Norway’s electric cars now outnumber petrol vehicles

Norway has officially surpassed petrol-only vehicles with electric cars on its roads.

This milestone was confirmed by an analysis of data from the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council (Opplysningsrådet for Veitrafikken, OFV), released through Bilbransje24, a leading Norwegian auto industry publication.

As of the end of August, Norway had 751,450 electric vehicles (EVs) on its roads, compared to 755,244 petrol-only cars.

This achievement is the result of years of strategic policies and high EV adoption rates.

The transition has been driven by Norway’s aggressive push towards sustainable transport solutions, including substantial government incentives, tax breaks, and investments in charging infrastructure.

The data indicates that EVs now constitute about 26% of the vehicles on Norwegian roads, a significant leap from previous years.

In August alone, 94% of new car sales in Norway were electric, setting a new world record and reinforcing the country’s position as the global leader in electric vehicle market share.

This high rate of EV sales demonstrates Norway's commitment to its goal of transitioning away from fossil fuels.

Norway’s ambitious target to end the sale of new petrol cars by 2025 has effectively been met ahead of schedule. By 2021, non-electrified vehicles were already contributing to a minimal percentage of new car sales.

This proactive approach has enabled Norway to transition to a predominantly electric vehicle market much sooner than many other regions, which have set more distant targets for reducing fossil fuel vehicles.

For instance, California's 2035 ban on new gas cars still allows up to 20% of sales to be plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) that contain combustion engines.

Despite this significant shift, diesel vehicles still hold a prominent position on Norwegian roads.

Diesel cars became more common than petrol-only cars in late 2014 and have maintained this lead since. However, the number of diesel vehicles is also declining, with just over a million in service.

This figure is expected to drop below one million by the end of this month, reflecting a broader trend of decreasing diesel car usage.

Role of hybrids

In addition to electric and diesel vehicles, hybrid models also play a role in Norway’s automotive landscape.

As of now, there are approximately 208,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles and 156,000 non-plug-in hybrids on Norwegian roads.

The number of plug-in hybrids has exceeded that of non-plug-in hybrids since 2019, indicating a shift towards more flexible, eco-friendly vehicle options.

The decline in diesel and petrol car registrations has had a notable impact on motor fuel sales in Norway.

With fewer fossil fuel vehicles on the road, and the newer electric vehicles being driven more frequently, the demand for petrol and diesel has significantly decreased.

Norway, a Scandinavian country about half the size of Pakistan, has a population of under six million and is rich in natural resources, including oil, gas, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals.