Shanghai-based EV maker Nio Inc. registered three vehicles under its main brand in Denmark last month — the first Nio sales in the country since the start of 2026.
According to data from tracking platform EU-EVs, all three units were the EL6 — the entry-level SUV in the brand’s lineup.
The three registrations mark the end of a five-month stretch in which Nio‘s only Danish activity came through its Firefly sub-brand — which had sold 11 units between January and April, according to Mobility Denmark data.
Firefly added three more units in May.
In total — and combining both brands — Nio Inc. has registered 17 vehicles in Denmark in the first five months of 2026.
The group registered just 12 vehicles in the country across the whole of 2025.
EV Market in May
Nio‘s six combined registrations in May placed it far from the top of the Danish market, where established brands continued to dominate electric vehicle sales.
VW Group‘s Skoda led with 1,799 electric vehicles registered and an 11.3% market share, followed by Tesla, which sold 1,751 units. Toyota ranked third with 1,612 registrations.
Among individual models, the best-selling was Tesla‘s Model Y — with 1,030 units — followed by the Skoda Enyaq at 918 and the Toyota C-HR+ at 807.
The Skoda Elroq came fourth with 783 registrations, and the Tesla Model 3 placed fifth with 720 units.
China’s XPeng ranked ninth among all brands with 557 registrations and a 3.5% market share, driven entirely by the G6, which placed eighth among individual models with 459 units. SAIC-backed MG registered 445 vehicles, while BYD sold 322 cars.
Danish Footprint
The Shanghai-headquartered brand first entered Denmark in October 2022, alongside Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
Nio operated a Nio Space and a Nio Hub — the third such facility in Europe at the time — in the Danish market, which have since closed as demand for the premium brand’s vehicles remained low.
Last year, EV exclusively reported that Nio had closed its only battery swap station in Denmark — the first time the company had shuttered such a facility anywhere in Europe.
Nio relaunched in Denmark late last year, with a distributor-based model, the same it is applying to new market entries in the continent.
The company appointed Denmark’s Nic. Christiansen Group (NCG) to handle the import and sale of its vehicles.
Nio‘s distributor in Denmark opened the current Nio Space in Kastrup, near Copenhagen Airport, in early 2026 — replacing an earlier pop-up on Islands Brygge, also in the capital.
NCG has since expanded its retail footprint beyond the capital with pop-up showrooms in Aarhus and Odense — Denmark’s second- and third-largest cities.
The distributor has also displayed Nio and Firefly vehicles at its headquarters in Kolding and at NCG-owned Comwell hotels in Aarhus and Odense, according to Danish outlet Hvilkenbil.
These alternative retail approaches have not translated into meaningful sales volume. Nio currently ranks as the worst-selling Chinese vehicle brand in Denmark.
Different Strategy, Same Challenge
Beyond vehicle sales, the Kastrup Nio Space is being marketed as a free venue for meetings, talks, and networking events, according to the Danish website operated by NCG.
The venue includes a meeting room with capacity for 10 people, a lounge area, and a showroom that can seat up to 150 guests for larger events.
The approach mirrors Nio‘s broader practice of using retail locations in China and Europe for community-oriented activities beyond car sales.
However, the Danish offering differs in one key respect: it is free of charge.
In the other four European markets where Nio operates such spaces, the company charges up to €20 per hour for meeting rooms and €50 per hour for podcast studios, with availability managed through the Nio app or external booking platforms.
The initiative was framed as a revenue-generating measure amid low European sales volumes.
Nio is also currently seeking sub-tenants for its flagship showrooms across Europe — including in Germany, as reported by Manager Magazin.
As of the end of 2025, Nio operated 171 Nio Houses globally — a net reduction of nine from the prior year and the first annual decline since the first flagship showroom opened in 2017.
Broader European Struggle
Denmark’s weak sales figures reflect a broader trend across Northern Europe.
In Sweden, Nio registered just two vehicles in May, unchanged from April, bringing its total sales in the market to 13 units so far in 2026 — similar to its performance in Denmark.
According to preliminary data from EU-EVs, the company registered 43 vehicles in Norway in May, including 28 Firefly models.
In the Netherlands, four Firefly EVs were registered, while no Nio-branded vehicles were sold during the month.
As of Monday, vehicle registration data for other countries, including Germany — the largest auto market in Europe — had not yet been released.
Nio Inc. registered 45 vehicles across its ten European markets in April, despite having doubled its market footprint over the past year.
As EV exclusively reported earlier this year, the company’s European registration data has been distorted by its subscription model since its 2022 launch, meaning official figures have misrepresented its actual commercial presence on the continent.
More recently, EV was also told that, during an event in the Netherlands, management said no model updates would arrive in Europe until late 2027.
No new battery swap stations will be built either, as the status of the assembly plant in Hungary remains unknown.
Despite the pullback, Nio‘s management said earlier this year it aims to sell “several thousand” electric vehicles outside China in 2026.
