What to carry
What you must carry in your car in Norway
A hire car does not always come with these. Check the boot before you drive away. Every item links to the official source it was checked against, with the date.
Required by law
What you must carry in the car
- Warning triangle
- High-visibility vest
A car must carry at least one warning triangle and at least one reflective vest, and the vest must be within reach of the driver's seat — not in the boot. Wear the vest whenever you get out of the car after stopping at the roadside, and put the triangle well back, at least 150 m if you can. The vest is the one people forget. Check the hire car before you drive away.
Checked 9 Sep 2026 · official source
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Winter equipment
Tyres and chains are equipment too, and the rules usually apply only between set dates or on signed roads.
Winter tyres
Required whenever the road is icy or snowy
Not a date rule for a car. The law says a vehicle must not be used without enough grip for the road as it is, using winter tyres, studs or chains if that is what it takes. So if there is snow or ice where you are going, you must have winter tyres, whatever the calendar says. Alongside that there is a tread depth rule with dates: from 1 November to the first Sunday after Easter Monday, tyres on a vehicle up to 3,500 kg must have at least 3 mm of tread; the rest of the year at least 1.6 mm. In Nordland, Troms and Finnmark the 3 mm period runs from 16 October to 30 April. Studded tyres may be used inside those same periods, and outside them only when the going requires it; if you fit studs, fit them on all four wheels. Ask the hire company what the car has on it.
Checked 9 Sep 2026 · official source
Snow chains
Allowed
A car may use chains, and is never required to carry them — that duty falls on vehicles over 3,500 kg. Chains may not be used from the first Monday after Easter Monday to 31 October, unless the going makes them necessary. In Nordland, Troms and Finnmark that closed period is 1 May to 15 October. Using studs or chains when they are not allowed costs 1,000 kr.
Checked 9 Sep 2026 · official source