While the world cools on EVs, Norway pushes to 96% electric sales

[Daniel Sims]

The big picture: Norway has long been a global leader in electric vehicle adoption. While Tesla is losing ground to BYD as EV subsidies weaken in many markets worldwide, both incentives and Tesla's sales have remained strong in Norway, where nearly all newly registered cars are now electric.

Last year, 95.5 percent of all newly registered vehicles in Norway were electric. While consumers in Europe and other markets are pivoting away from Tesla and toward hybrid vehicles, the Scandinavian country is staying firmly on course toward full EV adoption.

The Norwegian Road Federation reported that 95.9 percent of new cars registered in November were electric, a figure that climbed to 98 percent in December. These numbers represent a sharp increase from late 2024, when Norway became the first country where electric vehicles outnumbered petrol-powered cars on the road. In 2025, most newly registered gasoline-powered vehicles were hybrids, sports cars, or models used by first responders.

Top selling models in Norway include Tesla's Model Y, often followed by models like the VW ID.4, Skoda Enyaq, and Volvo EX30.

Tesla remains Norway's most popular automotive brand by a wide margin, increasing its market share slightly last year to 19.1 percent. This stands in stark contrast to trends in the US, China, and much of Europe, where Tesla sales have declined amid the rollback of EV incentives and growing public backlash against CEO Elon Musk's political views. The company was also named America's least reliable car brand last year, coinciding with a nine percent drop in global sales.

Signs of weakening confidence in EVs are particularly visible in the United States. Ford discontinued the all-electric F-150 Lightning last year in favor of hybrid models. In Europe, policymakers recently abandoned plans to ban new gasoline car sales by 2035.

Despite gradually increasing taxes on EVs, Norway continues to offer comparatively strong incentives, while duties on petrol-powered cars are also rising. Electric vehicles priced below roughly $30,000 remain exempt from value-added tax, and buyers rushed to make purchases ahead of January 1, when an additional $5,000 in VAT took effect on more expensive EVs.

Chinese automaker BYD also made notable gains in Norway last year, though it remains far behind Tesla. Its market share increased from 2.1 to 3.3 percent, with sales more than doubling over the period.

Globally, BYD has overtaken Tesla as the world's leading EV seller, posting a sales increase of over 28 percent in 2025. The rapid pace at which BYD and other Chinese automakers have brought vehicles from concept to assembly has forced Western manufacturers to rethink their production workflows and accelerate development timelines.

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While the world cools on EVs, Norway pushes to 96% electric sales

 

[yRaz]

If they want to sell more EVs then maybe people should make the ownership experience better than ICE cars. Electric cars should theoretically be MORE reliable than ICE cars, but everyone is so busy milking consumers dry that all the computer chips in there need to be reprogrammed by a dealership anytime sometime breaks. At great expense to the owner, I might add.

So much of poor EV adoption is a horrible ownership experience and design choices made by manufacturers so dealerships can extra more profit after the sale of these rolling space dildos.

Make a normal, affordable car and people will buy it. Most people don't give two sh*ts what makes their car go, they want basic transportation to and from work. Want more than basic transportation? Go buy any number of other cars that aren't electric.

 

[Gregtombstone]

Helps that Norway with its Hydro electric resources and massive oil and gas reserves has among the cheapest electricty in Europe. Here in Ireland we have the most expensive at 35 cent per kw and 75 cent at a fast charger (euro "cents") so I wont be buying electric any time soon.

 

[JMGuy]

If they want to sell more EVs then maybe people should make the ownership experience better than ICE cars. Electric cars should theoretically be MORE reliable than ICE cars, but everyone is so busy milking consumers dry that all the computer chips in there need to be reprogrammed by a dealership anytime sometime breaks. At great expense to the owner, I might add.

So much of poor EV adoption is a horrible ownership experience and design choices made by manufacturers so dealerships can extra more profit after the sale of these rolling space dildos.

Make a normal, affordable car and people will buy it. Most people don't give two sh*ts what makes their car go, they want basic transportation to and from work. Want more than basic transportation? Go buy any number of other cars that aren't electric.

Agreed, but I’d go even further. My wife’s 2015 ICE Lexus is in the dealer service department right now for basic maintenance. It’s got about 75k miles. They gave her a new hybrid loaner, which is usually the point where she starts thinking maybe it’s time to trade in.

Just the 15-minute drive home, she absolutely hated it. It nagged her into complete irritation—like trying to have a conversation with someone who interrupts you every ten seconds just to warn you that you’re talking.

She wants nothing to do with a new car now. And this is an indoor girl who loves her luxury—she came home suggesting her next car should be an old classic from an auto auction. I gotta say, if they’ve managed to run this person out of a new luxury car, that’s a spectacular failure of product design when it should be an easy win.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

$5000 is a strong incentive to go EV. Now that it is gone how will sales % change?

(It's still not a level playing field given gas taxes)

 

[Mouseface]

Helps that Norway with its Hydro electric resources and massive oil and gas reserves has among the cheapest electricty in Europe. Here in Ireland we have the most expensive at 35 cent per kw and 75 cent at a fast charger (euro "cents") so I wont be buying electric any time soon.

Ireland has night rates for EV at 8C per kwh

Also, its way less than 35c per kwh https://www.electricireland.ie/switch/new-customer/price-plans?priceType=D

 

[magoid]

A friend of mine bought a electric BYD, a Dolphin Mini. I believe it is their cheapest EV. I have to say, I was impressed. For a compact (or sub-compact), it has excellent internal space. The trunk space is pathetic, but good enough for groceries off the supermarket. Build quality was surprisingly good for a cheap entry level model.

Power and drivability are okay, compatible to a 1 to 1.2 litter aspirated engine from a city car. My friend recharges it 1 time a week, since he only takes about 20/30 min to get to work from home.

Complains are the small trunk and the rear suspension could have been a little more stiff. Otherwise he is very satisfied with the car.

People tend to be suspicious of Chinese cars, but I have to say, some of their manufacturers are already in a good level with traditional Western ones. South Korean manufacturers had the same problem, but look where they are now. I have observed the evolution of Chinese vehicles here in Brazil for the last 15 years, and their evolution is evident. Would I buy one? If I was in the market for a new vehicle, sure.

 

[bviktor]

the world cools on EVs

The "world", huh? Only if your definition of "the world" is "the US", and by "cools on EVs" you mean "sales remain flat". And even that stagnation is caused exclusively by the govt subsidies expiring last October. With less money people buy fewer cars, who would've thought?

Newsflash: it'll recover the same exact way it did in Germany after the 2024 January subsidy expiration.

It's been precisely since that point in time, I.e. 2 whole years now that we've had to listen to the delusions of journalists about this constant EV sales collapse in their imaginary world. All the while EVs have been growing all the time.

In reality, EV sales are up +27% in the EU (november YTD 2024 vs 2025), and in China it's +41.2%.

US is the distant third, the laggard that no one cares about anymore. It's about time you digest this fact.

It's also time you realize at whose expense do EV sales grow - yup, the internal combustion engine. Their sales have been shrinking for like 7 years now. Seven. Years.

But I guess that doesn't grant an article every week about "collapsing ICE sales". Because reasons.

 

[yRaz]

The "world", huh? Only if your definition of "the world" is "the US", and by "cools on EVs" you mean "sales remain flat". And even that stagnation is caused exclusively by the govt subsidies expiring last October. With less money people buy fewer cars, who would've thought?

Newsflash: it'll recover the same exact way it did in Germany after the 2024 January subsidy expiration.

It's been precisely since that point in time, I.e. 2 whole years now that we've had to listen to the delusions of journalists about this constant EV sales collapse in their imaginary world. All the while EVs have been growing all the time.

In reality, EV sales are up +27% in the EU (november YTD 2024 vs 2025), and in China it's +41.2%.

US is the distant third, the laggard that no one cares about anymore. It's about time you digest this fact.

It's also time you realize at whose expense do EV sales grow - yup, the internal combustion engine. Their sales have been shrinking for like 7 years now. Seven. Years.

But I guess that doesn't grant an article every week about "collapsing ICE sales". Because reasons.

I think the only reason the subsidy made a difference for EV sales is that the US will ban cars that the US automakers don't want to compete with. When a good car comes along and Ford, Chevy or Chrysler dont want to compete with it, they just lobby to have it banned. Plenty of other countries have $20k quality EVs, but for some reason, automakers in the US want $50k for the base model and add dealer "market adjustments" to price to raise it further.

The problem with the US car market is that manufacturers make vehicles for dealerships to make money on, they don't make vehicles people want. The subsidies ended and people look at both the ICE and the EV versions of a car, think both are dogshit and just decide to keep their old vehicle.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Norway also built out EV infrastructure alongside the EV rollout so people could actually charge wherever they went. Something we STILL havent figured out.

The US is a lot larger so it was even more important to build that infrastructure out. Instead we get Electrify America stations that spend half the time broken, some Tesla superchargers, some other oddball charging stations, a huge sections that have just nothing, all while the $12 billion budget for charging station rollout just....disappeared. 7 chargers were built. 7!

Not to mention Norway doesnt have the urban crime issues that plague the US, where out chargers will spend half the time broken as people try to steal the copper. And they didnt have the fight over which connector to use which we STILL havent settled 20 years later.

We are SO far away from EVs being viable here.....

I think the only reason the subsidy made a difference for EV sales is that the US will ban cars that the US automakers don't want to compete with. When a good car comes along and Ford, Chevy or Chrysler dont want to compete with it, they just lobby to have it banned. Plenty of other countries have $20k quality EVs, but for some reason, automakers in the US want $50k for the base model and add dealer "market adjustments" to price to raise it further.

The problem with the US car market is that manufacturers make vehicles for dealerships to make money on, they don't make vehicles people want. The subsidies ended and people look at both the ICE and the EV versions of a car, think both are dogshit and just decide to keep their old vehicle.

Those $20k quality EVs" are BYD cars that break after a few years and have 0 long term support, or are the city cars that would never pass safety regulations here.

 

[yRaz]

Those $20k quality EVs" are BYD cars that break after a few years and have 0 long term support, or are the city cars that would never pass safety regulations here.

I don't know how much you have been paying attention to the car market, but even Honda and Toyota have ridiculous failure rates these days. High failure rates are a way of life in today's car market. When you buy a car, you have to buy it expecting it to fail and plan around it. Knowing that your new car you don't even want is going to fail, would you rather pay 20k or 50k for it?

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I don't know how much you have been paying attention to the car market, but even Honda and Toyota have ridiculous failure rates these days. High failure rates are a way of life in today's car market. When you buy a car, you have to buy it expecting it to fail and plan around it. Knowing that your new car you don't even want is going to fail, would you rather pay 20k or 50k for it?

No, they dont.

I'd love to hear what this "ridiculous" failure rate is.

 

[yRaz]

No, they dont.

I'd love to hear what this "ridiculous" failure rate is.

Goto Google, enter "*random brand name* recalls", hit the news tab and go at it. I'd be more than happy to explain the engine and manufacturing issues that any manufacturer is having, but they're all having them.

This is why I don't reply to you anymore. I give you enough information to go down your own rabbit hole without me having to tell you anything and you want me to do your research for you.

I love talking about manufacturing and engineering and would happily write you an essay on any of the issues these manufacturers are having, but I'm not gonna hand you a book every time you say "but where's you're proof?'

I know you aren't a complete fool and your also an adult. Equip yourself to have an adult conversation and we can talk.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Goto Google, enter "*random brand name* recalls", hit the news tab and go at it. I'd be more than happy to explain the engine and manufacturing issues that any manufacturer is having, but they're all having them.

This is why I don't reply to you anymore. I give you enough information to go down your own rabbit hole without me having to tell you anything and you want me to do your research for you.

I love talking about manufacturing and engineering and would happily write you an essay on any of the issues these manufacturers are having, but I'm not gonna hand you a book every time you say "but where's you're proof?'

I know you aren't a complete fool and your also an adult. Equip yourself to have an adult conversation and we can talk.

If you want to have an adult conversation, you should start with not making unsubstantiated claims then demanding everyone else doing the work for you.

Toyota and Honda are not ridiculously unreliable. And number of recalls =! reliability, a recall affecting 100 cars that need a software update and a recall affecting 200k vehicles that can roll away in park are both 1 recall.

To address your opinion question: the $30k Honda or Toyota, because if I have problems I'll go with the brands that have warranties and dealerships that service them and parts available, none of which applies to those $20k BYDs. You get what you pay for.

 

[yRaz]

If you want to have an adult conversation, you should start with not making unsubstantiated claims then demanding everyone else doing the work for you.

Toyota and Honda are not ridiculously unreliable. And number of recalls =! reliability, a recall affecting 100 cars that need a software update and a recall affecting 200k vehicles that can roll away in park are both 1 recall.

That's fine, you're just expecting an algorithm to do the work for you instead of me. You're either lazy or just lack the research skills to contribute anything of value. I'd love to sit here and talk about how sub mircon machining issues are leaving particulates in engine components leading to catestrophic engine failures that are mainly driven by modern fuel efficiency standards, or that the material science behind designing engines makes these effiency goals unrealistic as modern engines are under higher pressures and create more heat, but you won't even do the basic research to acknowledge wide spread engine failures exist.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

That's fine, you're just expecting an algorithm to do the work for you instead of me. You're either lazy or just lack the research skills to contribute anything of value.

Calling me lazy while crying I wont do research for you is awfully rich. Should I call you Epson?

I'd love to sit here and talk about how sub mircon machining issues are leaving particulates in engine components leading to catestrophic engine failures that are mainly driven by modern fuel efficiency standards, or that the material science behind designing engines makes these effiency goals unrealistic as modern engines are under higher pressures and create more heat, but you won't even do the basic research to acknowledge wide spread engine failures exist.

Ah, so you're referring to the Tundra engine failures? The ones where the failure rate is less then a tenth of a percent? Or the batch of bad Honda V6 engines?

Meanwhile Honda and Toyota still consistently rank at the top of the reliability charts and millions of them roll around on the streets, engines working just fine. Hmmmm.....

 

[yRaz]

Calling me lazy while crying I wont do research for you is awfully rich. Should I call you Epson?

Ah, so you're referring to the Tundra engine failures? The ones where the failure rate is less then a tenth of a percent? Or the batch of bad Honda V6 engines?

Meanwhile Honda and Toyota still consistently rank at the top of the reliability charts and millions of them roll around on the streets, engines working just fine. Hmmmm.....

Call me whatever you want, did you just learn about the Tundra issues now? The Toyota issues go way deeper than that. Like I said, I will give you enough information to go down your own rabbit hole and come to a conclusion yourself. I don't mind going down these rabbit holes because I'm curious.

You just found out about the tundra issues because I made you look into it, but maybe something in Toyotas supply like might have been causing it? Is it because of where they are being made or because of the specs they're required to adhere to and can't? Are these unrealistic expectations or did someone show up to work hungover one morning?

The thing is, it isn't just Toyota or Honda. Although I'd be hard-pressed to recommend outside of those two right now. If there is anything I want to drive home to you RIGHT NOW, it's that this is a major issue that impacts all manufacturers and an interesting one. It might take several hours of research. Maybe tens of hours. I would love to have discussions on the complexity of these issues, but I don't want to talk to someone who is going to act like a Facebook Karen

I know you aren't a fool, but you have to bring something to the table to contribute. It's not my job to educate anyone and people can't suddenly watch a YouTube video and pretend to be an expert.

So I really want to give you a chance at a head scratching moment. I want you to have a "that's interesting, so why did that happen?' moment. I'm trying to give you enough information to ask yourself questions and to go down rabbit holes without me saying ""X,YZ is true because of *Source A,B,C"

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Call me whatever you want,

I would prefer to call you yRaz, if you could speak like an adult instead of starting conversations with childish insults. Can you agree to that?

did you just learn about the Tundra issues now?

Nope. The Tundra issue has been known prior to the tundra being produced. The V35A V6 has been used since 2017 in the lexus LS 500. This engine has always had an issue with bearings being spun, its not a new issue. It's also never been produced in large enough numbers before the Tundra for Toyota to care to fix the issue.

A total of 2,907 complaints have been received on tundras, of 522,484 sold. That is a 0.05% failure rate, well within margin of error on mechanical products.

The Toyota issues go way deeper than that. Like I said, I will give you enough information to go down your own rabbit hole and come to a conclusion yourself. I don't mind going down these rabbit holes because I'm curious.

You just found out about the tundra issues because I made you look into it, but maybe something in Toyotas supply like might have been causing it? Is it because of where they are being made or because of the specs they're required to adhere to and can't? Are these unrealistic expectations or did someone show up to work hungover one morning?

The thing is, it isn't just Toyota or Honda. Although I'd be hard-pressed to recommend outside of those two right now. If there is anything I want to drive home to you RIGHT NOW, it's that this is a major issue that impacts all manufacturers and an interesting one. It might take several hours of research. Maybe tens of hours. I would love to have discussions on the complexity of these issues, but I don't want to talk to someone who is going to act like a Facebook Karen

I know you aren't a fool, but you have to bring something to the table to contribute. It's not my job to educate anyone and people can't suddenly watch a YouTube video and pretend to be an expert.

So I really want to give you a chance at a head scratching moment. I want you to have a "that's interesting, so why did that happen?' moment. I'm trying to give you enough information to ask yourself questions and to down rabbit holes without me saying ""X,YZ is true be of *Source A,B,C"

See, there you go again with the insinuation you know LOTS of information that is super special but you dont want to give it out unless someone meets your specifications.

Stop seeking attention, if you know of some widespread failures that the media doesnt know about, spill the beans already. It is far more likely that you are blowing recalls way out of proportion and dont want to admit it.

 

[yRaz]

See, there you go again with the insinuation you know LOTS of information that is super special but you dont want to give it out unless someone meets your specifications.

Stop seeking attention, if you know of some widespread failures that the media doesnt know about, spill the beans already. It is far more likely that you are blowing recalls way out of proportion and dont want to admit it.

I started off reading and was going to say, "you can all me Andy or Andrew" when you talked about the yRaz thing.

I don't have the energy for this anymore, I only wish that people become curious enough that I don't have to tell them a damn thing.

I'm tired enough as it is from work, I don't need to start giving people more information from stuff they seemingly get from the nightly news.

I will start by what I'm about to say. I want people to get that itch and scratch in their brain where they ask, "why?" I want to equip people with enough information to research subjects and come to their own conclusions without me having to tell anyone a damn thing on what to think.

I'm not gate keeping information, but asking chatGPT something or inserting a command into google then ending there is going to lead to bad results for you in the long term. It isn't my job to educate you and you seem like a very capable person on your own. The thing is, I don't want to talk to you because you never contribute anything to the conversation.

If you don't enjoy that itch or want to know more about something, well, I can't help you. I've been talking to you for years and you haven't ever gone down a curiosity rabbit hole on your own.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I started off reading and was going to say, "you can all me Andy or Andrew" when you talked about the yRaz thing.

I don't have the energy for this anymore, I only wish that people become curious enough that I don't have to tell them a damn thing.

I'm tired enough as it is from work, I don't need to start giving people more information from stuff they seemingly get from the nightly news.

I will start by what I'm about to say. I want people to get that itch and scratch in their brain where they ask, "why?" I want to equip people with enough information to research subjects and come to their own conclusions without me having to tell anyone a damn thing on what to think.

I'm not gate keeping information, but asking chatGPT something or inserting a command into google then ending there is going to lead to bad results for you in the long term. It isn't my job to educate you and you seem like a very capable person on your own. The thing is, I don't want to talk to you because you never contribute anything to the conversation.

If you don't enjoy that itch or want to know more about something, well, I can't help you. I've been talking to you for years and you haven't ever gone down a curiosity rabbit hole on your own.

I contribute plenty to conversations, I dont know why you keep reading right past anything I write and fall into......whatever argument you have whipped yourself into. I also never accused you of gate keeping information, that is a ghost you have chosen to box entirely on your own.

Those $20k EVs are very unreliable and have terrible support, and would never pass US standards in the first place. Hondas and Toyotas are far more reliable and dont have the serious after purchase support BYD has. Pushing cheap garbage isnt going to spread EV adoption in america, as you said in your first post, manufacturers need to focus on GOOD EV experiences if they want people to buy their cars, and cheapo throw away EVs are not going to help that at all.

 

[yRaz]

I contribute plenty to conversations, I dont know why you keep reading right past anything I write and fall into......whatever argument you have whipped yourself into. I also never accused you of gate keeping information, that is a ghost you have chosen to box entirely on your own.

Those $20k EVs are very unreliable and have terrible support, and would never pass US standards in the first place. Hondas and Toyotas are far more reliable and dont have the serious after purchase support BYD has. Pushing cheap garbage isnt going to spread EV adoption in america, as you said in your first post, manufacturers need to focus on GOOD EV experiences if they want people to buy their cars, and cheapo throw away EVs are not going to help that at all.

I don't have an argument, I just want you to be more curious than being satiated in your own world view.

You can call me Andy if you want, but I'm a difficult customer

 

[amghwk]

The electricity board of Norway is going to have a field day with this move.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

If they want to sell more EVs then maybe people should make the ownership experience better than ICE cars. Electric cars should theoretically be MORE reliable than ICE cars, but everyone is so busy milking consumers dry that all the computer chips in there need to be reprogrammed by a dealership anytime sometime breaks. At great expense to the owner, I might add.

So much of poor EV adoption is a horrible ownership experience and design choices made by manufacturers so dealerships can extra more profit after the sale of these rolling space dildos.

Make a normal, affordable car and people will buy it. Most people don't give two sh*ts what makes their car go, they want basic transportation to and from work. Want more than basic transportation? Go buy any number of other cars that aren't electric.

Actually Tesla is the most reliable American brand. The writer left out that the article he quoted was referring to 2016-2021 (used) models. That’s basically a lifetime ago for Tesla lol.

 

[mbk34]

The article seems a little confused. Here in the UK, EV sales are up as a percentage of overall sales. I think the same is true in most European countries. Sure, EV's don't make sense for everyone but, if you have your own driveway and don't drive 200+ miles a day then they make a lot of sense. You can charge them up at home for just a couple of $, they generally never go wrong, they barely require any maintenance plus they out perform nearly fossil vehicles.

In America I believe over the air software updates count as recalls. This is why some people complain about the number of Tesla recalls. In reality most owners never have to visit a garage. I will admit that Tesla sales are down but that's simply due to Elon's political leanings and increased competition.

 

[JMGuy]

The article seems a little confused. Here in the UK, EV sales are up as a percentage of overall sales. I think the same is true in most European countries. Sure, EV's don't make sense for everyone but, if you have your own driveway and don't drive 200+ miles a day then they make a lot of sense. You can charge them up at home for just a couple of $, they generally never go wrong, they barely require any maintenance plus they out perform nearly fossil vehicles.

In America I believe over the air software updates count as recalls. This is why some people complain about the number of Tesla recalls. In reality most owners never have to visit a garage. I will admit that Tesla sales are down but that's simply due to Elon's political leanings and increased competition.

EVs do not automatically outperform ICE or hybrid vehicles—it depends heavily on region and local conditions.

In Europe and the UK, high incentives and fuel costs can make EVs cheaper to run, but steep upfront prices, depreciation, and potential battery or repair costs can offset those savings in total cost of ownership. Hybrids often remain very competitive in these markets.

In the U.S., slower incentives and higher insurance or repair costs mean EVs can often be more expensive over time. In China, EVs dominate thanks to subsidies and urban charging, but even there, high-end models face significant depreciation and battery risks.

Globally, EVs are gaining share and are a great option for many, but their cost-effectiveness is extremely context-dependent. They are not universally superior to ICE or hybrid cars. Too often, the discussion is treated as a moral issue rather than a practical one based on the complexities of individual needs, local markets, and regional realities.

Also, Tesla sales softening in certain markets is a real trend, but it’s driven far more by competitive pressure and changing incentives than by Elon Musk’s political leanings. Politics matter to some consumers, but I don’t think the actual data supports the assertion that it’s a main sales issue so many people suggest.