Chinese premium electric vehicle maker Nio sold 29 cars in Norway in May, flat from the previous month and down 56% from a year earlier, according to data from EU-EVs.
Of the 29 vehicles registered last month, 19 were the EL6 SUV (sold as the ES6 in China), followed by five units of the ET5 sedan, three EL8 SUVs, and one unit each of the ET5 Touring and ET7 sedans.
In the first five months of 2025, Nio sold 162 vehicles in the country — nearly half the 303 units registered during the same period last year.
The company currently offers six models in Norway: the ET5, ET7, and ET5 Touring on the passenger car side, alongside the EL6, EL7, and EL8 SUVs.
In May, Nio unveiled updated versions of the ET5, ET5 Touring, ES6 and EC6 for the Chinese market. It remains unclear if/ when these new versions will be made available in European markets.
According to Nio’s website, customers can no longer place customized orders for the ET5 and ET7 sedans and are instead redirected to the inventory page.
The ET5 sedan remains available in about two dozen configurations, while the ET7 currently shows no units in stock.
Customization options remain open for the EL6 and EL8 SUVs. For the EL7, prospective buyers are prompted to fill out an interest form rather than proceed with a standard order.
To help boost demand, Nio is offering private customers two years of free battery rental on in-stock ET5 sedans ordered before June 30, with delivery required by August 31.
The promotion applies only to existing inventory and excludes the ET5 Touring, EL6, and EL8 models.
Buyers opting for Nio’s Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) subscription can save NOK 47,976 ($4,750) with the 100 kWh battery or NOK 33,576 ($3,320) with the 75 kWh version.
Norway was Nio’s first market outside China, and the company sold nearly 900 vehicles in the country in 2024.
Earlier this year, the local country manager said the company was targeting a 69% increase in sales in 2025, adding that “1,500 cars [sold] with a reasonable margin, that’s OK. Then I’m pretty happy.”
Separately, Nio is preparing to launch its entry-level Firefly brand in Norway and the Netherlands, with further market expansion planned later this year. The brand debuted at Norway’s Autopia Auto Show last month, and test drives are expected to begin this summer, with first deliveries scheduled for later in 2025. Prices will start at NOK 279,900 ($27,700).
Tesla’s Model Y remained Norway’s best-selling vehicle for the third consecutive month, with 2,346 units sold in May and 6,002 year-to-date.
According to OFV, BYD was the best seller among Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) brands.
The China giant registered 517 vehicles in the Norwegian market last month, a surge of 240% from April 2024. It is followed by XPeng, which sold 316 units, a soar of 338.9% year over year.
Figures from EU-EV showed that Geely-backed Polestar sold 256 units in May (down 20.2% from the previous year), while premium brand Zeekr, which expanded to Norway in late 2024, recorded 106 units.
Its direct competitor, Nio, sold 29 EVs in the Nordic market last month — a plunge of 56%.
An Ho, who took over as head of Nio’s Nordic operations from Marius Hayler in late 2023, said in January that Nio was targeting 1,500 units in 2025—a 69% increase from last year.
Nio currently operates 20 battery swap stations in Norway. The last station opened in November 2024, and further expansion has since stopped in line with a broader slowdown in infrastructure investment across the continent.
In the same interview, Ho said that “a few more” openings are planned later this year — the executive said in the same interview.
Battery swap stations allow drivers to exchange a depleted battery for a fully charged one in minutes—a key differentiator in Nio’s strategy.
