July saw plugin EVs take 94.3% market share in Norway, up from 89.9% year on year. The Volkswagen ID.4 was the month’s best seller. July showed new record high for EVs in Norway.
The impressive figures are dominated by battery electric vehicles (BEVs) while overall automotive volumes have seen a decrease year over year and March showed the lowest sales figure in fifteen years.
“The electric market share didn’t rise significantly last year. However, the Norwegian parliament has strengthened EV incentives for 2024”, says Christina Bu, Secretary General of The Norwegian EV Association.
The trend so far in 2024 has been a decline in PHEV sales, due to the tighter emissions taxes starting from January, and growth in BEV share as a result. Non-plugins are steadily declining also but are proving tenacious and hard to completely displace.
The most popular vehicle in Norway for eighth consecutive months has been the Tesla Model Y. This comes amid an observable shift in policy that has begun steering consumers from plug-in hybrids. The model was down in the 11th spot, but this is normal for July in Norway (it was 9th in July 2023), after the end-of-quarter push.
in April, Volvo EX30 was the most sold electric vehicle in Norway.
“I believe that electric cars will further dominate the Norwegian new car market in 2024. Internal combustion engines will soon be history”, claims Bu.
The Volkswagen ID.4 (feature image on top) took the pole position in the sales charts in July, with 571 registrations, down in volume by 40% from July last year. In second place was its Volkswagen Group MEB cousin, the Skoda Enyaq, with 395 units, down by 44%.
The EV market in Norway is not just about the frontrunners; it reflects a diverse set of competitors making significant strides. Notable advancements were made by Xpeng G9, climbing to 12th place from 19th, and the Honda e:Ny1, which soared to 13th from 74th in the previous month. Other climbers included the BYD Tang and the Mercedes EQB, showcasing the dynamic nature of the market.
“The Norwegian EV Association is confident that Norway can achieve the objective of 100 percent zero-emission car sales in 2025. Electric vehicles (EVs) are not only the top choice in urban areas but also dominate sales in rural regions”, says Bu.
In terms of all-new debutants, there were several in Norway in July. The most significant is the new Audi Q6 e-tron mid-large premium SUV, which saw 62 initial units. This takes Volkswagen Group’s past BEV learnings and applies them to a next-generation premium BEV platform shared between Audi and Porsche.
Despite the introduction of new models, the overall market volume’s decline reflects broader economic challenges impacting consumer and business confidence.
“The Norwegian policy has been tremendously successful, reducing emissions from new passenger cars by over 90 percent. This success has not only influenced and paved the way for other countries but has also extended to various other forms of zero-emission transportation beyond just passenger cars”, Bu adds.
Scandinavia leads globally in selling electric cars, with Sweden following Norway closely. By 2030, Sweden plans to stop selling cars with regular engines, aiming to boost electric vehicle usage. The country has big plans for sustainable energy and industries like green steel and building substantial battery factories.
Top 10 most sold cars in Norway 2023
- Tesla Model Y: 23 088
- Volkswagen ID.4: 6 614*
- Skoda Enyaq: 5 737
- Toyota bZ4X: 5 395
- Volvo XC40: 5 025
- Ford Mustang Mach-E: 3 792
- Toyota Yaris: 3 574**
- Toyota RAV4: 3 457
- Volkswagen ID.3: 3 141
- Hyundai Kona electric: 2 991
* inkl. ID.4 GTX
** inkl. Toyota Yaris Cross
New Record High for EVs in Norway, compiled by Tor Kjolberg