Denmark's Electric Vehicle Market Sees 23% Growth in New Car Registrations

In May of this year, Denmark's new car registrations grew by 23% year-on-year, making it one of the strongest automotive markets in Europe, primarily driven by the popularity of pure electric vehicles (EVs). According to market research firm Dataforce, sales of pure electric vehicles in Denmark surged by 51% year-on-year to 10,965 units, capturing 61% of the market share. In the first five months of this year, the registration of pure electric vehicles accounted for 64% of the total passenger car registrations, significantly surpassing the Netherlands (35%) and Finland (34%), and only second to Norway's 93% share in Europe. Benjamin Kibies, a senior automotive analyst at Dataforce, noted that the rapid transformation of Denmark's pure electric vehicle market over the past three years has shown sustainability. Unlike other European markets that have faced setbacks in electrification, Denmark's share of pure electric vehicles has shown consistent growth. Rental fleets, which were previously cautious about electrification, are also accelerating their transition, with pure electric vehicles expected to make up 52% of Denmark's rental car procurement by 2025, positioning Denmark as a potential benchmark for electrification in rental channels for other countries. In terms of brands, Volkswagen led the Danish market in May with 2,953 registrations, marking a 57% increase year-on-year. Skoda, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, saw its sales soar by 236% to 1,951 units, primarily due to the continued strong sales of its compact electric crossover, the Elroq, which has been the best-selling model in Denmark for two consecutive months, currently accounting for 75% of Skoda's sales in the country. The last time Skoda held the top spot for two consecutive months was back in mid-2008 with the Fabia hatchback. BMW also performed well, with sales increasing by 89% to 1,450 units. Meanwhile, Cupra and Renault achieved sales growth of 145% and 68%, respectively. Kia saw its sales double, increasing by 102% to 637 units in May, while Ford's sales grew by 42%. Among Chinese automakers, Xpeng ranked 15th with 308 registrations, ahead of MG's 277 registrations in 18th place. Denmark is Xpeng's largest market in Europe for 2024 and remains its second-largest market in 2025, following Norway, with the G6 model achieving sales of 245 units in Denmark in May. BYD's sales slightly fell by 1.1% to 177 units, placing it 21st among brands.