Despite the decline, the Norwegian Road Information Council (OFV) remains optimistic, as 10,852 new electric cars out of 11,138 new passenger vehicles account for a market share of 97.4 per cent. The year-to-date EV share has now reached 95.2 per cent, compared with 88.8 per cent at the same point in 2024. The OFV also noted that “October is usually a quieter month, and this year’s figures fall within the seasonal norm.”The overall Norwegian car market continues to grow: 124,463 new cars were registered in the first ten months of 2025, up 20.4 per cent on the same period in 2024. Of these, 118,460 were fully electric vehicles. The second-largest powertrain type, plug-in hybrid petrol cars, accounted for 2,198 new registrations and a market share of 1.8 per cent. “These figures confirm that Norway remains the global leader in the electrification of the new car market,” said the OFV.More interesting than the small difference between October’s 97.4 per cent share and the record 98.3 per cent in September will be how the final two months of the year develop – and the start of 2026. “Many people are probably considering bringing forward their car purchases to benefit from the current VAT exemption,” said OFV Director Geir Inge Stokke. In other words, demand could rise further before new VAT rules come into force in 2026.Volkswagen was the best-selling car brand in October, with 1,565 new vehicles – all electric. It was followed by Volvo (1,165 vehicles) and BMW (960), ahead of Tesla, which recorded only 671 new registrations in Norway in October. Despite Model Y production in Germany, Tesla continues to deliver most of its vehicles in Norway at the end of each quarter, with lower volumes in between.In the model ranking, Volkswagen’s total comes from several popular series, while Tesla’s figures are mainly driven by the Model Y. The Model Y remained Norway’s top-selling car in October with 592 registrations, just ahead of the Volvo EX40 (586) and VW ID.7 (585), each with a 5.3 per cent market share. For comparison, in September – the final month of the third quarter – the Model Y alone recorded 4,132 registrations and a 28.8 per cent share.The VW ID.4 (456 units) and Volvo EX30 (436) followed, while the BYD Sealion 07, a Chinese SUV, ranked next with 371 new registrations. Another Chinese model, the Xpeng G6, also entered the top ten with 332 units. Further down the list, the Škoda Elroq (346), Ford Explorer (337) and BMW i4 (322) represented the mid-size segment.“According to the model statistics, competition is intensifying. New models are establishing themselves quickly, and sales are being distributed more evenly across several brands. This indicates that the electric car market is maturing,” said Stokke.The van market is also becoming increasingly electric, though not yet to the same extent as passenger cars. In October, 2,713 new vans were registered in Norway, of which 45.9 per cent were electric. So far in 2025, 44.8 per cent of all new vans are battery-powered, up from 28.7 per cent at the same time last year. “The electrification of vans is progressing, but many companies face greater financial challenges than before. Predictable incentives and stable framework conditions are thus crucial for further development,” Stokke added.ofv.no (statement), ofv.no (data), ofv.no (models; all sources in Norwegian)
Automobile Magazine-UK
