Driving in Norway

Winter driving

• Tyres: In Norway all car owners use winter tyres in the winter (studded or non-studded) and summer tyres in the summer. In the three northernmost counties (Finmark, Troms and Nordland), studded tyres are legal between Oct 16th and April 30th. Elsewhere in the country, the dates are Nov 1st and first Sunday after Easter Monday. At the same time, you - as the driver - are responsible for that the car that you’re driving are equipped with appropriate tyres for the road and weather condition.

• If you’re renting a car, it’s usually fitted with appropriate tyres - but if you plan to cross a mountain pass within the snow season, double check with the rental company that you’re getting appropriate tyres for your planned route.

• Snow chains may be useful if you’re driving on smaller roads. Practice fitting them on the wheels before you leave home.

• If you’re driving an electrical vehicle (EV), take into consideration that the range in winter could be as low as 50% of the summer range. 

• The same day and the day before crossing a mountain pass, ensure that it is open: www.vegvesen.no/trafikk

• Convoy driving: When crossing a mountain pass in the event of strong winds and/or heavy snowfall, there may be “Kolonnekjøring” - Convoy driving. Cars will be allowed to cross in smaller groups with a snow plow leading the convoy. Waiting times to cross will usually be hours. During crossing hazard lights are to be left on. Leaving the car may be hazardous, always stay in the car. Ensure that you’ve got sufficient fuel both for the waiting time if you need to keep warm for hours in the car prior to crossing, as well as for the crossing itself and the descent to the next fuel station. Prepare for the worst in regards of food, drinks and warm clothing. 

Ferry crossings

• Ferries along the road network depart regularly, from every 20th minute to every 1 h or longer. There are queueing lanes on the quay, and usually it’s not possible to prebook. During the high season and the beginning/end of public holidays, the queues on certain crossings may become very long.

• Here you’ll find timetables, and here you’ll find prices.

• Payment: On many ferries, your license plate is scanned and your AutoPASS account is then charged. If you’ve got a rental car you’re all good. If you’re driving your own vehicle, take a minute to register at FerryPAY to make your ferry crossings as smooth as possible.

Toll roads

• There are many toll roads in Norway, locals pay via ‘AutoPASS’: We have a chip attached to the inside of our windscreen and all passings are registered. 

• As a foreginer you can choose between three options: 
  1. You can obtain a toll tag before arriving in Norway. Get in touch with a provider.
  2. Sign up for an account at Epass24: www.epass24.com
  3. You can just drive and get an invoice in the mail.

• If you rent a car, an AutoPass chip is already fitted in the rental car. 

Should I rent an EV?

• Mainly due to incentives, EVs had a market share of almost 80% of new cars (per 2022) in Norway. Driving an EV for the first time is quite an experience. No engine sound and immediate torque when pressing the throttle makes it fun cars to drive.

• If you’re renting a car, an EV would probably be one of the options. So - should you choose an EV over the fossil fueled alteranatives? It depends on how far you’ll be driving each day and how comfortable you are living with a “charging anxiety”.

• Some things to consider:

  • The charging network in Norway is extensive but disrupted. There are numerous providers and for each of them you’ll have to use another app to get access to their chargers. Tesla is an exception here, with a more user friendly integrated system, where you just plug in the cable at the station.

  • During the summer months there will often be charging queues on the most popular stations.

  • Charging speed depends on both the charger (public semi-fast and fast chargers ranging from 22 kWh to 350 kWh) and the car. Typically the speed peaks somewhere between 20-70% state of charge (SOC) and you shouldn’t charge beyond 80% on a public fast charger due to charging speed dropping significantly at around 80%.

  • If you plan to explore more rural parts of Norway, check the availability of chargers in the area you plan to visit before renting an EV. It’s not fun driving around in search of an EV charger that’s not broken late in the evening with a SOC of 10%.

  • Also check if your AirBnB or Hotel has a charger you can use overnight. Nothing beats starting a new day with a fully charged battery. (PS: We’ve got an EV-charger for you at Høgelibu).

  • Range is severely reduced in the winter (low temp, snow/rain, more energy used to keep the interior heated), as much as 50% reduction compared to a warm and dry summer’s day.

• So - you’ve rented an EV - now what?

  • Plan your drives and charging stops. Some tools:

    • A better route planner (app/website) - a great route planner that incorporates calculation of your car’s power consumption.

    • ChargeFinder (app/website) - Find the charging stations along your route.

  • Connecting to the chargers/payment. Here are some useful apps to install from your appstore. You typically have to sign up in each app, adding your car’s license plate number and your credit card number.

    • Tesla

    • Circle K

    • Bilkraft

    • Mer Norge

    • Fortum Charge and Drive

    • Plugsurfing