Electric cars make up more than 28% of all cars on Norwegian roads
According to the Norwegian Automobile Federation (OFV), the share of electric cars in the new car market in Norway in 2024 was 88.9%, up 6.5 percentage points from 2023. The sales leaders among electric cars were Tesla, Volkswagen, and Toyota. Additionally, the share of Chinese electric cars in the new car market in Norway reached almost 10%.
“Norway will be the first country in the world to almost completely eliminate petrol and diesel cars from the new car market,” said Christina Bu, head of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association.
In Norway, petrol and diesel cars are heavily taxed, while electric vehicles are exempt from duties and value-added tax, making them more attractive to buyers. However, some taxes were reinstated in 2023. According to experts, this policy has been effective due to its consistency over the years and the support of various governments.
“We often see tax breaks or exemptions being introduced in other countries, but then they are canceled,” Bu noted.
In addition to tax policy, experts also highlight the lack of a domestic automobile industry in Norway, which allows the government to impose higher taxes on gasoline and diesel cars.
“We don’t make cars, so introducing high taxes in the past was an easy solution,” said Ulf Tore Hekneby, head of Norway’s largest car importer, Harald A. Moeller.
Furthermore, experts emphasize the importance of stimulating sales of electric vehicles rather than banning petrol and diesel cars outright.
The European Union plans to ban the sale of carbon dioxide-producing cars by 2035 but may allow the sale of cars powered by fuel made from captured carbon dioxide.
Norway’s policies have led to fully electric cars overtaking petrol cars on Norwegian roads last year, accounting for more than 28% of all cars in the country as of December, according to the Public Roads Administration.
The growing share of electric vehicles on Norwegian roads means that other industries must adapt: petrol stations are increasingly replacing petrol pumps with fast electric charging stations.
“In the next three years, we will have at least as many charging stations as petrol pumps. In a couple of years, more than 50% of all cars in Norway will be electric. We need to expand our fleet of charging stations to match this,” said Anders Kleve Svela, senior manager at Circle K, Norway’s largest fuel retailer.
