As a leader in the switch to electric, Sweden offers many great incentives for EV drivers. With an EV market share of 26% and an increase in sales of 253% in 2019, Sweden is making great strides in electric transformation. The growing popularity of EVs is due to increased incentives, namely national grants, tax subsidies, and local incentives.
Below, are some of the most attractive incentives available for Sweden’s EV drivers.
EV Incentives
- Bonus Malus scheme: National grant for EVs and PHEVs:
- A grant of 60,000 SEK (€6,000) is available for up to 25% of the car’s purchase price (new) for low emission vehicles serviced before 2020 with CO2 emissions of up to 60g/km and vehicles serviced during 2020 or later with CO2 emissions of up to 70g/km. The grant is available for both individuals and businesses.
- Calculate your EV’s grant amount here.
- Grants for EV buses:
- A grant of 20% of the EV bus purchase price is available for public transport authorities, municipalities, or limited companies.
- For private transport companies, the grant is 40% of the difference between the EV bus purchase price and a comparable diesel bus.
- Company car tax deduction:
- Up to 40% for EVs and PHEVs. The grant amount is up to a maximum cost of 10,000 SEK (€1,000).
- Check your EV’s tax deduction here.
- Free access to HOV (high occupancy vehicle) and bus lanes in some areas.
EV Charging Incentives
- Charge the car grant – covers the cost of up to 50% of the cost of EVSE materials, up to a maximum cost per charge point of 10,000 SEK (€1,000) for individuals and 15,000 SEK (€1,500) for companies, municipalities, councils, and foundations.
- Swedish Transport Association Fast Charging Grant – grant for up to 100% of the costs of fast charging public-use EVSE.
Between 2012 and 2020, the number of charging units in Sweden has increased from 500 to 10,000. You can find your nearest public charging points using this map.
Find out more about how to obtain EVSE in Sweden with this useful checklist.
There are also local charging incentives throughout major cities in Sweden.
Stockholm
- Free charging of EVs and PHEVs – when you subscribe to a parking space in Stockholm, you only pay the parking fee. Charging is free. The only exception is the Högalid garage on Södermalm – you’ll need to obtain the requisition key from their customer services.
- You can find a list of charging stations in Stockholm city by checking Electromaps EV charging station map.
Gothenburg
- Car Charing Permit – you can apply for a car charging permit for one of the city’s many parking facilities. Create an account on the Gothenburg Parkering website, apply for a parking permit, and then a charging permit.
- Pilot Project for Easier Electric Charging – from 1st April, you can use city car parks to charge your residential EV, whether you’re parking or not. The pilot project lasts one year and is a collaboration between the traffic office, Gothenburg Energy, and Gothenburg Parkering.
- To charge your EV at one of the city’s car parks, you’ll need to create an account with Gothenburg Energy. Then you can download the EV charging app for Android or IOS. You’ll also need the unique code for each car park, which you can find here.
- Also, during the autumn and winter of 2020/2021, the local government will carry out an expansion of the EV public charging network in Gothenburg. This means that 500 new charging stations will be available in public parking areas around the city.
- You can find a list of charging points in Gothenburg by visiting the Electromaps EV charging station map.
Malmö
- Rent a charging point – pay a subscription and you can have access to available charging points in 8 of the city centre’s car parks. Parking is free, and electricity costs just 3 SEK/kWh (€0.30/kWh).
- The local government is working to provide 20% of parking spaces with EVSE. At the moment, there are over 150 public charging stations in Malmö. You can find a list of them here.
- The chargers are different speeds – some you can charge up to 22 kW/h, with others you can charge up to 3.7 kW/h.
Uppsala
- Rent a charging point – pay a subscription and you can have access to available charging points in the city. You don’t pay for parking, just for electricity.
- You can find a map of all charging points in Uppsala here.
Sweden: Driving the Switch To Electric
Sweden continues to support the shift to electric power as an alternative to traditional fuel. The incentives on offer are a testament to their commitment.
Regardless, demand for electricity in Stockholm and other major Swedish cities are outpacing supply, proving there is still room for improvement in offering electric power as a viable alternative. A two-year research project, which includes charging schemes and a large investment in a new battery storage facility, are important steps in addressing power supply issues and ensuring a greener future.
The Swedish government has set a target of becoming carbon-neutral by 2045. This will require 2.5 million EVs and PHEVs (plug-in hybrids) by the end of the next decade. A charging network will also be needed to sustain the increase in EVs.
Plans are currently in place to expand the innovative technology behind the world’s first electric charging road to other parts of the country. Meanwhile, EV owners across Sweden will soon be driving and charging at the same time, as policymakers continue working towards a greener future.
To find out more about EV and EV charging incentives in other European countries and how they compare to the Swedish subsidies, read our complete EU EV incentives guide.
