The study, conducted by Electric Vehicle experts at DriveElectric, looked at EV sales year-on-year to determine the countries that have seen the biggest increase in electric vehicle sales.
The full study is available here: https://www.drive-electric.co.uk/press/the-worlds-greenest-countries-revealed/
| Rank | Country | 2021 Sales | 2022 Sales | Year-on-Year Increase |
| 1 | India | 12,000 | 48,000 | 300% |
| 2 | Brazil | 2,900 | 8,500 | 193% |
| 3 | New Zealand | 6,800 | 19,000 | 179% |
| 4 | Japan | 22,000 | 61,000 | 177% |
| 5 | Israel | 11,000 | 27,000 | 145% |
| 6 | Turkey | 3,000 | 7,000 | 133% |
| 7 | South Africa | 220 | 500 | 127% |
| 8 | Poland | 7,200 | 14,000 | 94% |
| 8 | Australia | 17,000 | 33,000 | 94% |
| 10 | United States | 470,000 | 800,000 | 70% |
Unlike China, Europe and the US, India is not a hub for purchasing electric cars. However, the country’s demand for electric vehicles skyrocketed by 300% in just one year. EV sales in the South Asian country were four times higher than in 2021 after almost hitting 50,000 battery electric vehicle sales in 2022.
Brazil follows behind with a year-on-year increase of 193% in EV sales. The country’s adoption of electric vehicles has seen steady growth over the last few years. Compared to 2021, which saw an estimated 2,900 EV sales, Brazil’s demand for electric cars rose to 8,500 by 2022.
New Zealand saw the third-highest increase in electric vehicles between 2021 and 2022. Following the “clean car” rebates scheme in 2021, which allowed buyers of new or used, low or zero-emissions vehicles to claim back up to $8,000 (NZ) of the price, the country saw a 179% increase in electric vehicle sales.
The study also named the greenest countries, looking at a range of factors including renewable energy consumption and public transport use.
The world’s greenest countries:
| Rank | Country | Target Percentage of Emissions Reduction by 2030 | EPS Index (2020) | Percentage of total energy consumption from renewable sources (2021) | Percentage of total energy consumption from solar energy (2021) | YoY difference in electric vehicle sales | Railway usage (passenger-km in millions) | Percentage of total energy consumption from hydroelectricity (2021) | Percentage of total energy consumption from nuclear energy (2021) | Green score /10 |
| 1 | Sweden | 63% | 3.83 | 21.5% | 0.82% | 68% | 8,027 | 29.4% | 21.1% | 7.66 |
| 2 | Finland | 60% | 4.11 | 21.6% | 0.41% | 50% | 2,903 | 12.9% | 19.0% | 7.03 |
| 3 | Germany | 65% | 3.47 | 18.0% | 8.38% | 31% | 57,518 | 1.4% | 4.9% | 6.55 |
| 4 | Switzerland | 50% | 4.50 | 5.6% | 4.62% | 25% | 14,308 | 31.8% | 15.9% | 6.53 |
| 5 | France | 55% | 4.89 | 7.9% | 2.67% | 31% | 86,853 | 5.8% | 36.5% | 6.39 |
| 6 | Spain | 23% | 2.50 | 17.4% | 9.85% | 38% | 27,489 | 5.0% | 9.1% | 6.30 |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 68% | 3.61 | 17.3% | 4.00% | 42% | 24,188 | 0.7% | 5.7% | 6.27 |
| 8 | Japan | 46% | 3.78 | 7.4% | 8.46% | 177% | 263,211 | 4.1% | 3.1% | 6.25 |
| 9 | China | 65% | 3.14 | 7.2% | 3.83% | 63% | 946,499 | 7.8% | 2.3% | 5.89 |
| 10 | Brazil | 37% | 0.00 | 19.0% | 2.57% | 193% | 16,486 | 27.2% | 1.0% | 5.73 |
Sweden takes first place as the greenest country. Known as one of the most sustainable countries in the world, the country has several low carbon dioxide emissions and strong renewable energy programs, which are contributing towards the country’s goal of becoming fossil fuel-free and running solely on 100% renewable energy by 2045.
Finland comes in second, scoring a green score of 7.03 out of 10. The Nordic country has a strong reputation as a leader in environmental policy and sustainable development, and 40% of its energy sources are renewable. Finland has one of the most stringent environmental policies, with an Environmental Policy Stringency Index (EPS) index of 4.11 out of 6.
Germany is the third greenest country in the world, with a score of 6.55 out of 10. According to the country’s Climate Protection Act, it aims to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045. Germany also has high hopes, with an ambitious goal of running on 100% green power by 2035. Regarding recycling, the nation is said to be a world leader in recycling over 60% of its waste into new products such as paper and glass or fuel.
The study also found that:
- Denmark has the highest percentage of renewable energy consumption, with 40.3% of the energy used coming from renewable sources. In 2022 alone, an estimated three-quarters of the country’s electricity generation was collectively produced from renewable energy sources. By 2030, it is estimated that these renewable sources will provide 100% of the nation’s electric power production.
- Australia has the highest solar panel consumption, with 11.66% of its energy coming from solar panels.
The full study is available to view here and high-resolution images are available to download here.
