Motorways (motorväg) have separate carriageways and no crossing traffic, but the high speeds leave little room for mistakes. Many learners practise on them with an instructor or supervisor, and the theory test includes questions on joining, lane use and breakdowns.

Unless another source is named, the rules below come from the Traffic Ordinance (Trafikförordningen 1998:1276), mainly chapter 9 and chapter 3.

Motorway and motortrafikled: the signs

  • E1, Motorväg: marks the start of a motorway.
  • E2, Motorväg upphör: the motorway ends.
  • E3, Motortrafikled: marks the start of a motortrafikled, a road with motorway-like rules but usually a simpler design.
  • E4, Motortrafikled upphör: the motortrafikled ends.

Under the Road Signs Ordinance (Vägmärkesförordningen 2007:90), signs along and to motorways and motortrafikleder use a green background with white text. Most of the rules below also apply on a motortrafikled and its slip roads (chapter 9, section 2). The main difference is the speed limit: the motorway default of 110 km/h does not apply on a motortrafikled, where the limit is signposted.

Who may use the motorway, and how fast

Who may use it

Only motor vehicles, with or without a trailer, that are designed for and allowed to drive at least 40 km/h may use a motorway (chapter 9, section 1). Class I mopeds are not allowed.

That means no pedestrians, cyclists, class II mopeds, tractors or other slow vehicles.

Speed limits

  • The default motorway limit is 110 km/h.
  • Trafikverket may decide that a motorway has a limit of 120 km/h, and this is signposted.
  • Lower limits can be set locally, for example near large cities or at roadworks.

The posted limit is a maximum. Chapter 3, section 14 still requires you to adapt speed to weather, visibility, road surface and traffic, and to be able to stop within the distance you can see.

Joining the motorway

You may only enter a motorway at its start or via a slip road (påfartsväg), and leave only via an exit (avfartsväg) or at its end.

When you are in the acceleration lane (accelerationsfält), chapter 3, section 23 says you must:

  • adapt your speed to the traffic in the lane you are joining
  • leave the acceleration lane as soon as you can do so without danger or unnecessary obstruction

In practice: look over your shoulder early, signal, build up speed to match the traffic and find a gap. Stopping at the end of an acceleration lane is dangerous and should only happen if there is really no gap.

Drivers already on the motorway have a duty too. If you notice someone wants to move into your lane, you must adapt your speed to make it easier (chapter 3, section 43). Moving to the left lane, if it is free, is a courteous way to help.

Where there is no acceleration lane, the driver entering a motorway must give way to vehicles already on it (chapter 3, section 21).

Lane discipline and overtaking

  • Drive in the right-hand lane (chapter 3, section 7). Use the left lane to overtake, then return to the right when it is safe.
  • If you plan to overtake another vehicle shortly afterwards, you do not need to return to the right lane in between, as long as you do not cause inconvenience to faster traffic (chapter 3, section 37).
  • Overtaking is done on the left.
  • When there is dense queuing in all lanes, passing a car in another lane is not counted as overtaking (chapter 3, section 41), and only the driver in the right-hand lane may change lanes, with some exceptions (chapter 3, section 9).

Adjust your following distance so you do not risk running into the vehicle in front if it slows down or stops (chapter 3, section 2). The law gives no exact number of seconds, so think in time, not metres, and increase the gap in rain, snow and darkness.

Merging lanes and exits

When two lanes merge into one, drivers must adapt to the new situation with mutual consideration (chapter 3, section 44). Sign E15, Sammanvävning warns of a merge. This is often called the zip principle (blixtlåsprincipen): drivers from both lanes take turns at the merge point.

When leaving, move into the lane best suited for the exit in good time. If there is a deceleration lane (retardationsfält), move into it as soon as possible and do most of your braking there, not on the motorway itself (chapter 3, section 23).

If you miss your exit, drive on to the next one.

Forbidden manoeuvres and breakdowns

Forbidden on the motorway

According to chapter 9, section 1 you may not:

  • turn around or reverse
  • drive on the central reservation or on a crossing link between the carriageways
  • stop or park, except at places signed as parking or rest areas

If you break down

If the car stops on a road with a limit above 50 km/h, the driver must put out the warning triangle (chapter 3, section 57). Trafikverket's advice is: warn, leave, alarm.

  1. Warn: hazard lights on, and place the warning triangle at least 100 metres behind the car, walking along the side of the road.
  2. Leave: get yourself and your passengers out of the car and off the road, behind the crash barrier if there is one.
  3. Alarm: call a recovery service, or 112 if there is danger to life.

Typical theory test traps

  • "No sign means 120." The default motorway limit is 110 km/h. 120 only applies where signed.
  • Stopping on the hard shoulder for a rest. Stopping is only allowed at signed rest or parking areas, not on the verge.
  • Moped on the motorway. A class I moped is not allowed, even though it is a motor vehicle.
  • Reversing back to a missed exit. Reversing and turning around on a motorway are always forbidden.
  • Waiting at the start of the acceleration lane. You should use the lane to match the speed of the traffic.

FAQ

Can a learner driver use the motorway in Sweden?

The motorway rules in chapter 9 limit which vehicles may use the road, not how experienced the driver is. Learners practise on motorways with a valid learner's permit and an approved supervisor or a driving school, under the normal practice driving rules.

Do I have to return to the right lane after every overtake?

As a rule, yes. The exception is when you will overtake again shortly or turn left soon, and you do not hold up faster traffic.

What speed applies on a motortrafikled?

The speed is shown by signs. The default of 110 km/h in chapter 9 only applies on motorways.

Practising motorway questions in Körkort Hero, available in 16 languages, is an easy way to check whether you can tell motorway and motortrafikled rules apart before the test.

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