A carrier pigeon flew in the window in the CleanTechnica newsroom today and alighted near the new teletype machines install just last week that can clatter out text at the astonishing rate of 65 words per minute. Our old teletype machines were only able to print 40 words per minute and have been donated to the Smithsonian, where they are on display next to Julia Child’s television kitchen. When I extracted the message contained in the capsule attached to the pigeon’s left leg, I found a cryptic note from regular reader Are Hansen suggesting I check out the latest news from Elbil, the official publication of the Norwegian Electric Car Association. When I did, I found this headline: “Two out of three new cars sold in the Nordic region were electric.” The story is based on a press release by the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council (OFV) dated May 12, 2026, which said: “In April, around two out of three new passenger cars in the Nordic region were electric. Norway and Denmark are driving up the share of electric cars sharply, with 98.6 and 81.9 percent respectively. But the Nordic market is divided: Denmark saw growth in new car sales, while Norway, Sweden and Finland were below the level from the same month last year.” My colleague Maximillian Holland covered the news from Norwegian car market last week, informing us that 98.6 percent of a new car sales in that country were electric in April, but Are Hansen wanted us to dig into EV sales in the other Nordic countries. And so, by popular demand, we are happy to fulfill our mission, which is to publish all the news we can find on the electric car scene. Let’s start with this statistic: OFV says that in April, 81.9 percent of new cars sold in Denmark were electric. That’s pretty good, but Finland and Sweden had electric car shares of 48.8 and 42 percent, respectively, which is cause for celebration here at our global headquarters. 56,951 new passenger cars were registered in the four Nordic countries in April. Sweden was the largest market by volume, with 23,391 new passenger cars sold in April, followed by Denmark with 16,754, Norway with 11,103, and Finland with 5,703. Norway & Denmark Lead In EVs “Norway has in practice become an all-electric new car market for passenger cars, and Denmark has had strong electric car development in a short time. Sweden and Finland still have a more complex car fleet and a slower electrification pace. In order to achieve the goals of a safer and emission-free vehicle fleet, the instruments must also make it easier for the business community to invest in newer, safer and more climate-friendly vans and trucks,” said Geir Inge Stokke, the director of the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council. “In April, we set a new electric monthly record in new passenger car registrations for the second month in a row. When the share of electric cars for passenger cars is over 95 percent in all counties of the country, there is no longer any doubt that most Norwegians choose electric when buying a new car. It is about price, technology and availability, and is good news for both the climate and traffic safety,” he added. “Denmark has gone from a 13.2 percent electric car share in April, 2022 to 81.9 percent in April 2026. This is a very clear maturation of the market in just four years.” Bear in mind, gentle reader, that in many European countries there are essentially two new car markets — one for company cars and another for individual buyers. Jonathan Schacht Halling Nielsen, the deputy CEO of Mobility Denmark, said, “April shows a clear divide between the Nordic car markets. Denmark continues to make progress both in the month and year to date, while activity in the other markets is more subdued. This underlines that the Danish car market is strong, and that there is still good activity among car buyers.” “When electric cars are now the clear first choice among private car buyers in Denmark, it marks a new milestone in the Danish market. At the same time, the Nordic figures show that Denmark, together with Norway, is lagging behind Sweden and Finland in the electrification of new car sales. This underlines that the framework conditions have a great impact on how quickly the individual markets move.” Finland & Sweden In Finland, passenger car registrations fell by 8.7 percent in April, driven mainly by weaker developments in the corporate market. The private market, on the other hand, developed more positively. The electric vehicle share in Finland was 48.8 percent in April, higher than in Sweden in the same month. The truck market also picked up, with growth of 9.4 percent. “After a relatively positive first quarter, we are once again in a declining registration market. The bright spot is the truck market, which grew by almost ten percent. The outlook for the rest of the year remains weak, with very low consumer confidence. A more positive development will require a clear turnaround in the Finnish economy or at least increased optimism among consumers,” said Teemu Rennola, CEO of Value Clinic. In Sweden, 23,391 new passenger cars were registered in April, a decrease of 1.6 percent compared to the same month last year. The share of electric cars in Swedish new car sales was 42.0 percent in April, up from 36.1 percent in April last year. Sweden continues to stand out with a strong position for Volvo. The Volvo EX40, Volvo XC60, and Volvo EX30 topped the model list in April. “Private customers are returning to the market, and it is electric cars combined with private leasing in particular that are gaining traction. In April, about 2,500 applications were granted through the new state electric car subsidy. This has probably contributed to the development, although we do not yet know how the subsidy is distributed between new and used electric cars. The corporate market for passenger cars, on the other hand, is developing more weakly. It is companies with smaller fleets in particular that are holding back on purchases. However, we do not see the same trend for light trucks. Registrations there were very strong in April,” OFV reported. Electric Vans Record Strong Sales OFV reports said that 8,757 new vans were registered in the Nordic countries in April, an increase of about 23 percent from the same month last year. The growth is driven in particular by Sweden, where van registrations increased by 51.3 percent. Norway also had clear growth, with an increase of 18.2 percent, while Denmark increased by 6.1 percent. Finland, on the other hand, had a decrease of 5.6 percent. “The van market is different from the passenger car market. For many, the car is a work tool, and then both economy, range, load capacity, charging and model selection must fit with everyday life. If more people are to choose an electric van, there must be good alternatives for different types of use,” said Stokke. So far this year, truck registrations are still above last year in all four Nordic countries. More Progress Needed Despite the good news on EV sales in Nordic countries, OFV pointed out that there are still lots of combustion engine powered vehicles on the road in those nations. “While around two out of three new passenger cars in the Nordic region were electric in April, the share of electric cars in the total passenger car population is far lower. Norway is clearly the highest, with 33.51 percent electric cars in the passenger car population. Denmark follows with 20.98 percent, while Sweden and Finland are at 9.10 percent and 6.72 percent, respectively. ” The takeaway from these latest statistics is that sales of electric cars are strong in all Nordic countries, but dominant in some and less so in others. The difference appears to be local policies which favor EVs in some countries more than they do in others. Overall, the price is still the most important factor in any new car purchase, and national policies that affect the price of new EVs are still powerful factors in every new car purchasing decision. If anyone is disappointed by the sales data from Sweden and Finland, consider this — EV sales in those countries are four to five times what they are in the US. That’s the silver lining in this month’s report.
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