Nissan LEAF In Norway

According to IHS Automotive, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK are the top 3 countries in terms of plug-in electric car market share for Q1 2015.

In a press release, IHS states:

"Norway continues to lead the global electric vehicle/plug-in hybrid vehicle (EV/PHEV) market, according to recent analysis by IHS Automotive, a global provider of critical information and insight to the automotive industry and part of IHS Inc." "In first quarter 2015, Norway ranked first on the new IHS Automotive Plug-in Electric Vehicle Index, which ranks the market share of plug-in electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) registrations in a given quarter for eight countries. With EV/PHEVs representing one third of new vehicles registered in Norway during the first quarter of this year, Norway leads the first quarter rankings with just over 8,000 units, and achieved a 41 percent increase in volume over the same period in 2014. No import taxes on EVs, among other incentives, have made these vehicles a viable alternative to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in Norway. The Volkswagen e-Golf was the dominant model among consumers in Norway during the first quarter, the analysis says."

Though Norway is number 1 in market share, its small population means that it has no chance at being #1 in volume of sales. That honor goes to the U.S., followed closely by China:

50,000th BEV in Norway has "EL60000" plate

"Volumes Remain Highest in U.S., China" "The U.S. and China led all countries based on volumes of new EV/PHEVs registered during the quarter, with nearly 15,000 registrations in the U.S. and nearly 13,000 registrations in China." "While the federal tax credit in the U.S. of up to $7,500 USD for plug-in electric vehicles is continuing to encourage sales across the country, the adoption of these vehicles has been uneven, as consumer consideration and choice has skewed in favor of states offering additional incentives, like the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project in California or Georgia's Zero Emission Vehicle Tax Credit," said Ben Scott, senior analyst - IHS Automotive. "In addition, low fuel pump prices are adversely influencing EV/PHEV purchases among U.S. consumers."

Additional info from IHS press release below: