In Latvia, 1,606 new electric vehicles were registered last year, which is a 27.7 percent increase compared to 2024, according to the Auto Association. However, after the completion of the government program that stimulated the purchase of electric cars (the government covered part of the vehicle cost), their sales sharply declined.
Last year, Volkswagen was the leader in new electric vehicle sales in Latvia, with 147 cars sold, which is a 14.5 percent decrease compared to 2024. BYD took second place with 132 cars, while Skoda came in third with 124 electric vehicles, which is 2.3 times more than the previous year.
Fourth place last year was occupied by Toyota electric cars, with a total of 105 units registered, which is 2.8 times more than the previous year. Rounding out the top five is Hyundai with 104 electric vehicles, which is a 44.4 percent increase.
As stated by board member of the Auto Association Krish Lipshans, the electric vehicle market in general in 2025 reaffirmed its high dependence on government support tools, as the completion of the support program in August of last year had a direct and statistically measurable impact on demand in the second half of the year.
Despite the sustained interest in electric vehicles, after the end of the support program, the registration of new electric vehicles decreased by approximately 30 percent overall, while used electric vehicles dropped by about 45 percent.
Lipshans also noted that for certain electric vehicle brands, particularly those not in the premium segment and for which the purchasing decision directly depends on the final price, the decline without government support reached as much as 60 percent.
