Studded tyres in Norway from 1 November 2026: the rules, Oslo and Bergen fees – and when you need studs

From Sunday 1 November, then, you can drive on studs freely in southern and central Norway. The same dates and exceptions apply to snow chains, and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) can grant exemptions.

In spring, studs remain legal until Sunday 4 April 2027. Easter Monday falls on 29 March 2027, so the ban returns on Monday 5 April. In the three northern counties, studs can stay on until 30 April.

What do the rules say about the tyres themselves?

The basic principle in section 1-4 is that a vehicle must have sufficient grip for the conditions. From 1 November until 4 April 2027, tyres must have at least 3 mm of tread on vehicles up to 3,500 kg and 5 mm on heavier vehicles. The rest of the year the minimum is 1.6 mm.

Only winter tyres – marked M+S or carrying the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol – may be studded. A car of up to 3,500 kg on studs must have studded tyres on all wheels, with roughly the same number of studs in each.

How much is the stud fee in Oslo and Bergen for winter 2026/27?

According to the City of Oslo, you need a stud permit from 1 November 2026 to 4 April 2027. It applies on every road inside the municipal boundary, including if you are simply driving through.

• Day (24 hours): NOK 35 (NOK 70 above 3,500 kg)
• Month: NOK 450 (NOK 900)
• Season: NOK 1,400 (NOK 2,800)
• Penalty charge in Oslo: NOK 750 for all vehicles

In Oslo you pay through the Bil i Oslo app, online or at a ticket machine – not by text message or Vipps. The permit is electronic, so nothing needs to be displayed in the car. A monthly permit covers one calendar month, and a season permit can be cancelled with a refund for the rest of the season.

What is different in Bergen?

Bergen municipality charges the same rates over the same season, 1 November 2026 to 4 April 2027. Payment is through the Parkering i Bergen app. A monthly permit runs for 31 days from purchase, and day permits are also sold as scratch cards. Fees paid in Bergen are not refunded.

Bergen says it has “the same studded tyre scheme as Oslo and Trondheim”, and a valid permit from either of those cities is also accepted in Bergen.

Why do Norwegian cities charge for studded tyres?

“The studded tyre charge is an environmental measure to reduce particulate matter and maintain good air quality,” Bergen municipality writes. The numbers show why. According to the road safety handbook published by the Institute of Transport Economics (TØI), a car on studded tyres wears away 2.88 grams of road surface per kilometre, against 0.14 grams without studs – roughly 20 times as much. A new studded tyre is also on average 7 decibels louder than a new studless winter tyre.

The fee is contested. The Progress Party (Frp) proposed scrapping it, but according to the Storting’s case record, the proposal was voted down 71 to 30 on 10 February 2026. The transport committee’s report (Innst. 93 S) says Oslo took in about NOK 39 million, Bergen NOK 16 million and Trondheim NOK 32 million in 2024.

Do I need studs, or are studless winter tyres enough?

It comes down to physics: studs earn their keep where rubber cannot find purchase. Sweden’s transport administration, Trafikverket, wrote in March 2025 that studded tyres grip better on ice, while studless tyres grip just as well on snow and bare roads. TØI notes that studs do not shorten stopping distances compared with studless winter tyres on dry or wet asphalt.

Trafikverket estimates that about 15 per cent of police-reported winter crashes in Sweden happen on ice. Across the season as a whole, it finds no overall safety gain from studded tyres. Even so, it recommends studs for older cars without electronic stability control (ESC) that are often driven on ice and packed snow.

TØI is somewhat more positive: cars on studded tyres have a 4 per cent lower crash risk than cars on studless winter tyres. Yet the institute also concludes that the health costs of particulates and noise clearly outweigh the benefit of fewer crashes, and that ESC can make up for much of the difference. Modern driver assistance, which we covered in our piece on Tesla FSD and EU approval in Norway, has taken over part of the safety job that studs once did.

The short version

• If you mostly drive in town on ploughed and salted roads, good Nordic studless tyres give equal grip for most of the winter.
• If you regularly drive on icy roads inland or in the north, studs give better grip.
• Whatever you choose, the 3 mm tread minimum applies from 1 November.

Darker mornings after the switch to winter time make icy patches harder to spot. If you are heading out of town to see the northern lights this winter, check the road conditions before you set off.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use studded tyres before 1 November if the roads are icy?

Yes. The regulations allow studs before the date when road conditions make it necessary. Bergen municipality says no fee is charged outside the season.

Do I have to pay if I am only driving through Oslo or Bergen?

Yes. Both cities require a permit for through traffic too. In Oslo you only need one for the days you actually drive.

Is an Oslo permit valid in Bergen and Trondheim?

Yes. Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim have coordinated their schemes, so a valid permit from one city is accepted in the other two.

When do studded tyres have to come off in spring 2027?

In southern and central Norway you can drive on studs until Sunday 4 April 2027. In Nordland, Troms and Finnmark the deadline is 30 April.

Are studded tyres compulsory in Norway?

No. Neither studded nor winter tyres are mandatory for cars, but your tyres must give adequate grip for the conditions. From 1 November the 3 mm minimum tread depth applies.