Tesla boosts U.S. to lead in global electric vehicle sales

More fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles market are being sold in the U.S. than other country, according to research by IHS Automotive. And electric car maker Tesla is leading the way.

The U.S. led sales of all global electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, selling more than 14,500 of them in the first quarter of 2015. The Tesla Model S was the most popular electric model sold.

While sales remained high, the market only saw a 0.8% increase compared to this same time last year.

"While the federal tax credit in the U.S. of up to $7,500 for plug-in electric vehicles is continuing to encourage sales across the country, the adoption of these vehicles has been uneven, as consumer consideration and choice has skewed in favor of states offering additional incentives, like the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project in California or Georgia's Zero Emission Vehicle Tax Credit," says Ben Scott, senior analyst for IHS Automotive, in a statement.

China saw the second largest sales, topping off at 12,555 vehicles throughout the first quarter of 2015. This was a 0.3% increase from this same time in 2014.

When it came to highest percentage of total vehicle registrations, Norway was the top country. It ranked first in IHS's Plug-In Electric Vehicle Index, which tracks the market share of plug-in electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles each quarter across eight major countries, including China, the U.S, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Norway had saw 8,000 cars sold throughout the first quarter of 2015, one third of all new vehicles registered over the period. The country had a 41% increase in volume compared to the same time period in 2014.

The Netherlands experienced the second largest market growth, increasing by 5,700 units registered. This was a 5.7% increase compared to sales in 2014.