Last year, just 23% of newly registered vehicles in the Netherlands were electric. In the Netherlands and Norway, 99.9% of new vehicles are likely to be electric by 2035, data suggests. This would make them the top two countries to almost go fully electric in 13 years.

Sweden comes in second, with 80.35% of new cars registered expected to be electric by 2035, a 729% increase from 2020.

The Netherlands will have the joint-highest proportion of electric vehicle sales across Europe by 2035, with a total of 99.90% of newly registered cars predicted to be electric. That’s according to the latest study by Confused.com (Q1 2022), which analysed historical trends and data from The European Environment Agency (EEA)(1) and Eurostat(2). The research predicts which European countries are likely to have the highest proportion of electric vehicle sales by 2035.

The European countries with the highest proportion of new electric vehicles (EVs) by 2035

With the highest percentage of new electric vehicle sales in 2020 (54.37%), Norway is also likely to have the highest proportion of newly registered EVs by 2035. According to the data, Confused.com predicts that 99.9% of them will be electric – a whopping 83.74% increase within 15 years. It’s joined at the top by the Netherlands, which is also expected to have 99.9% of its newly registered vehicles as electric by 2035. This is a 336% improvement within the specified timeframe.

In Sweden, 80.35% of new car sales are expected to be electric by 2035, the second-highest proportion across Europe. With only 9.69% of the new cars registered to be electric in 2020, the Swedish market is likely to see a significant jump in sales. This means a predicted 729% increase in EV registrations by 2035!

Denmark places fourth, with 54.51% of new vehicles estimated to be electric by 2035 – 658% increase to the proportion of EVs in 2020 (7.19%). Compared to its European neighbours, this is 5% more than Germany (51.68%), but 32% less than Sweden (80.35%) and 45% less than Norway (99.90%).

With 51.86% of new vehicles estimated to be electric by 2035, Portugal places fifth. This is a staggering 857% increase to the number of EVs in 2020 (5.42%). Germany narrowly follows behind in sixth with 51.68% of newly registered vehicles predicted to be electric by 2035.

Alex Kindred, car insurance expert at Confused.com, comments: “With electric vehicles becoming more popular across the world, understanding what type of insurance you need is important. You might be able to cover your electric car on a standard car insurance policy, but this isn’t always the best move. Dedicated electric car policies often come with a range of benefits, like cover for your charging cable, free recovery to the nearest charge point if you run out of battery power, and accidental damage, fire, and theft cover for your battery. These benefits can really make all the difference.

“As the battery is an expensive component of the car, it is likely that you will be offered the chance to lease it instead of buying outright to make the switch from a fuel car to an electric car cheaper. Be sure to let your insurer know if it is leased, so they can pay the right party for any damage to the battery if you do happen to make a claim.”