Electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for a huge 97 per cent of all new car sales during April in Norway, with the entire top 30 list of passenger car models an electric model.
Norway has long been the world’s leading country for EV uptake, and in April a total of 11,286 new cars hit the roads of which 97 per cent were full electric. That brings the total number of new cars for 2025 up to 42,882, including a total of 39,565 fully electric cars taking a total share of 92.3 per cent.
According to the Opplysningsrådet for veitrafikken (OFV), Norway’s Road Traffic Information Council, which published the new numbers late last week, sales of plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs) “came to a near standstill” last month due to tax changes that came into effect on April 1 that made the cars much more expensive to buy.
Only 51 PHEVs were sold in April, compared to over 1,200 in March.
“It clearly shows how the authorities’ tax policy controls car sales,” said Øyvind Solberg Thorsen, OFV director.
“And the goal set for Norway is one hundred percent zero emissions on new passenger cars by 2025. OFV’s figures also show that companies and industry are increasingly choosing electric cars when purchasing new company cars.”
The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling car model in April, but Tesla has lost its mantle as the best selling brand in Norway, with VW now selling more than twice as many EVs.
Tesla’s share of EV sales across Europe has been tumbling ever since company CEO Elon Musk stepped into his role in US President Donald Trump’s administration running the so-called “department of government efficiency”. Musk’s own political musings and attempts to influence politics in Europe has similarly done him and his company no favours.
During April, European competitor Volkswagen took a 20.1 per cent market share, compared to only 8.6 per cent for Tesla.
Meanwhile, over the first four months of 2025, Tesla’s market share has amounted to only 11 per cent, compared to 18 per cent for the same four months at the beginning of 2024.
Volkswagen accounted for three of the top 5 best-selling cars in Norway during April with the ID. 4, ID. 7, and ID. 3, while the Toyota bZ4X took the third spot. The Model Y, regained top spot with 869 units sold, with the Model 3 selling just 107 units.
“Tesla is nowhere near the level we are used to, you can’t pretend otherwise,” said Solberg Thorsen.
“It may be a sign that many people now find that other brands are just as interesting and have just as much to offer in roughly the same price segment.
“Of all the first-time registrations of the new Tesla Model Y, which is now out with a new model, more than half of them so far this year are the old model. Campaigns may be an explanation for that.”
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.