In Norway, the only thermal cars still sold are for tourists

Electric car news

Norway confirms its status as a world leader in the transition to zero-emission mobility. Sales figures for the year 2024 illustrate a radical transformation of the Norwegian automotive market, exceeding all initial expectations. This spectacular development demonstrates that a massive transition to electric is not only possible, but already a reality in certain countries.

Overwhelming dominance of electric cars in the Norwegian market

The statistics speak for themselves: 88.9% of new cars sold in Norway in 2024 are 100% electric, a significant increase compared to 82.4% in 2023. Adding plug-in hybrid vehicles which represent 2.7% of the market, these are 91.6% of new vehicles which have a charging socket. Conventional hybrid cars occupy 5.3% of sales, bringing the total of electrified vehicles to 96.9% of the market.

• 100% electric vehicles: 88.9%
• Plug-in hybrids: 2.7%
• Conventional hybrids: 5.3%
• Diesel : 2,3%
• Essence : 0,8%

The changing vehicle fleet

The transformation of the Norwegian vehicle fleet is accelerating year after year. End of 2024, 28.6% of vehicles in circulation are electric, now exceeding the number of gasoline cars. Diesel vehicles remain in the majority with around a third of the fleet, but their proportion is rapidly decreasing in the face of the rise of electric vehicles.

Infrastructure is following this evolution: Circle K, the country’s main operator of gas stations, plans to achieve parity between charging stations and fuel pumps within three years. This transition is occurring naturally, driven by a growing demand for charging points.

The last bastions of thermal vehicles

Remarkably, the latest buyers of thermal vehicles are mainly rental companies, as Ulf Tore Hekneby, director of Norway’s largest automobile importer, points out. These companies maintain a thermal fleet to meet the needs of tourists, who are often unfamiliar with electric cars.

This situation echoes the difficulties encountered by certain international rental companies, such as Hertz in the United States, which has had to scale back its ambitions in terms of electrification of its fleet in the face of reluctance from certain customers.

A model of successful transition

The Norwegian strategy is based on a well-thought-out system of tax incentives: high taxation of thermal vehicles combined with substantial benefits for electric cars. Even after the gradual reduction of certain aid, the market continues to grow, proof that consumption habits have permanently changed.

Car manufacturers have also adapted their strategy accordingly, several brands having completely stopped the marketing of thermal models in Norway, the sales volumes having become too low to justify their retention in the catalog.

This transformation demonstrates that mass adoption of electric vehicles is perfectly viable, including in a Nordic country with harsh climatic conditions. Norway proves that the arguments against the massive electrification of the vehicle fleet do not stand up to the test of facts.

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