Norway has once again set a new record for the share of EVs registered in a single month, reaching a new peak of 98.6 per cent in April – led by legacy carmakers VW and Toyota – and breaking the previous record of 98.4 per cent set just last month.
New numbers published on Monday by the Opplysningsrådet for Veitrafikken (OFV), Norway’s Road Federation, revealed that of the 11,103 new passenger cars registered in April, just 87 were new diesel cars and 31 new petrol cars.
There were also 33 hybrid vehicles sold – 25 of them plug in hybrids – and the rest (10,952) were full battery electric
In Østfold, a county located in the country’s east and immediately south of Norway’s capital of Oslo, the electric car share reached 99.3 per cent, while the county with the lowest electric care share, Finnmark, still recorded a 95.1 per cent share.
“This is the first time we have experienced two electric car records in a row,” said Geir Inge Stokke, director of the OFV.
“When the electric car share is over 95 percent in all counties in the country, there is no longer any doubt that most Norwegians choose an electric car when buying a new car. It is probably all about price, technology and availability. This is good news for both the climate and road safety in Norway.”
The leading passenger car brand in Norway was Volkswagen, with 1,735 new models registered in April, led by the Volkswagen ID.4 with 781 new models registered (see tables below).
Toyota EVs were also popular, with a total of 1,419 Toyota models registered in April, led by the all-electric Toyota Urban Cruiser compact SUV. The Volkswagen ID.3 was the third best-selling model in April.
American EV maker Tesla, was only the eleventh best-selling car brand in April with 379 units registered, 326 of which were the Tesla Model Y. However, its sales are usually skewed towards the end of a quarter, rather than the beginning.
Worth noting, also, is the fact that BEVs are accounting for an increasingly larger share of Norway’s used car market, as well.
According to the OFV, 40,519 changes of ownership of passenger cars were registered in April, with BEVs accounting for 30.4 per cent – up 26.4 per cent from the same month a year earlier.
In fact, electric cars boast the largest sales volume on the used car market in Norway so far this year, with a share of 35.9 per cent.
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.