OSLO: More than half of drivers in Norway say their next car will be electric as a response to soaring fuel prices, the country's auto association said Wednesday.
Norway is the largest oil producer in Europe, after Russia, but the Scandinavian country is already a champion of electric vehicles (EVs), which account for over 95 percent of new registrations.
But the surge in fuel prices since war erupted in the Middle East in late February is convincing even more motorists to make the switch.
In April, 51 percent of drivers surveyed said their next car would be electric, according to a study by the Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF)
In the same month last year, the figure was just 46 percent, and NAF described the increase as "the biggest jump in several years".
"It's quite clear that high fuel prices and uncertainty about energy supplies are affecting people's choice of car," NAF spokesman Nils Sodal said in a statement.
Following the US and Israeli attacks against Iran and the subsequent standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway for around a fifth of the world's oil and gas, soaring oil and gas prices have affected economies around the world.
In March, Norway decided to temporarily reduce taxes on petrol and diesel, which nevertheless remain comparatively more expensive for motorists than charging electric vehicles at home, as household electricity is subsidised.
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