Finland’s car market continued to contract in 2025, but electrification accelerated sharply as battery-powered vehicles gained further ground and combustion engines lost share.
According to data published by Statistics Finland, fewer than 72,000 new passenger cars were registered during the year, marking a three percent decline compared with 2024. It was the lowest annual total recorded so far in the 21st century.
Overall registrations continue to fall
The downward trend in new vehicle registrations has defined the Finnish market throughout the 2020s, and 2025 proved no exception. In addition to weaker passenger car volumes, other segments also saw significant declines:
- New truck registrations fell by 15 percent.
- New bus registrations dropped by 25 percent.
Imports of used cars also decreased. Just over 41,000 used vehicles were brought into Finland in 2025, a four percent decline year-on-year. The majority were imported from Sweden and Germany.
Fully electric cars surge 22%
Despite the shrinking overall market, electrified vehicles continued to expand their footprint. Fully electric vehicles accounted for 37 percent of all first-time registered passenger cars in 2025, representing a 22 percent increase compared with the previous year.
In contrast, plug-in hybrid registrations slipped by two percent, suggesting that Finnish consumers are increasingly opting for fully electric drivetrains over transitional technologies.
Taken together, the total number of new plug-in passenger cars — including both fully electric models and plug-in hybrids — rose by 12 percent compared with 2024.
Petrol and diesel lose ground
Internal combustion engine vehicles continued to lose relevance in Finland’s new car market. Registrations of both petrol- and diesel-powered cars fell by nearly 20 percent year-on-year.
- Nearly 60 percent of all newly registered cars in 2025 were rechargeable (fully electric or plug-in hybrid).
- Less than 40 percent were petrol-powered.
- Only four percent were diesel-powered.
The figures do not include registrations in the autonomous Åland Islands.
Although total vehicle demand remains subdued, the data points to a clear structural transformation of Finland’s car market. With nearly six in ten new cars now equipped with a charging port, electrification is no longer a niche segment but the dominant force shaping future mobility in the country.
If current trends continue, fully electric vehicles are likely to further consolidate their position, even as overall market volumes remain under pressure.
