OSLO – Electric cars accounted for 89 per cent of new car sales in Norway in 2024, according to a report released on January 2. The Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) announced that the country is nearing its goal of going fully electric by 2025, with only 10 per cent more to achieve the objective.
Of the 128,691 new car registrations in 2024, 114,400 were electric, marking the highest share of any major national car market and an increase from the 82 per cent share in 2023. Despite being a major oil and gas producer, Norway aims for all new cars sold to be “zero emission” by 2025, a goal set ten years ahead of the European Union’s target.
Electric car sales in Norway have surged from just 2.8 per cent in 2012, thanks to various incentives such as tax exemptions, toll exemptions, free parking, and access to public transport traffic lanes. Although some incentives have been rolled back, electric cars have become commonplace.
Mr Oyvind Solberg Thorsen, director of OFV, emphasized the importance of maintaining incentives to achieve the 2025 goal. Tesla currently leads the electric car market in Norway with a 19 per cent share, followed by Volkswagen, Toyota, Volvo, and BMW. Thorsen noted that it will be interesting to see if new Chinese brands and models can strengthen their position among buyers in 2025.