According to figures from Norway’s Opplysningsrådet for Veitrafikken (OFV), 5,993 hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles were registered in March 2016. These took a 43.2% share of the 13,875 vehicles registered, and marked a 25% increase (1,199 units) on the previous year.

March set a new record for plug-in vehicles, which accounted 33.5% of the market (4,646 units), but the data shows changing habits. In March 2015, 3,391 electric cars were registered in Norway – a quarter of the total market – but a year later this had dropped by 796 registrations, to 2,595 units, or 18.7% of the total.

That shortfall in electric vehicle registrations was more than covered by booming popularity for plug-in hybrids. While only 361 were registered last March, this had reached 2,051 units (+468.1%) a year later. Plug-in hybrids accounted for 14.8% of the total market for new cars in Norway last month, contributing to the Mitsubishi Outlander becoming the country’s second-fastest selling car.

Registrations of non-plug-in hybrid vehicles increased year-on-year too. Last month, 1,345 were registered in Norway, compared to 1,042 the year before – a 29.1% increase. Two hydrogen fuel cell vehicles were also registered in March, while registrations of electric vans (not included in the figures above) remained static at 68 units, compared to 73 a year previously.

With a high volume of plug-ins registered last month, the average CO2 emissions for new cars in Norway was 88g/km. Including plug-in hybrids, petrol models averaged 96g/km, while diesels averaged 129g/km, according to OFV data.