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Delays and queues expected on Norwegian roads due to Easter holidays

Motorists should expect queues and delays on Norwegian roads on Friday as roughly a million Norwegians prepare to head to the mountains for 'påskeferie'

Published: 8 April 2022 11:08 CEST
Traffic in Norway.
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has warned of long queues. Pictured are cars in a Norwegian town. Photo by Darya Tryfanava on Unsplash

On Friday, Norwegian schools break up for påskeferie (Easter holidays), and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration has said that queues should be expected. 

“We expect a lot of traffic,” Nils Karbø from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration told newswire NTB. 

Karbø warned that the E6 in Gudbrandsdalen around Lillehammer and the E18 in Agder, may be some of the places with the longest delays. 

According to NTB, 1.2 million Norwegians plan to head to mountain cabins this Easter, likely leading to queues around the big cities. 

Next Wednesday, the day before Maundy Thursday, is also expected to be hectic as the days that follow are the public holidays for the Easter weekend. 

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration said that it would be monitoring the roads closely. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has a route planner which will inform you of any toll roads and delays on your trip. 

“We follow and post traffic reports continuously. We have webcams in several places that you can look at before setting out on a trip. We also have a new service for mountain crossings where you can subscribe to SMS notification if it is closed or column driving,” Karbø said. 

Drivers are also being asked to pay extra attention, drive courteously and not use a mobile phone by the road administration. 

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Norway to remove VAT exemption for electric cars 

Electric cars over a certain value will be subject to VAT from next year, the Norwegian government announced in its revised national budget on Thursday. 

Published: 12 May 2022 14:14 CEST
Norway to remove VAT exemption for electric cars 

The current VAT, or MVA, exemption for electric cars will be replaced with a subsidy scheme, the Norwegian government announced when unveiling its revised national budget. 

Under the new subsidy scheme, consumers will be required to pay VAT on all-electric cars that cost more than 500,000 kroner. The VAT charges will be introduced from January 1st 2023. 

“All-electric cars receive support at the bottom (of the price range), but the more expensive electric car you buy, the more VAT you have to pay,” Minister of Finance Trygve Slagsvold Vedum said of the announcement. 

READ MORE: What the revised national budget in Norway means for foreigners

Cars purchased between now and the end of the year will be exempt from VAT, regardless of price. 

Under the new subsidy scheme, buying an electric car with a sticker price of more than 600,000 kroner would become 25,000 kroner. 

Electric cars over 1 million kroner will become 12.5 percent more expensive due to the VAT charges. 

Norway’s Electric Car Association has said criticised the introduction of VAT. 

“The entire electric car policy is at stake. It’s an incomprehensibly bad idea,” Christina Bu, general secretary of the association, told public broadcaster NRK.

Generous tax incentives have contributed to more than half of new cars sold in Norway being electric vehicles. 

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