Car hire in Scandinavia
Tolls, tyres and terms by country at a glance
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Car hire
🚗 A hire car in the north
Flying to Bergen, Kiruna or Reykjavík and carrying on by car? Then you’ll want to know about tolls, tyres and what the rental terms say. We’ve set it out for you by country.
Researched by Arjan from Zuidlaren, so you don’t have to · Sources: AutoPASS: foreign vehicles, Vegagerðin: opening of the highland roads, Transportstyrelsen: winter tyres · updated 24 October 2026 · About this page
- Tolls and tyres by country
- Checklist for the terms
- F-roads in Iceland
Overview
📌 Car hire at a glance
| Where | At the airport or in town; compare rental companies |
|---|---|
| Note | Terms for crossing borders, ferries and (in Iceland) F-roads |
| Tolls | Often automatic via the number plate; see tolls, AutoPASS and EPASS24 |
| Costs | Price: see the current price at the rental company |
By country
🗺️ What to look out for by country
| Country | Tolls and roads | Season and tyres |
|---|---|---|
| 🇳🇴 Norway | Tolls charged automatically via your number plate (AutoPASS); many ferries are part of the road (source: AutoPASS) | Mountain roads only open late in spring; check Statens vegvesen (source: Statens vegvesen) |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | Congestion charges in Stockholm and Gothenburg, automatic via the number plate (see traffic rules) | Winter tyres 1 December–31 March in wintry conditions (source: Transportstyrelsen) |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | Tolls for the Great Belt Bridge (source: Storebælt) and the Øresund Bridge to Sweden (source: Øresundsbron) | No date-based winter tyre requirement (source: Færdselsstyrelsen) |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | No toll roads listed in our guides | Winter tyres 1 November–31 March when the weather or road conditions require it (source: Traficom) |
| 🇮🇸 Iceland | F-roads (highland roads) only with a 4x4 and only open in summer; rental contracts exclude them for ordinary cars (source: Vegagerðin, Safetravel.is (Icelandic rescue organisation)) | Check roads and weather before every drive (source: Vegagerðin, Veðurstofa Íslands (Icelandic weather service)) |
Checklist
✅ Read this in the terms
- Can you take the car across a border, for example from Sweden to Norway?
- Can the car go on a ferry?
- How are tolls settled: through the rental company or by you?
- Does the car have winter tyres if you’re driving in winter?
- Iceland: are you allowed on the F-roads? With an ordinary car usually not.
Child seats: the rules in Norway are on Statens vegvesen. (source: Statens vegvesen)
Compare
🔎 Compare hire cars by country
On the road
📶 Navigation and internet on the road
Navigating with your phone? Roaming within the EU/EEA works as at home; that includes Norway and Iceland (EEA). (source: European Commission)
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive an ordinary hire car on Iceland’s F-roads?
No. F-roads are for 4x4s only, and rental contracts exclude them for ordinary cars (Vegagerðin, Safetravel).
How do I pay tolls with a hire car in Norway?
Tolls are recorded via the number plate (AutoPASS). How your rental company charges them is in the terms.
Accountability
📚 Sources
Every number and every rule on this page comes from a source. Here they all are in one place, checked on 24 October 2026. We only mention prices if the provider publishes them itself; otherwise we refer you to the official website.
View 13 sources
- autopass.no: AutoPASS: foreign vehicles
- epass24.com: EPASS24
- storebaelt.dk: Storebælt: prices
- oresundsbron.com: Øresundsbron: prices
- transportstyrelsen.se: Transportstyrelsen: winter tyres
- traficom.fi: Traficom: kesä- ja talvirenkaat (summer and winter tyres)
- fstyr.dk: Færdselsstyrelsen: vejledning om dæk (tyre guidance)
- vegagerdin.is: Vegagerðin: opening of the highland roads
- safetravel.is: Safetravel.is (Icelandic search and rescue)
- en.vedur.is: Veðurstofa Íslands (Icelandic weather service)
- vegvesen.no: Statens vegvesen: traffic information
- vegvesen.no: Statens vegvesen: children safe in the car
- digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu: European Commission: roaming in the EU/EEA
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