Battery-Electric Cars Dominate Norway as EVs Take Over New Sales and Fleets
bike_ev_admin
4 min read
Norway once again confirms its global leadership in electric mobility. New 2025 registration data shows that battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) now dominate both new car sales and the national vehicle fleet, pushing fossil-fuel cars further into the margins.
According to official figures from the Norwegian Road Information Authority (OFV), 95.9% of all new passenger cars registered in Norway in 2025 were fully electric — an unprecedented level of market penetration anywhere in the world.
EV Share Hits 96% of New Car Sales in 2025
Record Year for the Norwegian Car Market
Norway registered 179,550 new passenger cars in 2025, exceeding the previous national record set in 2021. Of these:
172,233 were battery-electric vehicles
BEV market share: 95.9%
Up from 88.9% in 2024
All other drivetrains are now niche products:
Diesel: 1.0%
Petrol: 0.3%
Hybrids (all types combined): 2.8%
This confirms that Norway is no longer “transitioning” to EVs — it has effectively completed the shift in new car sales.
EV Share Hits 96% of New Car Sales in 2025
End-of-Year Surge Driven by Tax Changes
December 2025 Sets New Records
The final months of the year saw an extraordinary rush:
December registrations: 35,188 cars (+158% YoY)
BEV share in December:97.6%
According to Geir Inge Stokke, the surge was driven largely by policy:
“The year-end surge was historically strong, and there is no doubt that the upcoming VAT change from January 1, 2026, led many people to secure an electric car before the end of the year.”
Electric Cars Overtake Diesel in the National Fleet
A Historic Turning Point
2025 will also be remembered as the year when electric cars outnumbered diesel cars in Norway’s total vehicle fleet.
While two-thirds of cars on the road still run on fossil fuels, the trend is now irreversible:
Diesel registrations have been collapsing for years
New fossil-fuel sales are approaching zero
Regional EV adoption continues to spread beyond urban areas
Tesla Remains Norway’s Dominant Brand
One in Five New Cars Was a Tesla
Despite global challenges elsewhere, Tesla reinforced its dominance in Norway:
34,285 Teslas registered in 2025
Market share: 19.1%
Nearly 1 in 5 new cars sold was a Tesla
At the model level, the Tesla Model Y set an all-time national record:
27,621 registrations
Highest annual sales ever for a single model in Norway
“That a brand can achieve nearly 20% market share with so few models is remarkable,” notes Stokke.
Tesla Remains Norway’s Dominant Brand
Volkswagen and Chinese Brands Gain Ground
Strong Finish for Volkswagen
Volkswagen closed the year strongly:
5,237 registrations in December
14.9% monthly market share
23,938 total sales in 2025 (13.3% annual share)
Chinese Brands Continue Rapid Expansion
Chinese automakers further strengthened their presence:
24,524 Chinese-origin cars sold
13.7% market share (up from 10.4% in 2024)
BYD was the strongest Chinese brand, driven primarily by the BYD Sealion 7.
Volkswagen and Chinese Brands Gain Ground
Top 10 Models in Norway, 2025
Tesla Model Y — 27,621
VW ID.4 — 8,802
Toyota bZ4X — 7,274
VW ID.7 — 6,976
Tesla Model 3 — 6,608
VW ID.3 — 5,572
Volvo EX40 — 5,270
Volvo EX30 — 5,206
Škoda Enyaq — 4,837
Nissan Ariya — 4,565
European, American, and Japanese brands still dominate the top-10, but Chinese models are closing the gap fast.
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