Norway has just done something no other country has achieved: it ended 2025 with 95.9% of all new passenger cars registered as fully electric, a figure that even officials round up to "96% of the new car market."
December was closer to 98% of the electric vehicle share, making internal combustion a statistical rounding error rather than a real segment, the Telegraph reports.
New car registrations rose by nearly 40% compared to 2024, as buyers rushed to beat tougher electric vehicle taxes coming in 2026.
That growth pushed total sales to about 180,000 cars, and almost all of them were battery electric. Plug-in hybrids have faded into the background; the market has essentially moved directly from gasoline and diesel to full electric vehicles.
The policy mess is behind him with high purchase taxes for combustion cars, generous exemptions for electric vehicles, cheaper tolls and ferries, plus ample home and public charging.
After years of pressure, Norway effectively achieved its early goal of ending sales of new fossil fuel cars by 2025.
At the same time, the government is now reducing the generosity by adding a little VAT to expensive electric vehicles, which is why so many buyers have taken notice before the end of the year.
It's also happening at a time when the rest of the world is still deciding how far and how fast to push forward.
Automakers are preparing new metal for 2026, from mass-market crossovers to high-end flagship models, and many of those coming appear to be aimed squarely at buyers in cold, electric-vehicle-dense markets like Norway.
You can now see the next wave in our survey of the new electric vehicles we're most excited about in 2026.
No brand benefited more from Norway's recent tax rush than Tesla. It was the country's best-selling brand for the fifth year in a row, with a market share of about 19% and more than 27,000 new Teslas registered.
The Model Y was the star, effectively becoming the default family car in a niche once dominated by diesel vans and compact crossovers.
Tesla's momentum is surprising because it comes as the company faces lower demand elsewhere in Europe.
However, in Norway, the combination of strong incentives, dense Supercharger coverage, and years of recognition made the brand a safe bet when buyers knew tax rules were about to tighten.
Electric cars made in China are also growing rapidly, but Tesla remains the reference point for everything from pricing to charging expectations.
Norwegian buyers are also very aware that electric cars need to survive real winters. Range loss, traction and heating performance matter more in −10°C than on a mild California highway. That's why cars that perform well in snow and cold stand out.
The most interesting question now is what Norway does with all this energy stored at the wheels. With electric cars now surpassing diesel cars in the total passenger car fleet, the country is in a good position to explore large-scale vehicle-to-grid projects.
If other markets follow the same trajectory, there is real potential for parked electric vehicles to become part of the energy system and not just a load on it. /Telegraph/
