Guide · Sweden
Driving a UK-registered car in Sweden: how long you can keep UK plates, what registering it costs, and what to do instead
Sweden has no registration tax, but since Brexit a UK car still carries customs duty and 25% VAT and has to pass an origin check and registration inspection. This guide covers how long you can stay on UK plates, the steps and costs, and the alternative.
Last reviewed September 2026
How long can I keep it on UK plates?
Non-residents may use a foreign-registered car in Sweden temporarily while its home registration, inspection and insurance are valid. Once you are resident the car must be registered in Sweden; the UK registration cannot be kept from abroad because the V5C needs a UK address and the MOT and UK insurance lapse.
Can a right-hand-drive car be registered?
Right-hand-drive cars can be registered in Sweden. The registration inspection will require headlamps adjusted for driving on the right, and Swedish buyers pay less for right-hand drive.
What registering it involves
- Customs clearance as a non-EU import through Tullverket (declaration, duty and VAT).
- Ursprungskontroll (origin check) by Transportstyrelsen.
- Registreringsbesiktning at an approved inspection company.
- Registration with Transportstyrelsen: Swedish plates and registration certificate.
- Swedish traffic insurance from the day of registration.
What it costs
- Customs duty: 10% of the customs value unless UK origin is documented under the EU–UK agreement.
- VAT: 25% on the value plus duty.
- Origin check, inspection, headlamp work and registration fees.
Moving home? Transfer-of-residence relief
If you lived in the UK for at least 12 months and owned and used the car for 6 months or more, transfer-of-residence relief (flyttsakstullfrihet) normally removes customs duty and VAT when you move to Sweden. Apply to Tullverket with proof; the inspection and registration costs still apply, and the car cannot be sold for 12 months.
The alternative: sell it back to the UK
Selling back to the UK trade avoids all of it. We buy UK-registered cars in Sweden as they stand, collect free from any address, handle the export paperwork, and pay in pounds sterling on the day.
Get a free valuation for your car in Sweden
Free collection anywhere in Sweden, all export paperwork handled, paid in pounds sterling (£) on the day.
Value my UK carCommon questions
What if the MOT has expired?
Not a problem — we buy cars with expired MOT or SORN and collect by transporter.
How quickly can you collect in Sweden?
Usually within a week or two of acceptance; Skåne and Stockholm are on regular runs, the north takes longer.
Is a UK-built car cheaper to import?
It can qualify for zero customs duty under the EU–UK agreement if origin is documented; VAT still applies.
Rules, rates and thresholds change. This guide is a general summary as of September 2026, not legal or tax advice — check the current position with the registration authority or a customs agent before relying on it.
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