There are several advantages that come with renting a car in Norway. Although the country’s major cities are connected by a system of buses and trains, renting a car will allow you to visit the off-the-beaten-track destinations, like the 18 scenic routes running through the countryside and near the fjords. Renting a car also frees up your schedule if you decide to adjust your itinerary.
Norway has vastly changing scenery and driving conditions, depending on where you go and what time of the year you’re traveling. If you’re traveling in the summer and sticking mostly to the cities and lowlands, a compact or economy car will suit your needs just fine. However, if you’re traveling in the winter or plan on taking long routes through the mountains, you’ll need a four-by-four.
If you’re traveling with children, it’s important to know that children under 135 cm (4 ft, 6 in) tall are required to be secured in a car seat by law, even on short trips and airport pickups. If you haven’t brought a car seat with you to Norway, many larger car rental agencies like Hertz and Sixt have available seats that you can reserve with your rental vehicle.
If you’re planning on renting a car in Norway and driving into neighboring Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, you can do so without any need to notify your rental car agency. However, you’ll have to notify your rental car agency and obtain a "green card" (for insurance purposes) to cross the border into other countries in the EU, including Germany, France, and Belgium.
25% of our users found rental cars in Norway for C$ 101 or less
Book your rental car in Norway at least 1 day before your trip in order to get a below-average price
Off-airport rental car locations in Norway are around 17% cheaper than airport locations on average
Compact rental cars in Norway are around -26% cheaper than other car types, on average
FAQs about renting a car in Norway
On average a rental car in Norway costs C$ 176 per day.
Compact (Class Compact Wagon or similar) is the most frequently booked rental car type in Norway.
In the past 72 hours, the cheapest rental cars were found at Sixt (C$ 99/day), Hertz (C$ 103/day) and Budget (C$ 245/day).
Based on car searches on KAYAK, the most popular cities to rent a car in Norway are Bodø (67% of total searches of users looking to rent a car in Norway), Narvik (9%) and Åndalsnes (7%).
On average a rental car in Norway costs C$ 1,257 per week (C$ 180 per day).
On average a rental car in Norway costs C$ 5,387 per month (C$ 180 per day).
With its developed system of well-maintained roads, driving in Norway is similar to driving in the rest of Western Europe, the UK, and the US. One rule to take note of is that dipped (low beam) headlights are required to be used at all times, even during the day. Also, be sure to check for road closures when driving in winter, as extreme weather or snowfall can cause mountain passes to close.
Like in many other developed countries, the minimum age to rent a car in Norway is 19. However, as is also true in many other countries, drivers under the age of 25 are subject to a surcharge. You can drive in Norway with the driver’s license issued by your home country, but the license must have been valid for at least one year prior to your arrival in Norway.
When renting a car in Norway, be sure to budget adequately for gas, as filling up in this country will be significantly more expensive than getting gas in the US or in other parts of Europe. A gallon of gasoline costs around 63.71 NOK (7.31 USD), while a gallon of gas in the United States costs around 2.50 USD.
The two most common speed limits in Norway are 50 km/h (31 mph) in urban areas and 80 km/h (50 mph) outside urban areas. However, there are higher and lower speed limits in certain areas: the speed limits on some motorways in the country reach as high as 110 km/h (about 70 mph). Cameras watching for speeding drivers are common in Norway, so be sure to obey the posted limits.
The rates displayed include all taxes and fees for car rentals for the class listed and were found by KAYAK users in the last 48 hours. Offers are subject to change and may not be available on all car rentals listed or dates of travel. Some car rental providers charge additional fees for other services (GPS, infant car seats, etc.). Please check the car rental providers' sites.