New car sales in Norway rebounded in February, after a weak start to the year, and electric vehicles (EVs) maintained their dominance, accounting for 98 per cent of for all new passenger cars registered for the month and leaving petrol cars with a total of just 12 for the month.
Norway long ago cemented its position as one of the world’s leading adopters of EVs, and in 2025 a total of 179,550 new passenger cars were registered in Norway, with battery EVs accounting for 97.6 per cent, and all types of hybrids accounting for 2.9 per cent.
Things took a surprising turn in January, with new car registrations falling to one of their lowest levels for several years, taking the share of EVs with it to only 94 per cent.
But stabilisation was the name of the game in February, with the car market returning to “a more normal rhythm” according to the Opplysningsrådet for Veitrafikken (OFV), Norway’s Road Information Traffic Information Council.
New passenger car registrations were still down on the same month a year earlier, sitting at 7,272, down 18.7, OFV nevertheless saw registrations pick up in the second half of the month indicating “that the market is recovering from the sharp shift at the turn of the year.”
Importantly, EVs continued their stranglehold on the new car market, with 98 per cent of all new cars registered in February.
Only 66 hybrid cars were sold in February, including 46 plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs), and only 67 diesel and 12 petrol cars were registered, leading the OFV to claim that “the fossil car has thus practically been phased out of the new car market in Norway.”
Given the dominance of the EV in Norway, American EV maker Tesla accounted for the largest share of newly registered vehicles with 16.6 per cent, followed by Toyota at 12.9 per cent and Volkswagen with 8.6 per cent.
The Tesla Model Y led the way, with 1,073 registered in February, though only 130 of the Tesla Model 3 were registered for the month, making it the 16th best-selling model. The Toyota bZ4X (514) and Volvo EX40 (425) were the second and third best-selling model for the month.
20 best-selling car models in February
20 best-selling car brands in February
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.
