EVs At 63.2% Share In Sweden – Lynk & Co. 02 Debuts

May’s auto sales saw plugin EVs at 63.2% share in Sweden, up year-on-year from 53.6%, though only slightly above May 2023’s share (61.9%). Overall auto volume was 25,675 units, fractionally up YoY. The Volvo XC40 was the best-selling BEV.

May’s sales totals showed combined plugin EVs at 63.2% share in Sweden, with full electrics (BEVs) at 36.9% and plugin hybrids (PHEVs) at 26.4%. These figures compare YoY against 53.6% combined, 30.3% BEV and 23.2% PHEV.

Whilst this is an improvement over 2024, the BEV share (and volume) in May 2023 was higher than now, at 40.9% and 11,657 units.  That wasn’t an anomalous month; the YTD BEV share in 2023 was 36.9%, compared to 34.3% now. We can point to all kinds of justifications, and wring our hands about incentive cuts (3.5 years ago), but overall there’s no avoiding the conclusion that this is weak progress for Sweden’s EV transition.

It’s true that PHEVs are doing better than they were 2 years ago, thanks to much longer electric-only range, and more competitive pricing, but PHEV progress is no substitute for BEV progress. See the powertrain evolution chart below for a visual guide to the lack of overall plugin progress over the past 1.5 years or so.

Best-Selling BEV Models

Leading the sales chart for the third time in the past four months, the Volvo XC40 took 904 sales in May, just ahead of April’s leader, the Volkswagen ID.7, with 874 units.

In third was the Kia EV3, with 581 units, displacing the Volvo EX30 down to fourth.

There were few big moves in the top 20, though the Audi A6 e-tron hit record volumes, with 356 units (some 50% growth over April) and climbed to 10th. Further back, the Volvo EX90 re-entered the chart (in 19th) for the first time since November 2024, thanks to a new record monthly volume of 150 units in May.

The new Renault 5 is still climbing in volume, from April’s 96 units, to a still-modest 121 units in May. The Hyundai Inster, and Citroen e-C3, are still in low double-digit volumes in Sweden (in contrast to the Citroen’s triple-digit figures in Norway). Perhaps the newer and more SUV-shaped Renault 4 and e-C3 Aircross will end up being more popular in Sweden.

The Lynk & Co 02 made its first customer delivery debut with a healthy 104 units in May. This is a premium SUV from Geely, (with a length of 4,460 mm) priced at an MSRP starting at SEK 429,995 (€39,300).

Another Geely BEV, the new Zeekr 7x, which debuted with 10 units back in March, and was absent in April, stepped up to a decent 86 units in May with its first proper customer deliveries.

I’m now waiting for the Swedish debuts of the Renault 4, the Citroen e-C3 Aircross, and the BYD Dolphin Surf later in the year. Let us know below which models you are keen to see enter the Swedish market in the coming months.

Here’s a look at the trailing quarter chart:

The Volkswagen ID.7 retains the top spot (thanks to a strong April), just ahead of the Volvo XC40 in second. These two have a big lead over the 3rd and 4th ranks, the Volvo EX30, and Tesla Model Y.

Most of the top 20 has only seen minor shuffles, though with 6 months of growing volumes, the Audi A6 e-tron has now ascended into 13th place, and may climb higher from here. The new Skoda Elroq is still just outside the top 20 (in 22nd) for now, but should enter by the end of June.

Outlook

The Swedish auto market is up about 6% year to date, with plugins having sold around 18% more units than at this point in 2024. However, 2024 was a weak year, and for more context — by this point in 2023 plugins were about 10% ahead of 2025’s YTD volume.

Sweden’s macroeconomy is only lukewarm, with 2025 Q1 GDP data revised down to 0.9% YoY growth.  Headline inflation, however, has cooled to 0.2%, and interest rates have remained at 2.25% since the end of January. Manufacturing PMI fell to 53.6 points in May, from 54.2 points in April.

Having grown impressively from 2020 to 2023, the last year and a half  have seen Sweden’s EV transition slow to a crawl. What will it now take for the trajectory to pick up once more? Please share your thoughts and perspectives in the comments below.