Sweden ranks last in Nordic electric car sales, experts say

Sweden has the lowest share of newly registered electric cars in the Nordic region, according to industry organisation Mobility Sweden, contradicting claims by two government ministers that the country ranks third. SVT reported the discrepancy.

Climate and environment minister Romina Pourmokhtari and rural affairs minister Peter Kullgren both said during SVT’s Agenda election debate that Sweden was third in the Nordic region for electric car sales.

“We are third in the Nordics, so it is good that Norway and Denmark are mentioned,” Pourmokhtari said. She also argued that Norway’s oil revenues allowed it to offer stronger subsidies.

But Mobility Sweden chief executive Jessica Alenius said the claim was incorrect. Sweden ranked last in the Nordic region in 2025 and through June 2026, she told SVT.

“Unfortunately, electric car sales in Sweden have stood still in recent years. This is because we have not maintained the policy measures we previously had, and because fossil fuels have been made more attractive to households and companies,” Alenius said.

Mobility Sweden is calling for more ambitious policies to increase electric car sales. Alenius said Sweden was in fifth place among the Nordic countries and was “the worst in the class” from a Nordic perspective.

Figures based on data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association show that Sweden was the third-best Nordic country for electric car sales from 2022 to 2024. Since 2025, however, it has had the lowest share of new electric car registrations in the region.

In a written comment to SVT on Monday, Pourmokhtari said the statistics showed Sweden was among the top three in the Nordic region and Europe. The statistics she referred to covered the first seven months of 2025 and did not include Iceland.