There are more and more cars on the roads in Denmark - and an increasing proportion run on electricity rather than petrol or diesel. In February, sales of electric cars accounted for 66.5 percent of total car sales, according to new figures for passenger car sales in Denmark from the automotive industry organization Mobility Denmark.
7,724 electric cars were sold in February, which corresponds to an increase of 55.5 percent compared to February 2024. The organization says that it is most important for the green transition that there are more electric cars on the roads.
- We are very positive about the continued progress of electric cars in Denmark, where electric cars have gained a dominant position in the market, says Jonathan Schacht Halling Nielsen, deputy director of Mobility Denmark, in a comment.
Interest in electric cars in Denmark has been increasing in recent years and is helped along by lower taxes than petrol cars. While, according to Statistics Denmark, the number of electric cars in Denmark was just under 32,000 cars as of January 1, 2021, the number was just over 344,000 cars on January 1, 2025 - an increase of 980 percent in the four years.
- There is massive interest in electric cars in Denmark, says consumer economist at FDM, the car owners' organization, Ilyas Dogru.
- If you look at the private segment alone, i.e. households, up to 80 percent choose an electric car when they need a new car. It is so massive that we expect to reach around 500,000 electric cars during the autumn of 2025, he says.
While sales of electric cars in general are increasing significantly, the opposite has happened for the Danes' former favorite manufacturer of electric cars - the American Tesla. Previously, Tesla was the best-selling electric car in Denmark, but with the latest figures from Mobility Denmark from the period January and February 2025, sales of models from Tesla have halved and are down to an overall 10th place among the best-selling electric cars in Denmark.
The pattern is repeated in Europe, where sales of electric cars are generally increasing, but where Tesla's sales fell 49 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a statement from the organization of European car manufacturers, Acea.
There are several reasons for the declining sales, assesses Ilyas Dogru.
- Three years ago, a Tesla was almost synonymous with an electric car. There wasn't much to choose from.
- But that picture has changed significantly today, where there are so many alternatives. This applies to both German brands and French brands, but also Chinese brands for that matter, he says.
During the spring, a new model from Tesla will be put on sale in Denmark, and this will show where the demand is, says the consumer economist.
- And then there is the whole political situation with a Musk effect that we cannot measure, says Ilyas Dogru.
The decline in sales at Tesla comes in the wake of Tesla's founder and CEO, multi-billionaire Elon Musk, becoming one of the biggest supporters of US President Donald Trump.
- Here at FDM, we can simply note that more and more people are calling in wanting advice on buying an electric car. It just doesn't have to be a Tesla or a Chinese brand. So there are these political consumers, says Ilyas Dogru.
jel /ritzau/
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