Information, tips and benefits - Travelling to Norway by electric car

Norwegians are extremely enthusiastic about electric vehicles, which means that owners of electric cars can enjoy a number of advantages on Norway's roads. We have put together some useful information that will help you to plan your holiday in Norway with an electric car.

Toll fees

E-cars are charged lower toll fees than other vehicles. In Norway, toll charges are set by the respective local authorities. How much you can save depends on which part of the country you are travelling in. In some places, e-cars are still exempt from paying tolls. Even when tolls are charged across the board, however, as an e-car driver you will benefit from a discount. This means you will never pay more than 70% of the amount charged to owners of petrol or diesel-powered vehicles.

Ferries

In Norway, the use of some domestic ferries is free for e-vehicles, while others do entail a charge. In this case, electric vehicles pay at most half the ferry price charged to petrol and diesel vehicles, regardless of whether the ferry is operated by national or local authorities.

Foto: Fredrik Ahlsen, Maverix / Visitnorway.com

Parking

In some places in Norway, parking fees for electric cars are lower than for petrol or diesel vehicles. The discount is determined by the respective municipalities. Some municipalities offer completely free parking for e-cars, some offer a discount, and others charge the usual parking rate in full. It is therefore advisable to check the websites of the individual municipalities for more information.

Bus lanes

With a few exceptions, electric cars are permitted to use bus lanes in Norway. On some routes, it is mandatory for at least two people to be sitting in the vehicle when travelling during rush hour or at other times of the day. The rules that apply to each individual route can be found on the road signs. If a bus lane sign has an additional sign stating that its use is not permitted to electric vehicles, electric cars are not allowed to use it.

Charging

There are numerous charging stations for electric cars in Norway. These can be found on roads and in car parks, or near to accommodation facilities, sights, shopping centres, etc. In some places, charging is free.

Foto: Ilja C. Hendel / BrandNorway.no

As in many other countries, fast-charging points are offered by various companies in Norway. A corresponding RFID card or app is required to activate the charging process.

You can find a list of the leading providers of charging stations in Norway here:

• Recharge (Does not require customer registration)
• Mer
• Eviny
• Circle K
• Kople (Does not require customer registration)
• Ionity (Does not require customer registration)

As indicated, charging at Recharge, Kople or Ionity does not require customer registration. This means that you can access the charging station by scanning a QR code and make a contactless payment by card via a smartphone app. The other providers allow access to their charging stations if you download their respective app and register as a customer.

Here you will find an overview of all charging stations available in Norway.