The car has stopped, and the question is what to do in the next two minutes. Here’s the order that keeps you alive, who to call, what Swedish law makes you carry and do, and which insurance pays afterwards.
When you need this
The engine dies, a tire blows or the tank runs dry on a motorway or a dark country road. You’ve had a bump with another car or hit something. You’re in a rental and don’t know whom to ring. Or you’re packing the car and wondering what Sweden makes you carry.
If you hit a moose, deer, wild boar or reindeer, there’s an extra legal duty: call 112 and mark the spot. Our wildlife collision guide walks through it.
The first two minutes: warn, leave, alert
Trafikverket, the Swedish Transport Administration, counts about four deaths a year from breakdowns and punctures on motorways and 2+1 roads alone. Its advice is three words: varna, lämna, larma — warn, leave, alert.
- Warn. Hazard lights on. If the car still rolls, get it onto the hard shoulder, a lay-by or the next exit rather than stopping in a lane.
- Put the triangle out at least 100 meters behind the car on a fast road. Keep to the verge side, and wear a reflective vest if you have one.
- Leave. Everyone out on the side away from traffic, and off the road — behind the crash barrier if there is one. In winter, take warm clothes.
- Alert. If anyone is hurt, the car is burning, or it stands in a live lane: call 112. Give the road number, the direction and the last exit or sign you passed.
- Otherwise, call for recovery on your insurer’s or rental company’s roadside-assistance number.
The step visitors skip is the third one. Sitting in the car feels safe. On a fast road it’s the most dangerous place to be, because the risk is a rear-end impact at full speed. Trafikverket says plainly that it is not safe to stay in the car.
A dropped pin from your map app helps the operator more than “somewhere on the E4”.
The warning triangle is the law, foreign cars included
Does Sweden actually require a warning triangle? Yes — and it’s the claim we checked most carefully, against the regulations themselves rather than anyone’s summary.
| Car | Rule | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| In service from 1 July 2010 | TSFS 2016:22, ch. 3 § 1 | Must be equipped with a triangle type-approved to UN ECE Regulation 27 |
| In service before 1 July 2010 | TSFS 2013:63, ch. 24 §§ 1–2 | Must carry at least one approved triangle when used |
| Registered abroad, used in Sweden | TSFS 2013:63, ch. 44 § 3 | The triangle is on the list of basics a foreign car must have |
Carrying it is half the rule. The trafikförordningen (Road Traffic Ordinance) says you must set it out when the car is stuck on the carriageway or the vägren (hard shoulder) after an accident, engine failure or similar, on a road signed above 50 km/h where stopping is otherwise forbidden. That includes every motorway and motortrafikled, the limited-access expressways. You must also set it out if you park on the carriageway and weather or other conditions make the car hard to see.
The law doesn’t give a distance. It asks for a placement that warns other drivers in good time; Trafikverket’s figure is at least 100 meters. On slower roads the statutory triangle duty doesn’t apply, but the general duty to warn other road users does.
Rental cars should come with a triangle. Check it’s actually in the trunk at pickup.
No reflective-vest duty — but carry one
We read the Road Traffic Ordinance, the Vehicle Ordinance and both Transportstyrelsen equipment regulations looking for a vest requirement. There isn’t one. That’s a negative finding from reading the texts, not a statute saying “no vest needed”, so treat it with the same care.
Official advice still includes one. Krisinformation’s winter kit list puts a reflexväst (reflective vest) alongside the torch and blankets, and it earns its place on the walk back to set the triangle in the dark. Some other countries’ rules differ, so a vest in the car is sensible anyway.
Who to call
The state doesn’t tow you. Recovery comes through a private contract you already have, and Trafikverket notes the number is often included in car insurance.
| Situation | Call |
|---|---|
| Anyone injured, fire, car in a live lane | 112 — free |
| Ordinary breakdown, car off the carriageway | Your insurer’s or rental company’s roadside-assistance number |
| Collision with a moose, deer, boar or reindeer | 112, then mark the spot |
| Fallen tree, debris or damaged barrier on a state road | Trafikverket, 0771-921 921, around the clock |
| Police matter that is over (e.g. an unattended scrape) | 114 14, or +46 77 114 14 00 from a foreign phone |
Save the assistance number before you set off, in your phone and on paper, as Krisinformation advises for winter driving. For how 112 works and what to say, see our guide to Sweden’s emergency numbers.
In Stockholm and Gothenburg, Trafikverket runs VägAssistans: road-assistance vehicles on the busiest roads that move broken-down cars off the carriageway and can jump-start a battery, change a tire or add fuel. They’re often on site within ten minutes. Trafikverket’s own article doesn’t say whether the motorist pays, and we won’t guess.
In the north and inland, towns and recovery firms are far apart, so expect a longer wait. Fill up before long empty stretches; Trafikverket’s breakdown advice starts with a full tank.
One more reason not to leave the car where it stopped: Trafikverket can remove vehicles that stand three days or more, block road maintenance or pose a safety risk. The owner pays for towing and storage, and a car not collected within a month passes to the state and is scrapped.
After a collision: the legal duties
Swedish law puts four duties on everyone involved in a traffic accident, whoever was at fault:
- Stay at the scene, help the injured as far as you can, and assist with what the accident reasonably requires.
- Identify yourself. Anyone involved, or whose property was damaged, can ask for your name, address and account of what happened.
- Notify. If someone is more than slightly hurt, tell the police as soon as possible. If you damaged property and nobody is there, tell the owner or the police.
- Clear the road, carefully. Move a car that endangers or blocks traffic at once. But if someone died or was seriously injured, move it only if it endangers other traffic, and leave the traces alone.
Leaving to avoid these duties is smitning, punishable by fines or up to six months in prison, and up to a year if the offence is gross. And driving off from a car-park scrape without telling the owner or the police breaks the notification duty.
Then document it: photos, the other car’s registration, insurance details, and a report form signed by both drivers if your insurer provides one. Insurers often want either that or a police report. Tell your insurer or rental company the same day.
Who pays
Every Swedish vehicle carries trafikförsäkring, the compulsory traffic insurance. It pays for injuries — the driver’s and passengers’ included — and for damage to other people’s property. It never pays for the car it insures, or for things carried in it.
In a rental, that means damage to the car falls under the rental contract, and you pay up to the excess unless you’ve reduced it. Our car rental guide covers the contract, and travel insurance may already include excess cover.
If a foreign-registered car is involved, the claim goes to that vehicle’s insurer. TFF, the Swedish traffic insurers’ association, acts as Sweden’s information centre and helps trace where a vehicle is insured. If an unknown vehicle damaged your property, TFF handles the claim, possibly with an excess. Claims go in writing on a form that is only in Swedish, and TFF doesn’t take them by phone.
Mistakes to avoid
- “Sweden has no triangle requirement.” It does, for every car on Swedish roads.
- Waiting inside the car for the tow truck on a fast road.
- Calling 112 for a flat tire on a quiet road. 112 is for danger to life, property or the environment.
- Setting the triangle two car-lengths back. Trafikverket’s minimum is 100 meters.
- Assuming traffic insurance covers the rental car. It covers people and other people’s property.
- Driving off after a scrape with no one present. You must notify the owner or the police.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Emergency | 112 — free, any phone |
| Police, non-urgent | 114 14 (own operator’s rate); +46 77 114 14 00 from a foreign phone |
| Road hazards on state roads | Trafikverket 0771-921 921, 24 hours |
| Triangle distance | At least 100 m (Trafikverket); law: “in good time” |
| Triangle | Compulsory in every car, foreign-registered included |
| Reflective vest | Not required by Swedish vehicle rules; recommended |
| Towing costs | Vary by firm and distance; often covered by insurance or the rental contract |
| Traffic insurance | Pays injuries and others’ property, never your own car |
FAQ
What should I do if my car breaks down on a Swedish motorway?
Hazard lights on, then set the warning triangle at least 100 meters back, keeping to the verge side as you walk. Get everyone out on the side away from traffic and behind the barrier; do not wait in the car. Then call your insurer’s or rental company’s roadside-assistance line, or 112 if the car is in a live lane or anyone is hurt.
Is a warning triangle mandatory in Sweden?
Yes. Every car used in Sweden must carry at least one type-approved warning triangle, and the rule also covers foreign-registered cars. The driver must set it out when the car is stuck on the carriageway or hard shoulder of a road signed above 50 km/h, such as a motorway. Trafikverket’s advice is to place it at least 100 meters back.
Do I need a reflective vest in my car in Sweden?
Not by law, as far as the Swedish vehicle rules read for this guide show: they require a triangle, not a vest. Krisinformation still lists a reflective vest as good to have, and it matters most when you walk back to place the triangle in darkness. Some other countries’ rules differ, so a vest is worth keeping in the car anyway.
Who do I call for a breakdown in Sweden?
For an ordinary breakdown, the roadside-assistance number from your car insurance or rental contract; Trafikverket notes it is often included in car insurance. Call 112 only when someone is injured, there is fire, or the car stands where it endangers traffic. Report a non-urgent road hazard, such as a fallen tree, to Trafikverket on 0771-921 921.
What must I do after a car accident in Sweden?
Stay at the scene, help anyone injured, and give your name, address and account of events to anyone involved who asks. If someone is more than slightly hurt, notify the police as soon as possible. If you damage unattended property, tell the owner or the police. Leaving to avoid these duties is a crime punishable by fines or prison.
Does Swedish traffic insurance cover damage to my rental car?
No. The compulsory trafikförsäkring pays for injuries to the driver, passengers and others, and for damage to other people’s property, but never for the vehicle it insures. If another driver caused the damage, that driver’s traffic insurance pays for your car. Damage to a rental car falls under the rental contract’s damage cover, and you pay up to the excess unless you have reduced it.
What if a foreign-registered car is involved in the accident?
Report the claim to the foreign vehicle’s insurer. The Swedish traffic-insurance association, TFF, is Sweden’s information centre and helps trace where foreign vehicles are insured. Get the other car’s registration and insurance details at the scene, and a report signed by both drivers or a police report, which insurers often require.
Related guides
- Wildlife collisions in Sweden — the statutory 112 duty if you hit a moose or deer.
- 112 and Sweden’s emergency numbers — what to say when the operator answers.
- Renting a car in Sweden — the excess, the damage cover and the charges that arrive later.
- Winter driving in Sweden — the kit list and the dark-road risks behind most breakdown deaths.
- Driving in Sweden — the rest of the rules this page builds on.
Facts verified 2026-09-24. Sources: Trafikförordningen (1998:1276), Transportstyrelsen (TSFS 2016:22, TSFS 2013:63), the Traffic Offences Act (1951:649), Trafikverket, Krisinformation.se, Trafikförsäkringsföreningen, Konsumenternas Försäkringsbyrå, SOS Alarm and Polismyndigheten — full register in this topic’s source file. No towing prices are published here; they vary by firm and distance. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.