How is Stockholm congestion tax charged to a rental car?
Toll stations register every vehicle automatically during charging hours. Transportstyrelsen adds up each month's passages and sends a tax decision to the vehicle owner. If it is paid late, a SEK 500 fee is added, and the owner is responsible even if no notice arrived. For foreign-registered cars, a notification partner traces the owner and collects payment through EPASS24.
In a Swedish rental car, you never see that decision. The company pays and passes the cost on. Hertz Sweden explains on its congestion tax page that it charges the actual tax plus VAT for your passages, adds 25% as a handling surcharge capped at SEK 250 including VAT, and bills this after the rental, based on Transportstyrelsen's records. Its 2026 rental terms also add a flat road and traffic fee of SEK 22 per rental day.
| Your plan | Congestion tax | Rental add-ons at Hertz |
|---|---|---|
| Airport to hotel in the centre, park for the stay | One or two passages | 25% of tax plus SEK 22 per day |
| Daily drives in and out of the centre | Up to SEK 135 a day | 25% up to SEK 250, plus SEK 22 per day |
| Driving only in July, after the first five weekdays | None | SEK 22 per day |
| Staying outside Stockholm and Gothenburg | None | SEK 22 per day |
Other companies set different fees, so ask at the desk how the tax is billed and whether a handling charge applies.
How much is the Stockholm congestion tax in 2026?
Transportstyrelsen's Stockholm table has two seasons. Peak season runs 1 March to 21 June and 15 August to 30 November. Off-peak season is 1 December to 28 February and 22 June to 14 August.
| Time | City centre, peak | City centre, off-peak | Essingeleden, peak | Essingeleden, off-peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:00–06:29 | SEK 15 | SEK 15 | SEK 15 | SEK 15 |
| 06:30–06:59 | SEK 30 | SEK 25 | SEK 27 | SEK 22 |
| 07:00–08:29 | SEK 45 | SEK 35 | SEK 40 | SEK 30 |
| 08:30–08:59 | SEK 30 | SEK 25 | SEK 27 | SEK 22 |
| 09:00–09:29 | SEK 20 | SEK 15 | SEK 20 | SEK 15 |
| 09:30–14:59 | SEK 11 | SEK 11 | SEK 11 | SEK 11 |
| 15:00–15:29 | SEK 20 | SEK 15 | SEK 20 | SEK 15 |
| 15:30–15:59 | SEK 30 | SEK 25 | SEK 27 | SEK 22 |
| 16:00–17:29 | SEK 45 | SEK 35 | SEK 40 | SEK 30 |
| 17:30–17:59 | SEK 30 | SEK 25 | SEK 27 | SEK 22 |
| 18:00–18:29 | SEK 20 | SEK 15 | SEK 20 | SEK 15 |
The daily maximum per vehicle is SEK 135 in peak season and SEK 105 off-peak. The tax-free days listed for 2026 are 1, 5 and 6 January, 3 and 6 April, 1 and 14 May, 19 June, 24, 25 and 31 December, plus July apart from its first five weekdays.
Why Essingeleden matters
Essingeleden is the E4 route past Fredhäll and Kristineberg, west of the inner city. It has its own toll stations, so a through drive on the E4 can be charged even if you never enter the centre. If you are only going from the airport into town, compare the car with the train and bus options in Arlanda to the city centre.
Gothenburg and bridge charges
Gothenburg's congestion tax is lower: SEK 9 to SEK 22 a passage, nothing from 18:30 to 05:59, and a maximum of SEK 60 a day. Several passages within 60 minutes are taxed once, at the highest amount. Public holidays, days before them and all of July are free.
Three bridges carry an infrastructure charge around the clock: SEK 5 in Motala, SEK 9 in Sundsvall and SEK 4 on Skurubron between Stockholm and eastern Nacka and Värmdö. The same camera-and-invoice system applies.
Worked example: a four-day Stockholm rental in October
A Hertz car picked up on a Tuesday in October, which is peak season. On day one you drive into the centre at 08:00 (SEK 45) and out again at 16:30 (SEK 45). On day two you use Essingeleden at 07:30 (SEK 40) and come back at 17:00 (SEK 40). Days three and four stay outside the zone.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Day one, two city passages | SEK 90 |
| Day two, two Essingeleden passages | SEK 80 |
| Congestion tax total | SEK 170 |
| Hertz 25% handling surcharge | SEK 42.50 |
| Road and traffic fee, 4 days x SEK 22 | SEK 88 |
| Estimated total on the final bill | SEK 300.50 |
Shifting both day-one passages to between 09:30 and 14:59 would cut them to SEK 11 each and save SEK 68 in tax. The same drive on 20 July would cost no tax at all.
When are winter tyres required in Sweden?
For cars up to 3.5 tonnes, Transportstyrelsen requires winter tyres from 1 December to 31 March whenever there is snow, ice, slush or frost on any part of the road. The rule applies to Swedish and foreign-registered vehicles alike. Studded tyres are allowed from 1 October to 15 April, and outside that window only if winter conditions exist or are forecast, as the agency repeated in its April 2026 reminder.
Driving without winter tyres in winter conditions during that period is item 12.1 of the prosecutors' fixed-fine catalogue: SEK 2,000, which can be issued to the driver or to the owner.
How much are speeding fines in Sweden?
Sweden's fixed fines for speeding, from bilaga 1A of the catalogue (SFS 2025:917):
| Excess | Limit 50 km/h or lower | Limit above 50 km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 1–10 km/h | SEK 2,000 | SEK 1,500 |
| 11–15 km/h | SEK 2,400 | SEK 2,000 |
| 16–20 km/h | SEK 2,800 | SEK 2,400 |
| 21–25 km/h | SEK 3,200 | SEK 2,800 |
| 26–30 km/h | SEK 3,600 | SEK 3,200 |
| 31–35 km/h | SEK 4,000 | SEK 3,600 |
| 36 km/h and over | SEK 4,000 | SEK 4,000 |
The same catalogue sets SEK 1,500 for using a handheld phone while driving, and SEK 500 for driving in daylight without the required lights switched on.
Speed cameras are run by Trafikverket, and the police investigate what they record. According to the police, the photo of the driver is compared with passport or licence photos; if the driver cannot be identified, the police ask the vehicle owner who was driving. For a rental car, that question goes to the company. Hertz's terms charge SEK 500 including VAT for notifying an authority about a recorded speeding offence, and another SEK 500 per case if it has to pay a fine you left unpaid.
Wildlife on the road
Nationella viltolycksrådet lists twelve species whose collisions must be reported to the police, including moose, red deer, fallow deer, roe deer and wild boar. After hitting one, put out the warning triangle, mark the spot so a tracker with a dog can find it, and call 112. Failing to report is punishable by a fine. Do not try to follow or kill an injured animal yourself.
Licence and pickup checks
EEA licences are valid in Sweden. Transportstyrelsen accepts other foreign licences for visitors who have not been registered residents for more than a year, but a licence that follows neither international convention and is not in English, German or French needs a certified translation.