In Norway, finding a gas-powered vehicle is apparently like spotting a flip phone at an Apple Store. As gas-powered vehicles leave the country’s market, some are wondering if the United States is next.
Norway just closed out 2025 with a jaw-dropping 96% of new car sales being fully electric. In December alone, that number hit 98%. Combustion engines have basically become a rounding error in Norwegian showrooms.
How Did Norway Pull This Off?
Image Credit: Tesla.
The secret sauce wasn’t particularly secret: Norway made buying gas cars expensive and electric cars irresistible. We’re talking steep purchase taxes on combustion vehicles, generous EV exemptions, cheaper tolls, discounted ferry rides, and charging stations seemingly on every corner. After years of these policies, fossil-fueled new cars have essentially vanished from dealerships.
The timing was perfect, too. Buyers scrambled to register nearly 180,000 vehicles last year — a 40% jump from 2024 — because the government started adding VAT to pricier EVs in 2026. Nothing motivates car shopping quite like an impending tax change.
“2025 has been a very special car year. We see the effect of long-term and targeted electric car policy, and how specific tax decisions have immediate effects on the market,” OFV Director Geir Inge Stokke declared.
Tesla became the default family car in a country that used to run on diesel wagons. The Model Y alone racked up over 27,000 registrations, making it Norway’s go-to vehicle. Pretty impressive for a company that’s struggling in other European markets.
But What About America?
Image Credit: Ford.
So… Are we next??
Don’t start panicking (or celebrating) just yet. Norway has 5.5 million people and massive oil wealth funding its transition. The United States has 340 million people spread across a continent, wildly different political climates, and no consensus on whether EVs are the future or a government overreach.
Norway’s EV adoption happened because of consistent, decades-long policy support. The U.S.? We can’t even agree on what day it is, let alone coordinate a national transportation strategy. Federal incentives get debated every election cycle and were recently removed. What works in California doesn’t necessarily fly in Wyoming.
There’s also the infrastructure question. Norway built charging networks like they were essential utilities. America is getting there, but “there” is a moving target when you’ve got this much geography to cover.
I Think This is a Norway Thing (For Now)
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Norway now has so many EVs that officials are exploring vehicle-to-grid technology — essentially turning parked cars into backup batteries for the national energy system. Imagine your neighbor’s Tesla helping keep your lights on during peak demand. That’s the kind of problem you want to have.
Will the U.S. follow Norway’s path? Probably not in the same way, and definitely not at the same speed. However, Norway just proved it’s possible to flip an entire car market in less than a decade when you commit to it. Whether America wants to is a different conversation entirely.
For now, Norwegian gas stations are starting to look like museums. And somewhere, a Tesla shareholder is learning Norwegian.