Sales of Tesla’s best selling Model Y have rebounded in Norway with the release of the refreshed Model Y in the world’s most advanced electric vehicle market, but the country’s best selling brand continues to stagnate despite a surge in the overall market.
New data shows that the Model Y, boosted by the arrivals of the long awaited refresh, recorded 1,822 sales in Norway in the month of March, more than three times more than its nearest rival, the Nissan Ariya. It had fallen behind Toyota and other brands in January and March.
Impressive as that is, it still represents a fall of 8.6 per cent from the same month a year earlier, and a 41 per cent fall over the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to data from the local industry group OVB.
Sales of the Model 3 passenger EV fared better in comparison to the same period last year, when its sales were affected by the wait for its own refresh. The Model 3 posted 386 sales in March, and 1,021 for the quarter, a jump of 75 per cent on a monthly basis, year on year, and 165 per cent for the quarter.
However, overall sales for Tesla totalled 2,208 in March, down slightly from 2,213 in March last year, despite the overall market growing 36.5 per cent.
Tesla sales for the March quarter were 3,808, down from 5,090 in the same quarter last year, down 25 per cent even as the overall market in Norway jumped 42 per cent.
It is still too early to draw too many conclusions from the sales, given that we don’t have too much data on the number of refreshed Model Y were sold in the latest month, and how many orders are in.
But there seems little doubt that the Musk factor is affecting the market. In other European countries, sales have slumped significantly despite overall growth in the EV market, although the refreshed Model Y is yet to arrive in some countries.
OVB is being cautious.
“Most new car buyers are not influenced to a large extent by factors outside the car they want, but for some, the brand’s values ​​are of great importance, OVB’s Solberg Thorsen said in a statement.
“Therefore, several have believed that the low registration figures for Tesla in January and February have been influenced by the front figure’s statements and actions related to politics.
“That may be true, but we also know that Tesla has had a lot of cars of the outgoing model sitting on the dock for a long time, and it has been more difficult than in previous years to find buyers for these cars. We must also take into account that a number of new brands and models have emerged that give Tesla tougher competition going forward.”
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of The Driven, and also edits and founded the Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid web sites. He has been a journalist for nearly 40 years, is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review, and owns a Tesla Model 3.