Study: Norway offers the best conditions for e-mobility in the world

Cologne. Anyone who wants to drive electrically as cheaply as possible will currently find particularly good conditions in Norway. This is the result of a study by management consultancy Arthur D. Little. In a ranking on costs and regulation, the Scandinavian country achieved 32.2 points, putting it ahead of Singapore with 27.6 points and France with 26.8 points. Germany comes in eighth with 23.7 points.

The cost ranking is not a pure comparison of electricity and gasoline prices. Among other things, financial advantages when purchasing and operating electric cars of various sizes, subsidies for private charging infrastructure, the costs of household electricity and gasoline per kilometer as well as registration restrictions for combustion engines are taken into account.

Although there are no longer traditional purchase bonuses in Norway, electric cars still benefit from significant tax advantages. This means that no VAT is due up to a certain vehicle value. At the same time, operating combustion engines is comparatively expensive. After decades of support, the market is practically completely electrified.

In Singapore, however, the state continues to rely heavily on direct financial incentives. The study puts the possible advantages when buying, depending on the vehicle class, at up to 16,300 euros. France supports small and medium-sized electric cars with purchase subsidies, among other things, while high-emission combustion engines are burdened with high registration fees. Italy also scores points with purchase bonuses of a maximum of 10,600 euros as well as tax breaks.

Germany is in the top quarter. The comparison takes into account, among other things, the funding for private electric car buyers that will be reintroduced in 2026 as well as tax advantages for electric company cars. In a global comparison of costs and regulations, Germany ranks ahead of China, Great Britain and the Netherlands.

At the other end of the scale there are mainly countries in which direct purchasing and usage advantages are missing. Saudi Arabia, which comes last, offers individual customs and tax concessions as well as some free charging, but the study does not show any direct financial advantages when purchasing a vehicle or during ongoing operation. The situation is similar in New Zealand: There the purchase premium was abolished at the end of 2023, and electric cars now have to pay road fees. Brazil and South Africa also offer e-car drivers hardly any advantages.