Sidewinder Conversions & Mobility
1-888-266-2299

Paying for it

Most people only hear about one of these programs

No single program pays for a van. There are several smaller ones, each with its own rules.

Talk to us about fundingSee available vans

  • Up to $5,000 claimable

    CRA Medical Expense Tax Credit

  • 25% off Basic Autoplan

    ICBC Disability Discount

  • Up to $500 per calendar year

    BC Fuel Tax Refund for Persons with Disabilities

None of these is money off the price. One caps what you can claim at tax time, one discounts your insurance, one refunds fuel tax. They do not add up.

The part nobody tells you

Two of these only work in the right order

  1. 01

    Register for the fuel tax refund

    Form FIN 119, with the Ministry of Finance. This is the step people miss.

  2. 02

    Take the letter to an Autoplan broker

    The registration letter is what unlocks the 25% ICBC discount. Without it you get sent away.

  3. 03

    Claim the fuel tax back

    Form FIN 472. Keep original receipts showing date, fuel type, litres and the seller. Four years to claim.

What applies to you

Start with your situation

Most of these will not apply to you. Pick the line that fits.

Which of these sounds like you?

Showing 21 programs

The ones with a published figure

Rules anyone can read, and the link to read them.

  • CRA Medical Expense Tax Credit

    Part of what you pay for a van adapted to carry a wheelchair user counts as an eligible medical expense on your tax return. It lowers the tax you owe. It is not money off the purchase price.

    Up to $5,000 claimable

    Figure verified

    Official page
    Who qualifies, and how to claim

    The van has to be adapted already when you buy it, or adapted within six months after. You can claim 20% of the amount paid for the van, minus the cost of the adaptation itself, up to a federal limit of $5,000. Claimed on line 33099 (yourself, your spouse or a child under 18) or line 33199 (other dependants).

  • ICBC Disability Discount

    A standing 25% discount on the Basic Autoplan premium for one vehicle. It comes off your insurance, not off the van.

    25% off Basic Autoplan

    Figure verified

    Official page
    Who qualifies, and how to claim

    Register with the BC Fuel Tax Refund Program for Persons with Disabilities first. Once that is approved, take the registration letter showing the designated vehicle and your account number to an Autoplan broker. You also have to be 16 or older, be the registered owner, joint owner or lessee, or hold an ownership interest in the vehicle, and meet the Motor Fuel Tax Act definition of a person with disabilities.

  • BC Fuel Tax Refund for Persons with Disabilities

    A refund of the provincial fuel tax you pay on gas, for one registered vehicle. Registering for it is also the prerequisite for the ICBC disability discount.

    Up to $500 per calendar year

    Figure verified

    Official page
    Who qualifies, and how to claim

    You own, lease or have an ownership interest in the vehicle, and you can confirm disability through BC Disability Assistance certification, a BCANDS letter, or a Veterans' Affairs letter confirming a 100% disability pension. One vehicle only: the one registered to the program.

Assessed case by case

Manufacturer rebates

Published maximums, not amounts we can promise you. Each manufacturer sets its own terms and changes them without notice, and we have not checked these the way we checked the government figures. Ask before you count on one.

  • Chryslerup to $1,000Minivan conversions. Other vehicles up to $750.
  • Toyotaup to $1,000Plus extended-term financing up to 84 months.
  • Fordup to $1,200Plus up to $200 on alerting devices and lumbar seats.
  • GMup to $1,000Adapt within 12 months of purchase or lease.
  • Hondaup to $1,000Claim within six months of installation.
  • Acuraup to $1,000On eligible purchased or leased vehicles.
  • Lexusup to $1,000Leases require lessor approval in advance.
  • Volkswagenup to $1,000On new vehicle purchase or lease.

Community grants

Charities that fund mobility equipment for BC families.

Ask us about funding1-888-266-2299

The three government figures were checked against each program's published information in September 2026 and each links to its source. Rules move, so check anything you plan to rely on.

Three numbers worth writing down

Of the van price, claimable
20%

Less the cost of the adaptation, and capped at $5,000.

To adapt after buying
6 months
To get a fuel tax claim in
4 years

CRA lines 33099 and 33199, and the BC fuel tax refund program. Checked September 2026.

A member of the Sidewinder team outdoors, smiling, in a dark branded fleece.
One of the people you would be dealing with.

Where we come in

A list of links doesn't get anybody a van

Every program here wants something from us: a quote, a conversion spec, or a letter saying what we are building and what it costs.

  1. 1Tell us the situation. Who it is for, whether it is tied to work or school, and when you need it.
  2. 2We say what is worth chasing. Which ones are worth your time and which are not.
  3. 3We do the paperwork. It is our build, so it is our quote, our spec and our letter.

Before you apply for anything

Send us the shortlist

Tell us which ones look like they might apply. We will tell you which are worth chasing and what each one needs from us.

Ask us about funding1-888-266-2299

Contact

Talk to someone who knows these vans.

Come by the shop and bring your chair, or just start with a phone call. Either way you'll be talking to someone who can answer the question instead of taking a message.

A person here reads every one of these. We reply within one business day, Monday to Friday.