I’m in the very preliminary stages of planing a Norway trip for 2026 and I’m thinking about cars and car rental. Has anyone rented an electric car in Norway? How easy is it to charge, cost, etc? I don’t know if it matters, but I suspect most of our travels would take us around the fjords in southern Norway rather than going way up north, but that may change. Anyone with recent experience?
Posted by
Vancouver, BC
849 posts
I personally haven’t rented a car in Norway (when I visit either local family members drive or I use trains, boats and buses) but they have the highest, per capita, rate of electric car usage in the world so I suspect charging facilities will be very available. Car rentals, like everything in Norway, are expensive so be prepared for that.
Posted by
3 posts
Yes!!!!
We are on an Electric Car road trip in Southern & Central Norway right now! Easy, easy. There are many brands of chargers all over (some easier to use than others, as in USA). And the distances aren’t nearly as far as you think. Our VW ID.4 is getting charged every other day…only just because we can. Often it doesn’t need it, and we’re driving several hours/day. Key point: We ain’t driving USA highway speeds…so a couple hours is maybe 150km, and the car can easily drive 400km. Just do it. And have fun.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7692 posts
Electric cars are very popular in Norway, and there are chargers everywhere. Norwegian roads are also often narrow and winding, so you won't drive very far in a day. Meaning that usually you don't have to think about charging as long as you can plug in the car overnight. It also saves you a lot in fuel costs.
Looking at the car sales data for Norway, of all the new cars sold this year, 93.7 % were electric. Only 0.4 % were petrol cars.
Posted by
Northern Minnesota
839 posts
In September of 2023 we rented a hybrid and got 47+ MPG. We could have plugged it in, but never did. It was nice to stop at a gas station, fill up and be on the road in minutes. There were chargers at most, but not all of our accommodations back then.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12708 posts
Do you own an electric car?
If not, is while on vacation the time you want to learn how to charge whatever electric car you might get?
Posted by
Schwerin
3994 posts
I suspect most of our travels would take us around the fjords in southern Norway
I guess you likely mean West Norway aka Fjord Norway if Bergen is one of your planned destinations. See Norway's regions.
If you mean this region it plays a role because there are high mountains and plateaus between the fjords. This will have impact on the reach with a battery (also with combustion) engine compared to flat land. Another topic is that braking and speeding up again is more often necessary due to narrow and curvy roads (example). Sometimes driving backwards is necessary.
Good to know: EVs are not allowed in some parking garages and also a very few ships, e. g. Havila coastal route.
Relevant reads:
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7692 posts
It was nice to stop at a gas station, fill up and be on the road in
minutes.
The point of an electric car is that you don't have to stop at petrol stations. You need to adjust your mindset a bit, but with an electric car you don't drive to a specific place, plug it in and wait while the car is charging. With an electric car you plug it in and let it charge while you do other things.
If not, is while on vacation the time you want to learn how to charge
whatever electric car you might get?
Don't overestimate the complexity of charging an electric car.
If you mean this region it plays a role because there are high
mountains and plateaus between the fjords. This will have impact on
the reach with a battery (also with combustion) engine compared to
flat land.
The impact will be much smaller on an electric car.