The Swedish government removed the general electric car bonus and made gasoline and diesel cheaper through reduced tax and reduced requirements for biofuel blending. After that, the share of pure electric cars in new car sales has more or less stagnated for three years, with 36 percent in 2025. Fewer electric cars on the roads means that investments in expanding charging stations have not been as profitable as expected so far.
Circle K is one of the gas station chains that counted on an electric car boom when they expanded their charging stations. SVT had the Swedish Energy Agency calculate the utilization rate for the majority of the country's public fast charging stations that report utilization in real time, and the figures for weeks 3-6 show that the charging stations were used on average 8 percent of the time. Private leasing has emerged as a key driver for electric car sales in Sweden.
After a period of high inflation and rising interest rates, private leasing turned upward during 2025, and that trend now appears to be holding. Statistics from the industry organization Mobility Sweden, which the private leasing company Carplus has accessed, show a continued increase at the beginning of 2026. During the first quarter, 13,220 cars were privately leased, accounting for 54 percent of all newly registered cars on the private market.
About half of these were electric cars compared to 43 percent during the same period the previous year. Overall car market trends show a mixed picture, with electric cars gaining share despite broader declines. Car manufacturers are having a tough time worldwide, and it is also noticeable in Sweden where the sales, measured as registrations, of new cars overall decreased by 2 percent during the first quarter.
Sales of electric cars, however, increased by 20 percent compared to the same period the year before. This means that electric cars during the latest quarter accounted for four out of ten new cars sold in Sweden. In an international comparison, Sweden lags behind its Nordic neighbors in electric car adoption.
Denmark has pulled ahead to 68 percent, and Norwegians are up to 96 percent.