Market share of electric vehicles in Norway 2009-2021

In 2021, about 86 percent of all cars sold in Norway were electric cars, including battery-electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). This share represents a sharp increase compared to the pre-pandemic EV sales share, which stood at 56 percent in 2019.

Renewables powering Norway's cars

Not only does Norway outperform other countries in terms of electric vehicles as a share of car sales, but also almost all of Norway’s domestic electricity comes from hydropower. For Norway, incentives in favor of green travel, such as toll-free travel, electric roads, and priority parking for electric vehicles, date back several years. Car brands must navigate a competitive industry in the country when it comes to the penetration rate of their EV models.

Cuts for emissions

With future restrictions penalizing the sale of new cars running only on petrol or diesel, the race is on worldwide for EV manufacturers to lower the greenhouse gas emissions their models release into the atmosphere. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the size of the global market for electric vehicles is tipped to grow substantially over the coming years. Worldwide plug-in electric vehicle sales exceeded 6.7 million units in 2021.