Tesla Model S EV the best-selling car in Norway

Tesla Model S EV (pictured) is the best-selling car in Norway

We’ve already seen that the Tesla Model S electric car is out-performing many luxury cars in the US, and with reviews of the Tesla S finding very little not to like it seems strong Tesla S sales are a trend that will continue. But it’s one thing taking on low-selling, high-end cars, and quite another becoming the best-selling car bar none in a given market, but that’s exactly what Tesla has achieved in Norway in the first few weeks of September.

Admittedly, Norway’s car market isn’t huge, but the Tesla Model S managed to move in to buyers hands in Norway in the first two weeks of September at a quicker rate than even the regular VW Golf, selling 322 compared to the Golf’s 256.

Now there are some very special reasons for this, not least the fact that there was pent-up demand in Norway for the Model S with buyers waiting for it to arrive before stepping in to buy in droves.

But the biggest reason – apart from the fact the Model S is very desirable – is Norway’s incentives for electric cars.

Norway has a high-tax regime for cars, and car purchase tax, import duty and VAT at 25 per cent add a big chunk to the cost of every ICE car on the road, with even a fairly basic Golf costing the wrong side of £25k and an M5 in the region of £200k.

But if you buy an EV in Norway the government does everything it can to help. There is no car purchase tax, no import duty, no VAT, no parking charges, no toll charges, no road tax and EV drivers can even use bus lanes.

Norway are on a mission to have 50k EVs on the road by 2018, and until they reach that target EVs will continue to receive the huge tax incentives, so it’s no wonder the Tesla Model S is doing so well as its cost in Norway is about the same as just the tax added to an M5 – around £70,000.

Still, it’s an impressive performance from Tesla.

By Cars UK