Norway wrapped up 2025 with an astonishing 95.9% of all new passenger cars registered as fully electric, a figure that government officials round up to “96% of the new car market.” In December alone, the EV share approached 98%, leaving combustion vehicles as a statistical rounding error rather than a meaningful segment.
New-car registrations jumped roughly 40% compared with 2024 as buyers raced to beat stiffer EV taxes scheduled for 2026. This surge pushed total sales to around 180,000 vehicles, nearly all of them battery-electric. Plug-in hybrids have all but disappeared, with the market having effectively jumped straight from gas and diesel to full EVs.
Policy incentives played a decisive role: steep purchase taxes on combustion vehicles, generous EV exemptions, lower tolls and ferry fees, and abundant public and home charging infrastructure all contributed.
Years of such measures culminated in Norway effectively meeting its long-term goal of ending fossil-fuel new-car sales by 2025. At the same time, the government has begun reining in incentives by adding VAT to higher-priced EVs, which explains why so many buyers rushed to complete purchases before year’s end.
This milestone comes as much of the world is still determining how aggressively to adopt EVs. Automakers are preparing 2026 lineups spanning mass-market crossovers to high-end flagships, with much of the upcoming metal clearly aimed at buyers in cold, EV-dense markets like Norway. The next wave of vehicles is already visible in previews of the EVs we’re most excited to see in 2026.
No brand benefited more from Norway’s final pre-tax rush than Tesla. For the fifth consecutive year, it was the country’s best-selling marque, claiming roughly 19% of the market with more than 27,000 new Teslas registered. The Model Y emerged as the standout, effectively becoming the default family car in a market once dominated by diesel wagons and compact crossovers.
Tesla’s performance is particularly notable because demand is softening elsewhere in Europe. In Norway, however, strong incentives, dense Supercharger coverage, and years of brand familiarity made Tesla a safe choice for buyers facing imminent tax hikes. Chinese-built EVs are growing quickly, but Tesla remains the reference point for pricing, charging infrastructure, and customer expectations.
Norwegian consumers also demand EVs that can endure real winters. Range loss, traction, and heating efficiency matter far more at −10°C than they do on a temperate California freeway. Vehicles that perform reliably in snow and cold are highly prized.
The bigger question now is how Norway leverages all this stored energy on wheels. With EVs now outnumbering diesels in the total passenger-car fleet, the country is well positioned to explore vehicle-to-grid projects at scale. If other markets follow a similar trajectory, parked EVs could become an integral part of the energy system rather than simply a new load on it.
