Denmark was the only market to record growth in passenger car registrations in April. Vans had a solid month across the Nordics, as did electric car shares. Truck registrations fell in three of the four markets.
With 16,754 new registrations and growth of 10.8%, Denmark can look back on another strong month. Norway and Sweden recorded 11,103 and 23,391 registrations respectively, each down 1.6% compared with April last year. In Finland, two good months were followed by another decline. With 5,703 new passenger cars, the market ended the month 8.7% lower. Teemu Rennola, CEO of Finland’s Value Clinic, comments:
“After a relatively positive first quarter, registrations are falling again. The outlook for the rest of the year remains weak, and consumer confidence is still at very low levels, close to historic lows. A more positive trend will require not only a change in the geopolitical landscape, but also a real turning point in the Finnish economy—or at least a broader recovery in consumer optimism.”
New records for electric car sales
The Nordic market as a whole recorded another month of rising electric car shares. Norway set a record for the second month in a row, with electric cars making up 98.6% of new sales. Of more than 11,000 new registrations, only 31 were petrol cars.
“In April, we set a new monthly record for electric passenger car registrations for the second month in a row. With electric cars accounting for more than 95% of passenger cars in every county, there is no longer any doubt that Norwegians generally choose electric when buying a new car. It is about price, technology and availability—and that is good news for both the climate and road safety,” says Geir Inge Stokke, Director of the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV).
Denmark continued its strong growth, with electric cars accounting for 81.9% of registrations overall, a 29.4% increase from an already solid level. In the private segment, Denmark is approaching Norway’s figures, with electric cars making up 96.3% of sales—the highest share the country has recorded. The rapid pace is also reflected in the Danish vehicle fleet: the share of electric cars has risen by 50% in just one year, and now 21% of registered cars on Danish roads are electric. In Norway, the share is just over 33%. Mads Rørvig, CEO of Mobility Denmark, calls for political action to maintain the country’s progress:
“Tax benefits for electric cars will be phased out from 2027, making them significantly more expensive. This limits ordinary Danes’ ability to choose an electric car and makes it difficult to maintain the industry’s current green transition, which contributes to less air pollution and lower CO₂ emissions. During the election campaign, several parties voiced support for electrification and a desire to make Denmark less dependent on fossil fuels. A new vehicle tax model that abolishes registration tax on electric cars would be an obvious way to achieve this.”
Sweden and Finland have not yet reached the same high levels, but both markets continue to make clear progress in electric cars. Finland ended April with a 48.8% share, up 32.6% year on year. Sweden reached 42%, an increase of 16.3%. The relatively modest Swedish rise may partly reflect the new government subsidy for electric cars, designed to encourage purchases among rural and low-income groups. Andrée Peters of Bilstatistik.se reports that 2,500 applications were approved under the new scheme in April, although it is unclear how many concerned new cars and how many used cars.
A strong month for vans
Sweden was by far the strongest van market in April. With 3,801 new vehicles, registrations were up 51.3%, a solid result. Norway also had a good month, up 18.2%, while Denmark recorded more modest growth of 6.1%. Finland ended the month down 5.6%. Apart from electric car shares, Finland’s bright spot was trucks, which grew by 9.4%. The other three markets recorded declines in truck registrations: Norway was down 11.6%, Denmark 6.8% and Sweden 2.3%.
No models repeated at the top of the Nordic rankings
Each Nordic country has its own favourite models, and April underlined this: not a single model variant appeared in more than one country’s top three. Volvo swept the top three places in Sweden, as expected. Toyota took two of the top three places in Finland, Skoda claimed first and second place in Denmark, and Volkswagen took two of the three places in Norway.
Sharing data
Figures and data from this article may only be shared with the following source references:
Danish data: Bilstatistik.dk
Swedish data: Bilstatistik.se
Norwegian data: Opplysningsrådet for veitrafikken (OFV)
Finnish data: Value Clinic (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, Transport Register)