Norway Car Sales Jump 41% in October as Chinese Brands Hit 22.5%
Norway registered 15,725 new cars in October 2026, 41% more than a year earlier and the highest October total in more than 30 years, according to the road traffic information council OFV. Electric cars took 98.8% of the market, and Chinese brands reached a record 22.5% share, electrive reported on 2 November.
Key takeaways
- 15,725 registrations in October, up 41% year on year.
- 15,536 battery-electric cars, a 98.8% share.
- Chinese brands sold 3,534 cars, a record 22.5% of the market.
- The Tesla Model Y led the model ranking with 1,429 registrations.
Almost no combustion cars left
Only 189 new cars registered in October were anything other than fully electric. Diesels accounted for 89, petrol cars for 14, plug-in hybrids for 33 and full hybrids for 53. Over the first ten months of 2026, the electric share stands at 98%, against 95.2% in the same period of 2025, and total registrations are up 5.2%. Electric cars now make up 36.1% of all passenger cars on Norwegian roads, more than 1.062 million vehicles, while diesels account for 29.2% and petrol cars for 22.5%.
Tesla and Toyota lead, Chinese brands gain
Tesla was the largest brand with 1,548 cars, up 130.7%, just ahead of Toyota with 1,493 and Volkswagen with 1,308. Chinese brands grew by almost 88%, from 1,879 cars a year earlier, beating their previous record of 22.1% set in July. XPeng was the strongest of them, fifth among brands with 932 cars, followed by BYD in seventh with 816. MG sold 457, Zeekr 359 and Changan 339, almost all of them the Deepal S05. For the year so far, Chinese brands hold 17.7% of the market, up from 13.3%.
| Rank | Model | Registrations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla Model Y | 1,429 | 9.1% |
| 2 | Toyota bZ4X | 725 | 4.6% |
| 3 | Volkswagen ID.4 | 553 | 3.5% |
| 4 | XPeng G6 | 542 | 3.5% |
| 5 | Audi Q4 e-tron | 535 | 3.4% |
| 6 | Mercedes-Benz GLC | 508 | 3.2% |
| 7 | BMW iX3 | 446 | 2.8% |
| 8 | BYD Atto 3 Evo AWD | 437 | 2.8% |
The BYD Atto 3 Evo with all-wheel drive accounted for more than half of BYD's October volume in Norway.
What it means for buyers
Norway shows what a new-car market looks like once electric cars are the default. Established brands still hold the top spots, but Chinese makers have taken almost a quarter of the market in one month, mostly with mid-size SUVs such as the XPeng G6 and BYD Atto 3. For buyers elsewhere in Europe, the same models are arriving at dealers, and their Norwegian sales give a useful signal of how they cope with a cold climate and long distances.
Background reading: the history of Tesla and the electric car section.
Sources
- electrive: October, Chinese brands gain ground in Norway's passenger car market (2 Nov 2026) (accessed 4 Nov 2026)
- China EV Home: XPeng, BYD drive Chinese brands to record 22.5% share in Norway in October (4 Nov 2026) (accessed 4 Nov 2026)
Found a mistake? Report an error
