Electric cars take half of the Swedish market in October
Sweden registered 24,660 new passenger cars in October 2026, a rise of just over 2% on the same month last year. The total market is broadly flat, but what is happening underneath is not: electric cars reached a 51% share of registrations, up from 36% twelve months earlier, according to figures released today by Mobility Sweden.
Electric up 45%, plug in hybrids down 24%
The number of new fully electric cars grew by 45% year on year. Over the same period, plug in hybrid registrations fell by 24%, and their share dropped from 29.5% to close to 22%. The other main powertrain types also lost ground during the month.
The shift is visible across the year as well. From January to October, the electric share stands at 44%, compared with 36% in the same period of 2025. Plug in hybrids hold 24% so far this year, down from 27%. The passenger car market as a whole is up by nearly 4% year to date.
Private buyers return, companies still lead
Mobility Sweden points to a continued recovery among private buyers as one of the reasons electric cars are gaining share. Companies nonetheless remain the backbone of the market: between January and October, businesses accounted for six in ten new passenger cars and for the same proportion of new electric cars.
Sofia Linder, chief economist at Mobility Sweden, said the retreat of plug in hybrids in favour of electric cars shows that more companies and households are ready to make the switch. In her view, the next step is to make electric cars a realistic option for more households, which would require a broader electric car premium and better charging options where people live, particularly in apartment buildings.
Light trucks, heavy trucks and buses
The recovery in light trucks continued, with 3,624 vehicles registered, 9% more than in October last year. Electric vehicles made up 28% of the month’s registrations. Year to date, registrations are up 18% and the electric share is 26.5%.
Heavy trucks had a strong month with 604 registrations, an increase of 23%. After a weak start to the year, the segment is now 5% higher for January to October. Electric trucks represented almost 9% of registrations in October and 10% over the first ten months.
Linder noted that fleet renewal will only favour electric drive if investment support, depot charging and grid capacity work together. For heavy transport she also pointed to the need for stronger demand for electrified freight, suggesting a green transport deduction and clearer requirements in public procurement could help hauliers invest.
Bus registrations continued to fall compared with the record year of 2025, which was boosted by delivery problems the year before. Only 50 new buses were registered in October, 69% fewer than a year ago, with 24% of them electric. For the year so far, registrations are down 48%, and close to half of the new buses are electric.
