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Vanguard Canadian Government Bond Index ETF (VGV.TO) Alternatives

ETF · Currency in CAD · Last updated Jun 17, 2026

Vanguard Canadian Government Bond Index ETF seeks to track the performance of the Bloomberg Global Aggregate Canadian Government Float Adjusted Bond Index. The fund invests primarily in public, investment-grade fixed income securities issued or guaranteed by Canadian federal, provincial, and municipal governments. Managed by Vanguard, it provides low-cost, diversified exposure to the Canadian government bond market across the maturity spectrum. It launched in January 2017 and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Vanguard Canadian Government Bond Index ETF (VGV.TO) belongs to the Canadian Government Bonds category. Below you'll find alternative ETFs from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with VGV.TO. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.

Cheapest Alternatives to VGV.TO

VGV.TO charges 0.17% annually. There are 15 ETFs in the Canadian Government Bonds category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.08%.

SymbolNameExpense RatioAUMInception
TDB.TO
TD Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF0.08%3.90BMar 2016VGV.TO vs TDB.TO
VAB.TO
Vanguard Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF0.09%7.36BNov 2011VGV.TO vs VAB.TO
ZAG.TO
BMO Aggregate Bond Index ETF0.09%12.92BJan 2010VGV.TO vs ZAG.TO
XSB.TO
iShares Core Canadian Short Term Bond Index ETF0.10%4.27BNov 2000VGV.TO vs XSB.TO
CBIL.TO
Global X 0-3 Month T-Bill ETF0.10%2.34BApr 2023VGV.TO vs CBIL.TO

Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to VGV.TO

VGV.TO has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 23. There are 25 ETFs in the Canadian Government Bonds category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 99.

SymbolNameRisk / Return RankAUMInception
CBIL.TO
Global X 0-3 Month T-Bill ETF
99
2.34BApr 2023VGV.TO vs CBIL.TO
VVSG.TO
Vanguard Canadian Ultra-Short Government Bond Inde...
99
207.91MSep 2024VGV.TO vs VVSG.TO
TCSH.TO
TD Cash Management ETF
99
—Feb 2024VGV.TO vs TCSH.TO
XFR.TO
iShares Floating Rate Index ETF
98
826.02MDec 2011VGV.TO vs XFR.TO
ZBI.TO
BMO Canadian Bank Income Index ETF
84
—Feb 2022VGV.TO vs ZBI.TO

Top Performing VGV.TO Alternatives (YTD)

VGV.TO is at 1.92% YTD. There are 6 ETFs in the Canadian Government Bonds category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 2.66%.

SymbolNameYTD ReturnAUMInception
XLB.TO
iShares Core Canadian Long Term Bond Index ETF
2.66%
751.29MNov 2006VGV.TO vs XLB.TO
CORE.TO
PIMCO Canadian Core Bond Fund
2.64%
—Jan 2011VGV.TO vs CORE.TO
ZFL.TO
BMO Long Federal Bond
2.47%
1.31BMay 2010VGV.TO vs ZFL.TO
XFLB.TO
iShares Core Canadian 15+ Year Federal Bond Index ...
2.13%
—Feb 2023VGV.TO vs XFLB.TO
TCLB.TO
TD Canadian Long Term Federal Bond ETF
2.09%
402.66MNov 2019VGV.TO vs TCLB.TO

Lowest Volatility Alternatives to VGV.TO

VGV.TO has 4.99% 1-year volatility. There are 25 ETFs in the Canadian Government Bonds category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 0.25%.

SymbolNameVolatility 1YAUMInception
CBIL.TO
Global X 0-3 Month T-Bill ETF0.25%2.34BApr 2023VGV.TO vs CBIL.TO
VVSG.TO
Vanguard Canadian Ultra-Short Government Bond Inde...0.34%207.91MSep 2024VGV.TO vs VVSG.TO
TCSH.TO
TD Cash Management ETF0.46%—Feb 2024VGV.TO vs TCSH.TO
XFR.TO
iShares Floating Rate Index ETF0.72%826.02MDec 2011VGV.TO vs XFR.TO
ZST.TO
BMO Ultra Short-Term Bond ETF1.08%3.51BJan 2011VGV.TO vs ZST.TO

Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to VGV.TO

VGV.TO has a 1-year max drawdown of -2.93%. There are 24 ETFs in the Canadian Government Bonds category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as -0.04%.

SymbolNameMax Drawdown 1YAUMInception
CBIL.TO
Global X 0-3 Month T-Bill ETF
-0.04%
2.34BApr 2023VGV.TO vs CBIL.TO
TCSH.TO
TD Cash Management ETF
-0.10%
—Feb 2024VGV.TO vs TCSH.TO
XFR.TO
iShares Floating Rate Index ETF
-0.10%
826.02MDec 2011VGV.TO vs XFR.TO
VVSG.TO
Vanguard Canadian Ultra-Short Government Bond Inde...
-0.14%
207.91MSep 2024VGV.TO vs VVSG.TO
ZST.TO
BMO Ultra Short-Term Bond ETF
-1.01%
3.51BJan 2011VGV.TO vs ZST.TO

Other ETFs from Vanguard

The 10 most viewed Vanguard ETFs shown here include VFV.TO, VDY.TO, VEQT.TO and span 7 categories. AUM among these funds goes as high as $33B.

SymbolNameCategoryRisk / Return RankYTD ReturnAUMInception
VFV.TO
Vanguard S&P 500 Index ETFS&P 500
77
12.41%
32.85BNov 2012VGV.TO vs VFV.TO
VDY.TO
Vanguard FTSE Canadian High Dividend Yield Index E...Dividend
98
23.55%
7.99BNov 2012VGV.TO vs VDY.TO
VEQT.TO
Vanguard All-Equity ETF PortfolioGlobal Equities
85
13.87%
14.70BJan 2019VGV.TO vs VEQT.TO
VGRO.TO
Vanguard Growth ETF PortfolioDiversified Portfolio
84
11.42%
10.14BJan 2018VGV.TO vs VGRO.TO
VCN.TO
Vanguard FTSE Canada All Cap Index ETFCanada Equities
85
12.41%
15.96BAug 2013VGV.TO vs VCN.TO
VBAL.TO
Vanguard Balanced ETF PortfolioDiversified Portfolio
74
8.84%
5.44BJan 2018VGV.TO vs VBAL.TO
VIU.TO
Vanguard FTSE Developed All Cap ex North America I...International Equity
70
18.76%
10.65BDec 2015VGV.TO vs VIU.TO
VCE.TO
Vanguard FTSE Canada Index ETFCanada Equities
81
12.32%
3.48BNov 2011VGV.TO vs VCE.TO
VIDY.TO
Vanguard FTSE Developed ex North America High Divi...Foreign Large Cap Equities, Dividend
75
13.97%
1.90BAug 2018VGV.TO vs VIDY.TO
VXC.TO
Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap ex Canada Index ETFGlobal Equities
80
14.36%
3.45BJun 2014VGV.TO vs VXC.TO

Compare VGV.TO with Any Fund or Stock

Compare VGV.TO with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.

 

Diversifiers

Pair VGV.TO with funds that move differently

Vanguard Canadian Government Bond Index ETF alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to VGV.TO.

Explore VGV.TO Diversifiers