Only seven new petrol cars were sold in Norway in the first month of the year as drivers continue turn their backs on polluting vehicles.
Data from the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council (OFV) reported that just seven cars with petrol engines were sold in January 2026.
While more than 2,000 battery electric vehicles were sold, 98 diesel cars were registered, alongside 29 hybrids.
With the latest car sales data, experts have suggested that Norway could become one of the first countries in the world to completely phase out petrol and diesel vehicles.
Motorists in Norway last year made a clear shift towards cleaner vehicles, with 95.9 per cent of newly purchased cars being zero emission.
Many have praised Norway’s transition away from petrol and diesel cars with huge incentives for electric vehicles stemming from high carbon taxes on polluting industries.
Geir Inge Stokke, director of the OFV, also explained why there was a huge 76.7 per cent decrease in car sales in January, with just 2,218 newly registered cars.
He reported that new tax changes were being introduced, which created “artificial sales peaks and sudden drops, and create an unnecessary rush-and-grab market”.
Just seven petrol cars were sold in Norway last month, as drivers opt for electric vehicles
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GETTY/PA
While January sales were low, Mr Stokke said registrations would pick up again in the coming months as the market stabilises.
He added: “After a period of extraordinary registration activity in new car sales for passenger cars before the New Year and lower volumes in January, experience indicates that developments further into 2026 will be more stable.
“The industry has shown high execution power under changing framework conditions. With greater predictability going forward, conditions are better prepared for more stable market development throughout the year.”
The Volkswagen ID.3 was the best-selling model last month with 299 sales, followed by the Toyota bZ4X (184), Toyota Urban Cruiser (98), Skoda Elroq (78) and Changan Deepal S05 (75).
The Volkswagen ID.3 was the best-selling car in Norway last month
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VOLKSWAGENSimilar impressive sales were seen in the second-hand market, with Norway seeing a 22.7 per cent increase in year-on-year registrations last month.
Mr Stokke highlighted that second-hand electric vehicles had “clearly taken hold” of the market, with drivers continuing to avoid petrol and diesel vehicles.
“This makes the electric car a more accessible alternative for far more buyers than before,” he added.
Volkswagen was also the best-selling used car brand, making up almost 20 per cent of the market share. Toyota, Skoda, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai rounded out the top five.
Almost 30,000 new electric cars were sold in the UK in January 2026
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GETTYWhile the vast majority of cars sold in Norway last month were electric, just one new passenger car with a manual transmission was registered.
In comparison, 29,654 new electric vehicles were registered in the UK in the first month of the year, worth a total market share of 20.6 per cent.
The year-on-year sales of petrol and diesel vehicles continue to decline, with a 1.9 per cent and 8.8 per cent drop respectively.
Overall, the UK saw a 3.4 per cent increase in January sales compared to 2025, marking the best first-month of registrations since pre-pandemic 2020.
