Sales of trucks and SUVs are up across B.C.

WATCH: Just as the provincial government re-launches a program to encourage people to buy electric cars, lower prices at the pump are driving more buyers to gas-guzzlers. John Hua reports.

VANCOUVER – Trucks and SUV sales are up.

This is in contrast to the days when fuel prices were pushing people to ditch their gas-guzzlers for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Dealers are saying this change is due to lower price of fuel, less sticker shock, as well as fuel-efficiency in bigger vehicles coming a long way. Also, sales of high-end luxury trucks and SUVs are also up, which means people don’t mind using more gas or paying a premium for it with the higher performance engines.

“With gas prices down, we’ve seen a big increase in sales in the SUVs and the trucks, but you know, the trucks of today and the SUVs aren’t the same as the old days when they used to get 12 or 14 miles to the gallon,” said Mike Gignac, GM of Richmond Chrysler Dodge Jeep.

“Now they’re using eight, nine-speed transmissions, we’ve got the weight of the vehicle down, diesel engines, I mean our trucks and Grand Cherokees get upwards of 40 miles to the gallon.”

In contrast, small compact vehicles are seeing a decline in sales. So the question is, how will this affect super fuel-efficient vehicles? The new BC Clean Energy Vehicle Incentive might be coming at the right time. Sales of these vehicles are stagnant and saw a dip when the last incentive ran out last year.

So if people area on the fence, this incentive might make a small difference.