Three lines on your registration document decide almost every motorhome rule in Sweden: the vehicle class, the maximum authorised mass and the number of seats. Here is what each one means for your speed, your load and what you pay on the road.
When you need this
- You are driving your own motorhome to Sweden and want to know which limits apply to it
- You are loading up for a family trip and wondering how close you are to 3,500 kg
- You are towing a car or trailer behind the motorhome
- Your route crosses the Øresund Bridge, Sundsvall or Motala, or runs into Stockholm
- An EPASS24 letter has arrived after the trip
Speed: the registration decides, not the weight
Many guides give every motorhome over 3.5 tonnes an 80 km/h limit. Swedish law doesn’t. What counts is how the vehicle is registered. A motorhome registered as a car (personbil klass II: fixed seats, beds, cooking equipment and a table) has no special speed limit at any weight and follows the posted limits like any car.
| Your motorhome | Speed limit |
|---|---|
| Registered as a car (personbil klass II), any weight | Posted limits, as for a car |
| Registered as a heavy truck (tung lastbil, over 3.5 t) | 80 km/h, 90 on motorways and expressways |
| Any motorhome towing a trailer or car | 80 km/h |
A lower posted limit always wins, so 80 is a ceiling, not an entitlement. If you are caught speeding with a trailer, the fine is calculated from 80, not from the road’s 110. A new version of the vehicle speed table takes effect on 1 December 2026; the motorhome and towing limits stay the same. For the fines themselves, see speed limits in Sweden.
Totalvikt: the number that sets your load
Totalvikt (maximum authorised mass) is on the registration document, and Swedish law defines it precisely. It is the tjänstevikt (kerb weight) plus the heaviest load of passengers and goods the vehicle is built for. The kerb weight already includes fuel, oil, water, tools, the spare wheel and the driver. The gap between the two is your payload (maximilast).
That means every passenger apart from the driver comes out of the payload. So do fresh water, gas bottles, food, bikes, chairs and luggage. On a 3,500 kg motorhome the payload can be small, so passengers and full tanks can use most of it before the luggage goes in.
The same figure decides your licence. A B licence covers a motorhome registered at up to 3,500 kg; heavier needs at least C1. The EU rule letting B holders drive motorhomes up to 4,250 kg after training or a test is not in force in Sweden, whatever a forum says. The details are in our motorhome guide.
Overload: fines, unloading and your licence
The law is short: while driving, totalvikt may not be exceeded. Since 1 January 2021 the overload is measured as a percentage of totalvikt, not of payload. Older forum pages describing the payload system are out of date.
The fixed fine rises with the percentage: 500 kr at the bottom band, then 500 kr more for every five percentage points, up to 4,000 kr at 35% over. A truck-registered motorhome follows a steeper scale that reaches 4,000 kr at 25%. The full table is in Practical information below. The owner or holder can be fined, and so can the driver who knew or should have known.
Two harder consequences sit on top of the fine:
- Over 10%, you unload. The police or a vehicle inspector must have the vehicle reloaded or unloaded before it goes on, whether the excess comes from luggage or from passengers. Travel can also be stopped, including with a wheel clamp.
- Your licence. Transportstyrelsen has said that 10% brings a warning and that above 30% the licence can be revoked, depending on the circumstances. A foreign licence’s validity in Sweden is judged by the same rules.
On a 3,500 kg motorhome, 5% is 175 kg and 10% is 350 kg.
Seats: berths don’t count
A motorhome may carry no more passengers than it is registered for, and each must sit in a place intended for passengers. A six-berth motorhome with four registered seats carries four people on the road. Nobody travels at the dinette or in a bed unless that place is a registered seat. Each breach costs 500 kr.
Weight, height and length signs
Some signs name vehicle types, others measure your vehicle. The difference matters in a heavy motorhome.
| Sign | What it limits | Applies to a car-registered motorhome? |
|---|---|---|
| C7 No heavy trucks | Tung lastbil | No: it is not a truck |
| C20 / C21 Gross weight | Actual weight on the road (bruttovikt) | Yes, by what you weigh now |
| C23 Axle load | Load on each axle | Yes |
| C17 Height | Where clearance is under 4.5 m | Yes |
| C18 Length | Vehicle or combination | Yes |
Weight signs on small bridges limit your actual weight, not your registered one. Axle and gross-weight breaches have their own fines, up to 4,000 kr. Know your height with the roof box and your length with the bike rack before tunnels, car parks and old underpasses.
Tolls: what a motorhome actually pays
Sweden has no motorway vignette for motorhomes. The heavy-vehicle road charge (vägavgift) applies only to vehicles built or used for goods transport: from 12 tonnes today, and over 3.5 tonnes from 26 March 2027. A car-registered motorhome is outside it.
What you will meet, all charged by camera and billed afterwards:
- Bridge fee (broavgift) on three bridges: Sundsvall (E4), Motala (road 50) and Skurubron (road 222, Nacka). Sundsvall and Motala have a higher rate for heavy trucks. A motorhome registered as a car pays the car rate whatever its weight; a truck-registered one pays the truck rate. See bridge tolls and EPASS24.
- Congestion tax (trängselskatt) in Stockholm and Gothenburg, charged on a motorhome as on any car. Gothenburg charges nothing in July; Stockholm still does. See congestion charges in Sweden.
- The Øresund Bridge to Denmark is a separate operator toll priced by length. Over 6 m, a motorhome is in the double-price class. See the Øresund Bridge.
- The Svinesund bridge to Norway has been free since 15 March 2021.
Foreign owners are billed through EPASS24. Don’t ignore a small invoice: a 9 kr bridge fee becomes 809 kr once both late fees are added.
Zones and winter rules follow registration too
Stockholm’s environmental zones split by vehicle class. Class 1, covering most of the inner city, governs heavy trucks and buses, so it catches a truck-registered motorhome. Class 2, on Hornsgatan, governs cars and requires Euro 6 for diesels.
Winter tyres split the same way. A car-registered motorhome needs them from 1 December to 31 March in winter road conditions, with 5 mm tread if it is over 3,500 kg. A truck-registered one follows the heavy-vehicle rule: 10 November to 10 April, whatever the weather. Details in winter tires in Sweden.
Practical information
| Item | Amount (checked 2026-09-24) |
|---|---|
| Overload, car-registered: 1–4% / 5–9% / 10–14% / 15–19% | 500 / 1,000 / 1,500 / 2,000 kr |
| Overload, car-registered: 20–24% / 25–29% / 30–34% / 35%+ | 2,500 / 3,000 / 3,500 / 4,000 kr |
| Overload, truck-registered up to 12 t: 1–4% / 5–9% / 10–14% / 15–19% / 20–24% / 25%+ | 500 / 1,000 / 1,500 / 2,000 / 3,000 / 4,000 kr |
| Too many passengers / passenger not in a seat | 500 kr each |
| Sundsvall bridge, car / heavy truck | 9 / 20 kr per passage |
| Motala bridge, car / heavy truck | 5 / 11 kr per passage |
| Skurubron | 4 kr per passage |
| Bridge fee paid late | +300 kr, then +500 kr |
| Congestion tax Stockholm / Gothenburg | 11–45 kr, max 135 a day / 9–22 kr, max 60 a day |
| Øresund, motorhome 6–10 m, single, at the booth | 940 DKK (over 10 m: 1,655 DKK) |
| Svinesund bridge | Free |
FAQ
What is the speed limit for a motorhome in Sweden?
It depends on the registration, not the weight. A motorhome registered as a car, personbil klass II, has no special limit and follows posted limits up to 120 km/h, even above 3,500 kg. One registered as a heavy truck is capped at 80 km/h, or 90 on motorways and expressways. Towing a trailer caps any motorhome at 80.
What happens if my motorhome is overweight in Sweden?
You are fined on a scale set by the percentage over the registered totalvikt: 500 kr at 1–4%, rising in 500 kr steps to 4,000 kr at 35% or more. Above 10% the police must have the vehicle unloaded before it goes on, and Transportstyrelsen has said licence warnings start around 10%, with revocation possible above 30%.
Do passengers count towards a motorhome’s weight?
Yes. Totalvikt is the kerb weight, which already includes the driver, plus the passengers and load the vehicle is built for. Every passenger apart from the driver comes out of the payload, along with water, gas, food, bikes and luggage. The unloading rule over 10% applies whether the excess comes from load or from people.
How many people can travel in a motorhome?
No more than the number of passengers it is registered for, and each must sit in a place intended for passengers. Berths do not count; only the registered seats do. Breaking either rule costs 500 kr per breach. A six-berth motorhome with four registered seats carries four people on the road.
Do motorhomes pay tolls in Sweden?
Only a few. Sundsvall, Motala and Skurubron charge a bridge fee by camera, and Stockholm and Gothenburg charge congestion tax; foreign owners are billed afterwards through EPASS24. There is no motorway vignette for motorhomes. The Øresund Bridge to Denmark is a separate operator toll priced by length; the Svinesund bridge to Norway is free.
Does a heavy motorhome pay the truck rate on Swedish bridges?
Only if it is registered as a truck. Sundsvall charges 9 kr for a car and 20 kr for a heavy truck over 3.5 t; Motala 5 kr and 11 kr. A motorhome registered as a car pays the car rate at any weight. Skurubron charges 4 kr per passage.
How much does the Øresund Bridge cost with a motorhome?
From 14 September 2026 a motorhome of 6–10 m pays 940 DKK per single crossing at the toll station, 840 DKK online or 364 DKK with an ØresundGO agreement. Over 10 m it is 1,655 DKK at the booth. A camper van of 6 m or less pays the car price, 470 DKK. Measure with bikes and racks fitted.
Related guides
- Sweden by motorhome — the whole trip: licence, overnight stops, gas and waste
- Renting a motorhome in Sweden — licence, seats and the handover if you’re not bringing your own
- Overnight RV parking in Sweden — the 24-hour rule and where you may sleep
- Bringing a caravan to Sweden — towing rules and the 80 km/h ceiling in depth
- Bridge tolls and EPASS24 — how the invoice works and what late fees add
Facts verified 2026-09-24. Sources: Sveriges Riksdag (Road Traffic Ordinance, Road Traffic Definitions Act, Road Signs Ordinance, Driving Licence Act, Congestion Tax Act, Road Charge Act), Transportstyrelsen, Åklagarmyndigheten, Stockholms stad, Øresundsbron — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.