Thoughts
The Sea to Sky Highway has at all times been one in all Canada’s most spectacular drives. Now it is usually being recognized as among the best EV road trips on this planet.
That combination is smart. The route is scenic, manageable, practical, and filled with places price stopping. For EV drivers, that is precisely what makes an incredible road trip. You don’t need to plan your entire day around charging. You want charging to suit right into a journey you already desired to take.
From Vancouver to Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton, the Sea to Sky Highway proves that EV travel doesn’t should mean giving up adventure. It just means planning the route a bit of smarter.
And truthfully, in case your charging stop comes with mountain views and a coffee in Squamish, that just isn’t exactly a hardship.
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