There was a significant increase in the sale of new passenger cars in Norway in December, with 39,497 registrations recorded, representing a 92% increase compared to the previous year. Despite this increase, the total number of new car registrations for the year was 174,329, a 1.1% decrease from the previous year.
The Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) reported even more impressive sales growth in the all-electric car category, with 32,714 new passenger all-electric car registrations recorded in December, a 137% increase from the previous year. This accounted for 82.8% of the total market. It appears that the recent surge in all-electric car sales was due to an increase in vehicle supply.
In contrast, sales of plug-in hybrid cars saw a decrease, with only 1,905 units registered in December, a 60% decrease from the previous year. This can be attributed to reduced tax incentives for cars with lower CO2 emissions. Despite this, overall plug-in electric car sales reached a record high of 34,619 units, accounting for 87% of the market. Norway continues to be a leader in the electrification of its vehicles, with one-fifth of all cars in the country now being zero-emission.
In December, Tesla remained the most popular brand in Norway with 5,405 new registrations, and a total of 21,303 for the year, representing a 3.2% increase from the previous year (20,646). Volkswagen came in second place with 4,145 new registrations in December and 20,184 for the year.
Tesla also delivered a record number of Model Y vehicles in December, with 4,524 new registrations, or 11.5% of all new cars sold during the month. The Model Y became the most popular model in Norway for the year, with a total of 17,356 units registered, breaking a sales record from 1969. In comparison, the Tesla Model 3, which was the top-selling model in Norway in 2021 with 12,150 units, came in 17th place this year.
The second most popular car in Norway for both December and the year was the Volkswagen ID.4, with 2,075 and 11,561 units sold, respectively. The Skoda Enyaq iV was the third most popular model for the year with 7,558 units, followed by the BMW iX with 6,395 units. The Toyota Yaris at #6 with 5,381 units was the only non-electric model in the top 10.
Overall, the list of top-selling models in Norway is typically dominated by electric crossovers and SUVs, many of which are premium brands. However, the market is constantly evolving and this can be seen in the change in popularity of the Tesla Model 3 between 2021 and 2022.
