Electric Vehicles Take the Lead in Norway, Overtaking Diesel Cars

Norway has reached another historic milestone in its transition to electric mobility, cementing its position as the global leader in electric vehicle adoption. Official sales figures for December and the entirety of 2025 reveal that the country has almost completely eliminated fossil-fuel car sales—and electric vehicles now dominate not only new registrations but also everyday traffic.

In 2017, Norway set an ambitious goal to end the sale of fossil-fuel-powered cars by 2025. At the time, electric vehicles accounted for roughly one-third of total car sales, and many critics considered the target unrealistic. However, through consistent policies, generous incentives, and strong infrastructure investments, Norway stayed the course and ultimately surpassed expectations.

Electric Vehicle Share Reaches Unprecedented Levels

According to the Norwegian Road Federation, 179,549 new cars were registered in 2025. Of these, 172,232 were fully electric, while 2,751 were plug-in hybrids. This means that 95.9% of all new cars sold were fully electric, and 97.5% were rechargeable vehicles.

The momentum intensified toward the end of the year. In December alone, the share of electric vehicles climbed to 97.6%, leaving fossil-fuel vehicles with only a marginal presence. The remaining combustion-engine cars are mostly limited to specialized uses, such as emergency services, police vehicles, adapted cars for people with disabilities, and certain sports cars.

Reduced Incentives Accelerated Demand

After declaring that its electric vehicle targets had largely been achieved, Norway announced a gradual reduction in incentives—particularly for electric cars priced above 300,000 Norwegian kroner (around $30,000). Rather than slowing demand, this announcement triggered a surge in purchases toward the end of the year as consumers rushed to take advantage of remaining benefits.

In terms of brands, Tesla emerged as Norway’s best-selling car manufacturer in 2025, accounting for 19.1% of all new car sales. The Tesla Model Y alone sold nearly three times more units than the second-place Volkswagen ID.4. Meanwhile, Chinese electric car brands continued to expand their footprint, increasing their combined market share from 10.4% to 13.7%.

Electric Cars Become the Most Common Vehicles on the Road

Norway also achieved a symbolic breakthrough in its overall vehicle fleet. In September 2024, electric cars had already outnumbered petrol-powered vehicles. Last month, they went a step further by surpassing diesel cars, becoming the most common type of vehicle on Norwegian roads.

Currently, 31.78% of Norway’s car fleet is fully electric, compared to 31.76% diesel, 23.9% petrol, and 12.56% hybrid vehicles. This shift underscores the long-term nature of Norway’s electric transformation.

A Return to Fossil Fuels Seems Unlikely

While electric vehicle sales may experience a slight slowdown in the coming months due to reduced incentives, heavy taxation on fossil-fuel vehicles remains firmly in place. As a result, a resurgence of petrol or diesel cars in Norway appears highly unlikely.