Seatbelt Requirements
The wearing of front and rear seatbelts is compulsory when fitted.
Children Passengers
Children under 7yrs must not travel in the front seat unless using an appropriate restraint. It is illegal to use a back facing child safety seat in a car that has an active passenger side airbag.
Drink Driving Limits
20mg/100ml (UK 80mg/100ml). It is best to avoid alcohol completely if driving. You can be prosecuted even if you have drunk only the equivalent of less than a can of beer and police make frequent spot checks.
Minimum Driving Age
The minimum driving age using a full UK licence is 18
Speed Limits
Urban kph (mph)
Open Road kph (mph)
Motorway kph (mph)
Car
50 (31)
70-90 (43-56)
110 (68)
Towing
50 (31)
70-80 (43-50)
80 (50)
Lights
Dipped headlights are compulsory at all times.
Fuel
Some pumps accept SEK 20 or SEK 50 or SEK 100 bills; these pumps are called sedel automat; old-fashioned self-serve pumps are called tanka själv. Generally, fuel stations are open from 7am to 7pm, but in cities and along main roads they stay open until 8 or 10pm, or for 24 hours. You'll have to exit the expressway to find fuel stations; but on the expressway, signs abound pointing to them. In general, credit cards are accepted. Leaded super petrol has an octane rating of 96 (normal) or 98 (premium). Unleaded petrol is called blyfri 95 (or 98); and it has an octane rating of 95 (or 98). Diesel is, in fact, called diesel. LPG is called autogas. Propane is called gasol. Petrol and diesel are both dispensed from green pumps. You may carry 30 litres of spare fuel. Filling stations are few and far between in the north where not all sell diesel and LPG is rare.
Tolls
There are no toll roads in Sweden.
Parking
Maps showing parking regulations and zones in major cities may be obtained from police or local offices of the national motoring clubs. Parking meters are usually checked between 8am and 6pm. Park on the right-hand side of the road. If parking on the street overnight, check the signs to be sure you are not parking on a street that is due to be cleaned that night. A yellow sign with a red line across its bottom means parking is somehow restricted in the vicinity. Sweden imposes incredibly high fines for parking violations.
Fines
Police are empowered to issue on-the-spot fines for minor traffic offences. These must be paid at a post office.
Mobile Phones
Emergency Numbers
Dial 112 anywhere in the EU to reach the emergency services.
Other Useful Information
Swedish registered cars are required by law to have either studded tyres or unstudded friction tyres bearing the following mark, M+S, M-s, M.S, M&S, MS or Mud and Snow fitted from 1 December to 31 March when there are winter road conditions. You are required to use winter tyres throughout this period, even in good conditions.
Although foreign registered cars are exempt from this requirement, it would be advisable to have winter tyres fitted.
Merge in turn when two lanes converge.
Trams have priority. When a tram stops and there is no island to accept disembarking passengers, drivers must give way to passengers crossing to the pavement. Trams must be passed on the right. Trams operate in Göteborg, Malmo, and Norrköping. Pedestrians have priority on a pedestrian crossing, but they're required to cross streets at a crossing only.
If a vehicle behind you signals that it wants to pass, you must acknowledge it with your vehicle's right indicator if from your vantage point the road ahead is clear.
If you're driving relatively slowly, other drivers will expect you to move over onto the shoulder of the road to let them pass; the road shoulders in Sweden are extra wide to accommodate this practice. On steep hills this shoulder takes on the status of a full-fledged lane. Do not, however, use the shoulder as if it were another lane. Some narrow roads forego using a solid white line to indicate a zone where passing is dangerous; instead these roads are divided by elongated white lines at short intervals. These lines mean that visibility is impaired in one or both directions and that any passing should be undertaken with special care.
Half of Sweden is forested with elk and deer wandering the road. Report a collision involving one of these animals to the police.
Useful Words and Phrases
Diesel
diesel
Diversion
omvag
Embassy
ambassad
Entrance
entre
Exit
aufart
Hospital
lasarett
Motorway
strak
No parking
parkering förbjuden
One way
enkelriktat
Parking
parkering
Police
polis
Police station
polis station
Embassy Details
Address:
British Embassy
Skarpögatan 6-8
Box 27819
115 93 Stockholm
Note 1: UK registered vehicles displaying Euro-plates (circle of 12 stars above the national identifier on blue background) no longer need a GB sticker when driving in European Union countries. Countries outside the EU still require national identification.
Note 2: Regardless of local requirements it is always a wise precaution to carry a spare set of vehicle bulbs and adjust headlamp beams for driving on the right. A spare bulb kit will not prevent a fine if you are travelling with faulty lights, but it may avoid the cost and inconvenience of a garage call out. On some cars it is inadvisable or impossible for anyone other than a qualified technician to change a headlamp bulb or lamp unit e.g. high intensity discharge (HID) headlamps and carrying spare bulbs is not an option. However, it is recommended that spare bulbs are carried for any lights which may be easily and/or safely replaced by the owner/driver. Do not forget to ensure that you also carry any tools that might be required to change the various bulbs.
Disclaimer EUroadlegal has made every effort to ensure that the information contained on this page is accurate and up-to-date. In most instances the information has been collated from either an official document from the country concerned or from two or more reliable sources. EUroadlegal cannot be held responsible for any actions resulting from the adherence to or ignoring of the information contained on this page. If you would like to contribute by adding, removing or modifying the data on this page based on your own experience, please us.
SWEDEN – drives on the right
