Norway is leading the entire world when it comes to electric vehicle adoption. Nine out of ten cars sold in the Nordic country in 2024 were powered by electricity. That puts the country well on track to hit its goal of only adding EVs to the road in 2025. That’s a lofty task, but if anyone is equipped to do it, Norway is.
All-electric vehicles accounted for 88.9 percent of new car sales in 2024, Reuters reports. That’s up from an already impressive 82.4 percent in 2023, according to data from the Norwegian Road Federation. The top-selling brands were – predictably – Tesla, Volkswagen and Toyota. Chinese-made EVs also now account for about 10 percent of new car sales. I wouldn’t be too surprised if that number continues to grow.
Right now, no other countries are even close to Norway when it comes to EV adoption. The rest of the top five are Denmark (50.4 percent), Sweden (34.4 percent), The Netherlands (33.2 percent) and Finland (28.8 percent). For reference, the EU average is 13.4 percent, and the U.S.’s adoption rate is a downright ugly 8.9 percent.
Here’s how Norway was able to make this impressive plan a reality, from Reuters:
Oil-producing Norway penalises petrol and diesel cars with high taxes, while exempting EVs from import and value-added taxes to make them more attractive, although some levies were reintroduced in 2023.
The policy has worked because it has been consistent over time, maintained by governments of various political persuasion, experts said.
“Very often we see in other countries that someone puts tax incentives or exemptions and then they pull back again,” [Christian] Bu, [head of the Norwegian EV association] said.
Also helpful is the fact that Norway does not have an automaker lobby.
“We are not a car-producing country … so taxing cars highly in the past was simple,” said Ulf Tore Hekneby, head of Norway’s biggest car importer, Harald A. Moeller.
Norway’s EV adoption policies are working so well that other industries have to adapt around the country – especially gas stations. A spokesperson for Circle K tells Reuters that within the next three years, it’ll have at least as many chargers as it has fuel pumps.
It’s high time we all start following Norway’s lead when it comes to EVs. Sure, they have their drawbacks, but this is objectively good for the world. Also, EVs are just more pleasant for everyday life. You deserve to be happy.
