Sweden is proving that electric vehicles (EVs) are far from a passing fad.
According to a new car sales report, EVs accounted for 63.4% of car sales in Sweden in September. This was a significant increase from September 2022, when EVs only accounted for 55.2% of sales.
The growth in EV sales was mainly driven by fully electric cars, which held a 44.4% market share.
The total number of cars sold in Sweden in September was 28,130, a 28% increase compared to the previous year. After dropping during COVID, car sales have rebounded to pre-2020 levels.
The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling vehicle overall in September. It also maintained its position as the top-selling vehicle throughout the year so far.
When looking at EV market share, fully electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 44.4%, while plugin hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) held a 19.0% share. In July 2022, the market shares were 35.2% for BEVs and 19.8% for PHEVs.
As a result, all year-on-year growth in market share came from fully electric vehicles. The share of plugin hybrids remained relatively stable.
Image Sources: Max Holland, CleanTechnica
In terms of sales volumes, fully electric vehicles saw a remarkable 61% year-on-year growth, with 12,500 units sold. Even PHEVs experienced a 22% increase in sales volume, reaching 5,337 units.
The overall market growth of 28% was primarily driven by the increase in sales of fully electric vehicles. Gas-only vehicles did show a 21% year-on-year growth, although from a lower baseline.
The market share of gas-only vehicles decreased from 21.1% to 20.0% year-on-year. Diesel vehicles declined even more sharply, going from 10.8% to 7.6% of the Swedish market.
When combining gas-only and diesel-only vehicles, the total market share for combustion-only powertrains was 27.7% in September 2023. The equivalent figure was 31.9% a year prior.
Sweden’s most popular EVs
The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling car in September, with an impressive sales figure of 3,050 units. This was just shy of the record of 3,202 units set in March 2023.
The Volkswagen ID.4 secured the second position, followed by the Volvo XC40 in third place.
Throughout the year, the Tesla Model Y has dominated the Swedish auto market, with 13,457 registrations so far. This means that approximately one out of every 15 cars sold this year in Sweden is a Tesla Model Y!
For comparison, the XC40, currently in second place overall, has sold 8,603 units year-to-date. The ID.4, securing the third position, has sold 7,755 units.
According to CleanTechnica, the list of the top 20 best-selling vehicles was generally in line with analyst expectations.
Image Sources: Max Holland, CleanTechnica
