Driving in Norway in winter conditions
Driving through Norway in winter can be like moving through a real-life winter wonderland. But it's also at times a challenging experience and it's important to know how to drive in cold weather conditions.
What kind of tyres do I need? How do I drive safely on snow and ice? Here's everything you need to know to get behind the wheel in Norway in winter.
If you are going to drive in Norway in the cold season (October - April) you and your car need to be prepared before you hit the road. Icy, slippery roads, snow, darkness and poor visibility can make driving challenging at this time of year.
If you don't have experience with winter driving, consider hiring a car with a driver or travelling by public transport instead.
Never stop in the middle of the road to take pictures or to enjoy the view. Take photos only when parked in designated safe stopping areas. Using a mobile phone while driving can cost you a fine of almost 1000 euros.
Here is everything you need to know to drive safely on Norwegian roads.
Preparations
Change tyres
Change to winter tyres or studded tyres when the weather conditions require it. Winterly conditions can occur from early October in the north, and usually a bit later in the south.
Studded tyres may only be used from 1 November to the first Sunday after Easter Monday. In Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, studded tyres may only be used from 16 October to 30 April.
Don't wait for the snow to fall before changing to winter tyres. The roads can also be icy when the temperature hovers around 0 degrees Celsius, even without snow. It’s better to leave your car parked until the weather improves or you’ve changed your tyres.
Check that your tyres are in good condition with the correct tread depth. The legal minimum is 1.6 mm for regular tyres and 3 mm for winter tyres. Driving with worn-out tyres can have serious consequences.
See more information on tyre requirements.
Remove snow and ice
Always carry an ice scraper and brush and a small shovel in your car. Remove all snow and ice from all of the windows with a correct tool. Avoid improvising with other tools, as you might scratch the car and the glass. If you don't remove the snow from your car and ensure enough visibility, you may be fined and have your licence suspended.
It’s actually illegal to drive a car with, for example, heavy snow on the roof. Check that your headlights are free of snow and that your windscreen wipers are clean and free of ice.
Make sure you havesufficient windscreen washer fluid, and that the liquid is freeze proof.
It can also be helpful to have extra equipment like snow chains or similar tools if you’re driving on particularly challenging roads. For trips in the mountains and the countryside, pack a bag with warm clothes, blankets and some food and drink, in case of unforeseen problems on the road or with the car.
Make sure your car has enough battery or fuel.
Rental cars
In Norway, rental cars are equipped with winter tyres as standard during the cold season. Most rental locations have everything you need for your car, including winter tyres, chains, and anti-freeze for diesel.
Check the forecast
Be prepared and check the weather forecast on Yr.no before driving.
The weather in Norway can range from clear blue skies, sparkling with sunlight and glittering snow, to snowstorms, hail, and darkness, sometimes all within the same hour.
Freezing rain: When the raindrops freeze to ice as soon as they hit the ground it's called freezing rain. This covers the entire roadway with a thin layer of ice which makes is very dangerous to drive. You should avoid driving in these conditions. If you still have to drive, at least wait until the roads are ploughed and gritted and drive slowly.
It's not only in the winter that the roads could be icy. Norwegian weather is unpredictable, so slippery roads and poor visibility could occur in early autumn and late spring as well, and sometimes even for shorter periods in summer on high altitude mountain roads.
Check the Vegvesen app or visit Vegvesen.no for the latest weather and driving condition updates.
Road closures
During blizzards, strong winds and bad weather, mountain passes, bridges and exposed roads might be closed with a barrier or a red light. It might be life threatening to bypass the barrier, even if the weather may not look too bad.
Mountain passes
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration occasionally mandates convoy driving or closes mountain passes when it's unsafe to drive, to ensure your safety.
If you know that there is a risk of driving in a convoy, remember to have a full tank or fully charged battery, warm clothes, food and hot drinks.
Always check the weather forecast for mountain passes.
Norwegian Scenic Routes
Norway has 18 scenic routes, some of which are closed during winter, due difficult driving conditions and difficulty ploughing in winter on high mountain passes.
How to drive on snow
First – FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELT! The number one lifesaver in traffic.
Adjust your speed: The most important advice is to adjust your speed to the conditions. On icy and snowy roads, many things can happen suddenly and unexpectedly in traffic.
Maintain a steady speed without shifting gears or accelerating too much when driving uphill, to avoid your tyres slipping or getting stuck. Use a low gear and avoid sudden braking when driving downhill. If you need to brake before a turn, start slowing down gently before the curve and before turning the steering wheel.
Do a brake test: This is an effective way to check how slippery the road is. Make sure there are no cars directly behind you, pick a straight road, brake hard and feel how much your vehicle slows down. Test the road grip often as it can quickly change during your drive. Remember, braking distances increase significantly on snow-covered and slippery roads so always keep a safe (longer) distance to the car in front.
Ensure good visibility: If it's snowing heavily and visibility is poor, turn on your headlights; do not rely on hazard lights only.
If visibility is less than 100 metres, you can use fog lights. Remember to turn them off when visibility improves.
Narrower roads: In some places that get a lot of snow, the ploughing edges can be very high and may also make the road more narrow.
Animals crossings
Watch out for animals crossing the road. The risk of encountering these on the road is greatest in autumn and winter.
- Take wildlife warning signs seriously. The signs warn of a real danger.
- Slow down on sections with a risk of wild animals.
- Keep an eye on the terrain at the side of the road, and look for tracks in the snow.
- Deer and moose rarely walk alone. If one animal runs across the road, more are coming. And they run fast!
Source: NAF – The Norwegian Automobile Association
Winter driving with EVs
It's no secret that there's quite a difference between summer and winter driving, especially in an EV where the colder temperatures can affect battery life.
Winter driving requires more awareness in general. If you're in an EV, be sure to stop and charge your car when you can, particularly in the parts of Norway where the chargers are further apart. You never know if you'll get stuck in traffic or if a road may close due to bad weather, so don't let your battery run too low.
Most EVs have a range extension mode, which gives you more kilometres per charge in exchange for turning off electric items in the car that use energy, like air conditioning, heating and music. This can be fine to use during the warmer months, but having to turn off your heating in the winter months is not that great.
Charging your EV
There are almost 30,000 charging points and over 8,000 fast chargers as of August 2024, according to NOBIL. No need for range anxiety!
You can easily find charging points on ladestasjoner.no's map or by searching for them in Google maps or Apple maps, for example. Many modern cars also show you their charging network and have accompanying apps.
Norway has a lot of charging options, but it's worth noting that you shouldn't drain your battery completely before your next stop, as you can run into unforeseen issues, such as a charger that is out of order.
Read more about driving an EV in Norway.
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