In June 2025, Norway did something no other country has come close to: 96.9% of all new cars sold were electric. Yes, you read that right! Nearly every new car registered was battery-powered. Internal combustion engines? Practically extinct.
We’ve explored Scandinavia’s EV success in a previous blog, but Norway’s recent and continued success deserves a spotlight of its own. It’s a masterclass in long-term policy, public-private cooperation, and infrastructure investment, and a glimpse of what’s possible for the rest of the world.
Let’s delve into how Norway pulled this off, and what others can learn from Europe's leading EV adopters.
Let’s put Norway’s numbers into perspective:
The Tesla Model Y continues to lead the pack, but it’s far from alone. Models from Toyota, VW, BYD, Volvo, and Skoda are all making strong showings, with fierce competition and plenty of variety for buyers. This isn’t a trend. It’s a total transformation.
For decades, Norway has quietly been giving EVs the upper hand. Not by banning petrol and diesel outright, but by making electric the more attractive choice. There’s no VAT on EVs, no import duties, reduced tolls, and even perks like access to bus lanes (although the unprecedented levels of adoption mean this one has had to be reversed in many areas). On the flip side, combustion engine vehicles face steep taxes. When faced with that decision, most consumers are happy to go electric.
Norway doesn’t have a major domestic car manufacturing industry. That means no powerful auto lobby resisting change, unlike in countries such as Germany, the UK, or the US. This gave Norwegian policymakers the freedom to shape forward-looking regulations without having to compromise on protecting jobs or legacy industries.
One of the biggest reasons people hesitate to buy an EV is the fear of not finding a charger. Norway solved that early. Charging hubs are spaced roughly every 50 kilometers along major roads, ensuring drivers can always plan a route with confidence. As of mid-2025, there are more than 34,000 public charging points nationwide, with over 10,000 of them being fast DC chargers.
This level of access hasn’t just reduced range anxiety, it’s helped normalize EVs as a default option, even for drivers in rural or remote parts of the country
Norway’s EV policies didn’t shift with the political winds. Over the last 15 years, governments of all stripes supported the same core goals: reduce emissions, support clean transport, and make it easier for consumers to choose electric. That long-term consistency built trust with the public and gave businesses confidence to invest.
With 88% of its electricity coming from hydropower, Norway didn’t just build EV infrastructure, it plugged it into one of the cleanest energy grids on the planet. That means the full lifecycle emissions of driving electric in Norway are dramatically lower than in most countries. For drivers, it’s a no-brainer: you’re saving money, skipping petrol, and making the right environmental choice all at once.
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Norway’s infrastructure rollout wasn’t just about government strategy, it took serious execution from the companies on the ground.
Recharge, the country’s largest charge point operator (CPO), has built hundreds of fast-charging hubs with smart placement along key travel routes, making long-distance electric travel a non-issue. Their stations support all EV models and offer roaming and ad hoc payment features that make charging simple for everyone.
Kempower, the Finnish fast-charging technology leader, is now Norway’s top supplier of DC charging hardware. With over 3,000 charging points installed across the country, including in remote locations like Hammerfest, they’ve made flexible, distributed charging possible where it otherwise wouldn’t be. Their technology is used by multiple Norwegian operators, helping to standardize quality and performance.
Mer, which began as Grønn Kontakt in Norway and has over a decade of experience building out national EV infrastructure, remains one of Norway’s leading charging operators, with more than 800 fast and rapid chargers across roughly 300 destinations from Lindesnes in the south to Tromsø in the north. Mer is now taking its charging expertise international. The company plans to install over 6,000 new charging points across Europe in the next four years, including 1,800 in 2025 alone, half of which are already locked in through major partnerships like their deal with Coop Norge SA.
These companies didn’t just keep up with EV adoption, they helped drive it.
Norway’s EV success isn’t about one single fix. It’s the result of thoughtful planning, meaningful incentives, and the absence of barriers that often slow progress elsewhere. It also proves that even in a country with tough weather, long distances, and mountainous roads, electric mobility can be the default—if you build the system to support it.
For any country hoping to accelerate its EV transition, the Norwegian playbook is worth studying. It’s not always easy. But as Norway shows us, it is absolutely possible.
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