Norway, Germany, UK: Which European countries have the biggest share of electric cars?

Electric cars aren’t the answer to the climate crisis. But they’re a significant part of the energy transition towards zero emissions.

Fortunately, battery-only vehicles are becoming increasingly popular. In 2022, the number of these fully electric passenger cars in EU countries increased by 58 per cent compared to 2021 - from 1.9 million to 3.1 million. Between 2019 and 2022 they soared by more than 400 per cent.

More significantly, the share of EVs among the total number of cars rose to 76 per 10,000 in the EU in 2021, up from only 2 per 10,000 in 2013. All these figures show a timely sea change in the automotive sector in Europe.

Passenger cars are responsible for about 12 per cent of total EU emissions of carbon dioxide. 

In February, the European Parliament voted to approve a new law banning the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2035. This law now awaits a final vote by the European Council, which was postponed as it was believed it wouldn't receive the required majority.

As EU lawmakers seek to speed up the switch to electric vehicles, we’ve taken a look at which countries are leading the way. Which European nations are moving fastest away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles? And which have the highest share of electric makes among all cars?

In 2013, there were only 52,000 fully electric cars in the EU according to Eurostat. This figure rose gradually at first, reaching 600,000 in 2019, and the number of fully electric cars has boomed every year since then. It exceeded 3 million in 2022.

These figures reflect the total number of fully electric cars, not the newly registered ones each year. The 2022 data come from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).

The share of fully electric cars among the total