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Sweden Car Rental

Hello,
My wife and I will be in Sweden September 1 - 9, primarily to see where the family ancestors came from. Our plan is to spend 3 days in Stockholm, 1 day visiting some villages in the Skillingaryd area, 2 days in Kalmar, then a final day in Stockholm before flying out. We plan to rent a car when we leave Stockholm to give us flexibility in exploring the different locations. We have a couple of questions about traveling in Sweden with a rental car:

Nearly all the rental cars we see are fully electric. Does anyone know how easy it is to find charging stations, especially outside of the main cities? Do hotels provide chargers onsite? This would be our first time using an electric vehicle.

Do most charging stations have a fast charger?

How do tolls work with a rental car? Does the car come with a pass or transponder to add the toll to the rental account?
Thanks for the help!

Posted by
6957 posts

Does anyone know how easy it is to find charging stations, especially
outside of the main cities?

In general pretty easy. Here is an unofficial map of charging stations: https://www.uppladdning.nu/Map.aspx?ln=sv

Do hotels provide chargers onsite?

Many do, but not all.

Do most charging stations have a fast charger?

In general they do, although not at hotels since they are probably for guest staying overnight.

How do tolls work with a rental car? Does the car come with a pass or
transponder to add the toll to the rental account?

You have to ask the rental company. I would not assume any kind of pass or transponder and you probably have to pay them yourself. But toll roads are rare in Sweden, and the only one you are likely to encounter is the Stockholm congestion charge.

However, you should probably rethink this plan a bit in my opinion. Instead of renting a car in Stockholm, take the train to e.g. Jönköping or Nässjö and rent the car there. Then return the car in Kalmar and take the train back to Stockholm. That will save you a bit of time, and the long and boring drive south from Stockholm. And you don't have to deal with the traffic around Stockholm.

Posted by
11 posts

Thanks Badger, that is really helpful, especially the charging station map! I will do some math and see if it makes more sense just to rent a car closer to Jönköping.

Posted by
6957 posts

In my opinion it makes a lot more sense. I guess it will save you a bit of money. But the important reason is in my opinion that it will save you a long and boring drive. There is nothing fun about the E4 south from Stockholm, and the train is a lot faster. The E4 is also prone to congestion, so if you're unlucky driving from Stockholm can mean a lot of time spent sitting in traffic jams.

If a one way rental from Jönköping to Kalmar is expensive, consider renting a car in Linköping or Norrköping instead.

Posted by
6957 posts

And if you're going to Norway after, returning to Stockholm does not sound like the best idea. That is a bit of a detour.

Posted by
10158 posts

Thanks for the info Badger. I have been looking into trains and rental cars for the part of my trip away from Stockholm and you are giving me the information I need to finalize my choice!