Only seven new petrol cars sold in Norway in January

Norway sold just seven new petrol cars in January. The market also registered 29 hybrids and 98 diesels, while more than 2,000 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were sold. Overall car sales were low after a December rush by buyers aiming to avoid January tax rises.

The snub to petrol comes as Norway moves closer to phasing out sales of internal combustion engines that heat the planet and make extreme weather more violent. “The January figures are not a sign that demand has stopped, but a result of the extraordinary final rush before the new year,” the OFV’s director, Geir Inge Stokke, said.

“We expect registrations to pick up again as the market stabilises.” BEVs made up 95.9% of new-car sales in Norway last year. The secretary general of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association, Christina Bu, said the data for 2025 “certainly doesn’t mean the job is over”.

Norway