Plug-In Vehicles = 5.5% of Switzerland’s Auto Sales

The Netherlands got most of the press from EV fans in recent weeks and months thanks to a stunning 54% plug-in vehicle (PEV) market share at the end of 2019 and the Tesla Model 3 bagging approximately twice as many 2019 sales as the #2 Volkswagen Polo. However, a few other markets are really starting to rise up as well. One of those is Switzerland. The rather wealthy European country ended the year with a 5.5% PEV market share, according to EV Volumes.

Far and away, the Swiss plug-in vehicle (PEV) leader was the Model 3, which had 29% of PEV market share. That means it had ~1.6% of the overall auto market in Switzerland all by itself, and it put the Model 3 at #4 in the overall auto market in the country, only trailing the Skoda Octavia, Volkswagen Tiguan, and Volkswagen Golf.

Overall, the Swiss PEV market rose 82% in 2019, according to EV Volumes. Other than the market-leading Model 3, the steady Renault Zoe had a solid showing and swallowed 10% of the PEV market, followed by the BMW i3 at 6% and the Hyundai Kona EV at 5%.

Only a handful of countries have hit 5.5% plug-in vehicle share. However, many aren’t far off, and once a country hits 5–6%, EV share tends to rise quickly. Here are the countries with the most plug-in vehicle market share and how they got there (note that these numbers include fully electric vehicles as well as plug-in hybrids):

Norway:

• 2012 — 3%
• 2013 — 6%
• 2014 — 14%
• 2015 — 22%
• 2016 — 29%
• 2017 — 39%
• 2018 — 49%
• 2019 — 56%

Iceland:

• 2015 — 3%
• 2016 — 5%
• 2017 — 14%
• 2018 — 19%
• 2019 — 25%

The Netherlands:

• 2017 — 2%
• 2018 — 6%
• 2019 — 15%

Sweden:

• 2015 — 2.6%
• 2016 — 3.6%
• 2017 — 5%
• 2018 — 8%
• 2019 — 11%

Will Switzerland reach 8% in 2020? 15%? Something else?

We now have a dedicated Tesla Sales page. If you’d like to see more data and charts on Tesla sales in different countries or globally, click that link.

*If you’d like to buy a Tesla Model 3, Model S, or Model X and get some free Supercharging miles, feel free to use my special, magical, unicorn-blessed referral code: https://ts.la/zachary63404. You can also get a $100 discount on Tesla solar with that code. There is currently no use for a referral code when putting down a reservation for a Cybertruck or Model Y.

Related Stories:

• Tesla Model 3 Shatters All Records in Historic Month & Year in the Netherlands
• 100% Electric Vehicles Collected 42% of Norway’s Vehicle Sales in 2019
• China 2019 Electric Vehicle Market Share Grows To 4.7% Despite Tighter Incentives
• Plug-In Vehicle Sales Up To 3.1% In UK, 6.3% In December — But Look Around The Corner

Special thanks to José Pontes and EV Volumes for support with data in this article.