EVs At 98.6% Share In Norway – Tesla Model Y Best-Seller
May 5, 20262 hours
Dr. Maximilian Holland
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The first quarter of 2026 saw plugin EVs at 98.6% share in Norway, up from 95.2% in Q1 2025. BEV share grew year on year (YoY), and PHEV share declined. Overall Q1 auto volume was 27,175 units, down some 14% YoY. The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling BEV in Q1.
2026 Q1 auto sales saw combined plugin EVs at 98.6% share in Sweden, with full electrics (BEVs) at 97.9% and plugin hybrids (PHEVs) at 0.7%. These figures compare YoY against 95.2% combined, 90.6% BEVs and 4.6% PHEVs.
The 2025 Q1 baseline had seen a last chance pull-forward of non-BEV powertrains ahead of steeper taxes. Since then, both PHEVs and diesels have each dropped to around 1% market share (or less), with HEVs and petrol barely visible. For now, diesels are still slightly preferred compared to PHEVs, (1.1% vs 0.7% in Q1 2026), which is unfortunate, though not a major issue at these trace volumes.
January 2026 saw new higher VAT taxes for all cars, including the ending of VAT exemption for many BEVs. The looming change caused a pull-forward of overall auto volume in December, and notable hangover in January, a mild hangover in February, and a rebound (to YoY growth of 33%) in March. Overall Q1 volumes were only down 14% YoY, and will likely see normal volumes from Q2 onwards.
BEVs now look set to achieve roughly 98% share in the coming months, whilst other powertrains continue to fade away. Petrol and HEV combined sold just 78 units (0.29% share) in Q1, so are now effectively momentos from a bygone age. Even diesels averaged under 100 units per month, compared to ~9,000 BEVs per month.
Best Selling BEV Models
The Tesla Model Y was again the top selling auto in Norway in Q1, a position it has held for every quarter since going on volume sale in Q3 2021. The Tesla Model 3 came second, and the Toyota bZ4X came third.
The Toyota bZ4X was updated in the latter part of 2025, with better range and improved DC charging. With annual servicing at Toyota garages, there’s a 10 year, 1 million km warranty on the battery and powertrain – the gold-standard (most manufacturers give 8 year warranties and 150,000 km). With regular servicing, Toyota also gives an overall vehicle warranty of 10 years (also a gold-standard, with most brands giving just 3 year warranties). These warranties (in a tough environment), not tech specs of the vehicle, are surely the reason for the bZ4X’s sustained success in Norway.
Toyota has also just launched the new C-HR BEV in Norway, a smaller (4520 mm) and more affordable vehicle than the bZ4X (4690 mm). The C-HR registered 101 units in March and ranked 34th. Despite being smaller, the C-HR has a larger battery than the bZ4X (72 vs 69 kWh usable), thus longer range, and the same 28 minute charging. It has the same leading warranty as the bZ4X. We can expect the new C-HR to climb into the top 20 at some point this year.
Meanwhile Toyota’s “Urban Cruiser” has climbed from its debut 21 units in Q4, up to 874 units in Q1, and taken 5th place. Overall it looks like Toyota is trying to get serious with BEVs in Norway – necessary now that all other powertrains (particularly its favoured HEVs, as well as PHEVs) are effectively off the table.
Another debutant was the new Kia PV5, a minivan which undercuts the VW ID. Buzz on price. It registered 201 units in Q1.
A final entry was the JAC T9 pickup truck (19 initial units), bringing yet another BEV option to farmers, foresters and other rural customers in Norway. There’re now BEV 6 pickup truck models available in Norway, some starting under €50,000, a huge improvement from just a couple of years ago.
Outlook
Norway continues to be the most vibrant BEV market in Europe, not only in terms of market share, but in the variety of BEV models on offer – mainly thanks to having an open market, not keeping out competition from Chinese brands, the BEV innovators.
The Norwegian economy remains somewhat erratic, having gone from negative 0.8% YoY GDP growth in Q3 2025, to +2.1% in Q4, to +2.2% in Q1 2026. Headline inflation stands at 3.6% as of the end of Q1, from 0.3% as of Q4 end. Interest rates have been flat at 4% since late September. Business confidence was lacklustre at 1.2 points as of end of Q1, from 3.4 points a year ago.
What are your thoughts about the Norwegian Market? Please share your perspective in the discussion below.
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