The best quarter for car sales ever
– The only sustainable strategy against high prices of fossil fuels is a policy that continues to promote electric vehicles.
01.10.2026 11:33 | Updated 12:20
This is what General Secretary Christina Bu of the Electric Vehicle Association said ahead of the government’s state budget proposal being presented next week.
We’ll return to her shortly, but first here are the latest figures on new car sales in Norway:
In September, electric vehicles accounted for 98.8 percent of new car sales in the passenger vehicle segment, the highest percentage for a single month recorded to date, according to latest figures from the Road Traffic Information Council (OFV).
See more figures on new car sales in September further down the article.
But even for the entire third quarter, a record was set: During this period, 98.5 percent of all cars sold were electric vehicles. This represents the highest share of electric cars in a single quarter ever recorded. Eleven entire provinces had over 98 percent electric car penetration in the third quarter.
The Electric Vehicle Association warns against eliminating taxes on fossil fuels
Although the share of electric cars in new car sales is extremely high, their share in the overall vehicle fleet is much lower—currently at 35 percent of cars in Norway.
It is this potential that leads Christina Bu of the Electric Vehicle Association to believe policymakers should shift their focus:
“I’m surprised that politicians these days, in an era of climate change, are focusing all their efforts on discussing tax cuts for fossil fuels rather than finding ways to enable more consumers to get rid of them by choosing electric vehicles,” says Bu.
She warns the Storting against a policy that makes fossil fuels cheaper, thereby slowing down the electrification of road transport.
Through previous budget negotiations, the Storting has developed a plan to introduce taxes on electric vehicles gradually. This year, electric vehicles are taxed based on a purchase price over 300,000 kroner; by 2027, the threshold will be lowered to 150,000 kroner, with full taxation planned to be introduced in 2028.
– It’s important that the taxes on electric vehicles don’t rise too quickly, and they certainly shouldn’t be combined with tax cuts for fossil fuels that we need to phase out. If new car buyers opt for electric vehicles to a lesser extent, it will put pressure on existing customers who want to drive electric next, warns Bu.
Sales leader for cars in September 2026:
- Tesla Model Y: 4,810
- Volvo EX30: 576
- Mercedes-Benz GLC: 568
- Toyota bZ4X: 567
- Volkswagen ID.4: 516
- BYD EVO 4×4: 405
- Audi Q4 e-tron: 378
- BMW iX3: 352
- Kia EV5: 350
- Toyota Urban Cruiser: 334
Source: OFV
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Sales leaders for cars as of 2026 (Jan 1 – Sep 30):
- Tesla Model Y: 16,218
- Toyota bZ4X: 4,845
- Volkswagen ID.4: 4,373
- Toyota Urban Cruiser: 4,367
- Tesla Model 3: 3,741
- Volvo EX40: 3,301
- Volvo EX30: 3,276
- BMW iX3: 2,972
- Volkswagen ID.3: 2,723
- Skoda Elroq: 2,712
Source: OFV
Electric vehicle records also in commercial vehicles
The electric share of new passenger cars is 74.6 percent, which also sets a monthly record by a large margin.
A key reason for this record is likely the increase in purchase taxes on new polluting vehicles by 15,000 kroner starting September 1.
Sales of electric trucks are also on the rise. 25.8 percent of new trucks in September were electric, and so far this year, 80 percent more electric trucks have been sold than in the same period last year.
For heavy trucks (over 16 tons), the share is 14.5 percent so far this year, which represents a significant increase from last year as well.
– It’s very encouraging that businesses are now switching to electric vehicles and trucks, and the desire to avoid dependence on expensive fossil fuels is a key motivator for businesses. The government budget must support this transition. Providing tax breaks to those who don’t switch is the wrong approach, says Bu.
Electric vehicle share among new cars, by county:
County
September 2026 (passenger car)
September 2026
(commercial vehicle)
Vestfold
99.9 %
69.6 %
Innlandet
99.8 %
68.7 %
Akershus
99.7 %
77.9 %
Østfold
99.7 %
66.1 %
Vestland
99.6 %
78.3 %
Trøndelag
99.6 %
80.9 %
Telemark
99.5 %
75.3 %
Buskerud
99.4 %
74.1 %
Møre og Romsdal
99.2 %
63.6 %
Rogaland
99.0 %
77.7 %
Agder
98.8 %
68.8 %
Oslo
96.6 %
79.1 %
Nordland
96.2 %
67.4 %
Troms
95.5 %
78.9 %
Finnmark
83.3 %
91.7 %
Source: OFV
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