Image Credit: Hendrik Morkel on Unsplash
Long one of the world’s leaders for electric vehicle (EV) adoption, Norway has once again set a new adoption record, with EVs accounting for 97.2 per cent of all new passenger vehicles registered and delivered in July.
According to the Opplysningsrådet for veitrafikken (OFV), Norway’s Road Traffic Information Council, registrations of new vehicles in Norway for July were up nearly 50 per cent year-over-year, totalling 9,563.
Of these 9,563 new passenger vehicles entering Norway’s roads last month, 9,291 were electric – and not just “electrified”, but full battery EVs.
The OFV always breaks down its numbers to specific drive types, showing in July that there were only 93 plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs) registered and delivered, 60 hybrids, 8 diesel PHEVs, 25 petrol internal combustion engine (ICE), and 86 diesel ICE vehicles.
July is, traditionally, according to OFV, a quiet month in car dealerships in Norway, coming as it does in the midst of the Northern Hemisphere’s Summer and holiday period.
And Øyvind Solberg Thorsen, OFV director, is quick to remind that many of the new passenger cars registered in July were ordered “quite some time ago” and only registered and delivered in July because “there is still a waiting period for many car models.”
Nevertheless, this new monthly record for EV adoption follows hot on the heels of two out of three months which saw EVs account for 97 per cent of all new vehicles registered and delivered (April and June).
July’s record month for EV adoption also brought the total number of new EVs now on Norway’s roads to new heights, increasing by 25.6 compared to the same period last year, and reaching a 94 per cent market share for the first seven months of the year, compared to a market share of only 85 per cent in 2024.
Unsurprisingly, then, the top 20 cars sold in July were all electric cars, led by the newly revamped Tesla Model Y, which saw 715 new models drive out of the lots during the month.
However, while Tesla was once the clear favourite in Norway, the American carmaker isn’t having it all their own way anymore. The Model Y was the only Tesla car in the top 10, according to OFV, and was only the fourth leading car brand for the whole month – with only 123 other non-Model Y cars sold in July.
European carmaker Volkswagen took top spot as Norway’s number one best-selling car brand in July, with a total of 1,116, followed by Volvo and Skoda, with MG filling out the top 5 – and while these numbers don’t specify drive type, only 272 cars sold in Norway during July were not an EV.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.
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Interesting to see that registrations were up 50% year on year. Is this due to anything we know or understand or is this adoption curve accelleration where the remaining few just 'pull the pin' and change over (from ICE to EV) even thought there existing vehicle is not due for replacement? What are 2nd hand ICE vehicel sales like in Norway at the moment? Exciting times!
I don't know the details but government regulations will apparently make it very difficult to sell ICE cars within a few years, whether they be new or used. So, any ICE car bought now will have no re-sale value within a few years.
Simon, please don't make unsubstantiated scaremongering statements that have no evidence. If you have details and supporting links post it, otherwise it's just zealot dribble.
Wow this comment is just weird given Simon’s post!
I posted a link to the data but it got moderated out - I guess you'll have to search it out yourself.
Sad that again the headline is '(Amazing) Norway, 97% EV!' Don't mention the trillions of dollars in oil wealth in the country that goes to all the ICE vehicles of the world. They fund EVs to cost less than their ICE equivalent. To quote 'the fund is now worth A$1.9 trillion. This is around $350,000 for each of Norway's 5.4 million citizens'
https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/norway-shows-how-australia-can-get-a-fair-return-from-oil-and-gas
Why is it sad? The Norwegians became wealthy through oil but they are doing positive things with that wealth. The EV adoption incentives were very generous but they worked - and they are now being phased out. It is another area where Australia could learn from Norway
Don't forget all the totally unreasonable additional incentives the Norwegians confer on nut job EV zealots!
Nothing wrong with a country trying to clean up its own act whilst still making money.
Norway recognised that its natural resources belong to its citizens, not multi-national corporations and thus tax exports of oil and gas at 78%.
Australia could also easily (?) do this by taking the same principle and applying it to taxing coal and gas exports and using the funds to clean up our own backyard which in turn improves our resilience and lessens our reliance on imported oil (from Norway) :)
There's a Ford Explorer EV!?!
But they'll piss and moan about having an emission target in 'Straya and how it'll make their ICE vehicles cost more...
it's made in Germany on the MEB platform from VW. Ford has about a dozen EVs in Europe excluding commercial.
Nice article and focus on EV share, but I suggest dropping «as Tesla slips to fourth in electric brands» in the headline. It’s misleading to report on monthly changes in market share, especially with Tesla, as the cars are ordered online they deliver them in large batches. Looking at the month before then Tesla had a 30% market share of all cars sold (EV or not), three times the next most popular brand. Tesla slipping to fourth the next month really isn’t newsworthy, it’s just a product of their logistics. Looking at all cars registered in Norway so far in 2025 (EV or not), Tesla is the leading brand, followed by VW.
Hi. It's an interesting view. Strangely, I never hear Tesla fans complain when we said their models were the best selling vehicles in a single month. Clearly, there is a trend. Saying we shouldn't report on monthly data points is a bit like telling a football commentator not to get excited about a goal or try, and wait till the end of the match before saying anything.
I accept the football commentator point :) But still, monthly stats are trouble because they have more to do with when the ship arrived with the cars, than consumer purchasing (which it is linked to in the media). Tesla deliveries will inevitably yo-yo because of logistics, so monthly stats just need to be nuanced with a broader picture that stretches over at least a quarter. Anyway, The Driven has quality coverage so just nitpicking. It’s interesting to see Tesla dominate here in Norway despite it being a relatively politically left-leaning country where you would be hard pressed to find anyone who agrees with Musk’s politics. As Teslas are so common here, buying one isn’t interpreted as a statement condoning the CEO.
https://www.finansavisen.no/motor/2025/08/04/8282357/pris-betyr-mer-enn-politikk-for-norske-bilkjopere