Car insurance in Norway – what's mandatory, what it covers and how to choose a policy?
Car insurance in Norway starts with the mandatory ansvarsforsikring, but liability insurance alone does not protect your car. We explain the differences between ansvarsforsikring, delkasko and kasko, the rules of the bonus system, state fees and what the consequences are for being uninsured.
In brief
Every registered vehicle subject to the insurance obligation must have ansvarsforsikring. The mere fact that a car is not being used does not exempt it from the obligation. To end it, the vehicle must be properly deregistered. Ansvarsforsikring primarily protects third parties and their property, but does not cover ordinary damage to your own car caused by you. The current statutory liability limit for property damage is 100 mln NOK per incident. Lack of liability insurance for a passenger car currently means a fee of 150 NOK for each day without insurance. Delkasko may include theft, fire, glass damage and roadside assistance. Kasko provides broader protection for your own car, including in many collision scenarios. The bonus is an insurer's discount system, and its specific rules vary between companies. Some companies may take into account a no-claims history from Poland. Trafikkforsikringsavgift is a state fee collected together with the premium. You should compare policies by coverage, deductible and terms, not only by price.
Buying a car in Norway? One of the first things you need to arrange is car insurance in Norway. Mandatory ansvarsforsikring primarily protects other road users and their property, but it will not pay for repairing your car if you cause the collision yourself. Therefore, when choosing a policy it is worth looking not only at the price but also at the value of the car, the amount of your deductible and the scope of coverage.
Ansvarsforsikring – mandatory car insurance
Every registered vehicle subject to the Norwegian insurance requirement must have ansvarsforsikring, also called trafikkforsikring.
This does not apply exclusively to passenger cars or vans up to 3.5 tonnes, as implied by an older version of this article.
According to the rules of Trafikkforsikringsforeningen the owner is responsible for ensuring that a registered vehicle has the mandatory insurance. The obligation exists even if the car is temporarily not in use.
Check the official rules of the insurance obligation – TFF
If you do not use the vehicle for a long time and do not want to pay for insurance, the solution is not to leave a registered car without a policy.
The vehicle must be properly deregistered – avregistrere. Only then does the insurance obligation cease.
What does mandatory ansvarsforsikring cover?
The basic policy primarily covers damage caused by the vehicle to other people and their property.
It can therefore include, among other things:
injuries to participants in the accident,
damage caused to another car,
damage to a building,
a fence,
a sign,
other items belonging to third parties.
Mandatory insurance does not, however, cover damage to your own car merely because it was involved in the incident.
If you drive into a barrier yourself or cause a collision, liability for damage to your car then depends on whether you have the appropriate broader insurance coverage.
Important change: the limit is no longer 10 million NOK
An old article contained information that the maximum liability for property damage was 10 million kroner.
This information is outdated.
According to the current § 9 of the Norwegian bilansvarslova, for property damage the statutory limit is currently:
100 000 000 NOK per incident.
That is ten times more than the amount given in the old version of the article.
Bilansvarslova § 9 – current provision in Lovdata
Ansvar, delkasko or kasko – what are the differences?
The easiest way to understand Norwegian car insurance is as successive levels of protection.
Ansvar – basic liability insurance
This is the mandatory minimum.
It protects against the financial consequences of damage caused to others, but it does not essentially cover your car against the consequences of a collision caused by you.
Such a solution may make sense for an older, low-value car if you are prepared to cover the cost of repairs or the loss of the vehicle yourself.
Delkasko – partial protection for your own car
Delkasko includes the mandatory liability insurance, but adds protection for certain damages to your own vehicle.
It can typically include:
theft,
fire,
glass damage,
roadside assistance,
some natural damage.
However, the scope depends on the specific company and the terms of the policy.
Delkasko is not essentially equivalent to full comprehensive insurance and does not mean that the insurer will repair your car after every collision caused by you.
Comprehensive insurance
Comprehensive insurance includes liability and coverage typical for Delkasko, and additionally protects your own car against many damages resulting from:
collisions,
going off the road,
impacts,
other sudden events covered by the terms of the policy.
It is comprehensive insurance that is particularly important when the car has a higher value or you cannot afford to cover a major repair yourself.
Extended comprehensive / Super / Kasko Plus
Insurance companies also offer extended variants of comprehensive insurance.
Names differ between insurers.
Additional protection may include, for example:
a replacement car,
engine or drivetrain failure,
special protection for the battery of an electric car,
parking damages without loss of bonus,
loss of a key,
higher limits for equipment.
However, do not assume that a product called "Super" at one company is identical to a product from another insurer.
Forbrukerrådet emphasizes that when choosing a policy you must compare both price and insurance terms.
Compare types of car insurance – Forbrukerrådet / Finansportalen
Which policy should you choose?
There is no one answer for all drivers.
Let's imagine two cars.
The first is 15 years old and is worth 25 000 NOK.
The second is three years old and cost 450 000 NOK.
The owner of the first may decide that, in the event of a serious collision, it will be easier to buy another car than to pay for expensive full comprehensive insurance for years.
For the second car, taking on the full risk of repairs could mean a loss of hundreds of thousands of kroner.
Therefore, before buying insurance, answer three questions for yourself:
How much is my car worth?
How much can I pay myself if it is seriously damaged?
How dependent am I on the car in my daily life?
Forbrukerrådet also points to the car's value, your own financial situation and dependence on the car as some of the basic criteria for choosing the level of coverage.
Lack of insurance can cost much more than a policy
A registered car without the mandatory liability insurance does not only mean the risk of a fine.
Trafikkforsikringsforeningen charges a fee for each day that the vehicle remains without the required insurance.
For a passenger car, van, camper and motorcycle the currently applicable fee is:
150 NOK for each day without insurance.
Ten days:
1500 NOK.
A month:
about 4500 NOK.
And that is still not the greatest risk.
If an uninsured car causes a serious accident, TFF may pay compensation to the injured parties, and then the owner may be obliged to reimburse those funds.
In the case of serious injuries we are potentially talking about millions of kroner.
Current fees for lack of insurance – TFF
Bought a car? Insure it immediately
It's not worth postponing taking out a policy for a few days after purchase.
The new owner is responsible for the car's insurance from the moment they assume responsibility for the vehicle.
Forbrukerrådet recommends arranging the policy before collecting the purchased car.
The vehicle's insurance status can also be checked in the TFFAuto system, which collects information used by the Norwegian insurance industry.
Trafikkforsikringsavgift – why do you pay more on the invoice than just the policy?
On the insurer's invoice you may notice the item:
trafikkforsikringsavgift.
This is not an additional insurance sold by the company.
It is a state fee that in 2018 replaced the former årsavgift. The insurer collects it together with the premium and forwards it to the state.
From 1 March 2026 the daily rates are, among others:
ordinary gasoline or diesel car with a factory particulate filter – 6,52 NOK per day,
diesel without a factory filter – 8,10 NOK per day,
electric car – 9,16 NOK per day.
From 1 March 2026 light electric delivery vans with a curb weight below 1785 kg have been exempted from this fee.
Current rates for trafikkforsikringsavgift – Skatteetaten
Do you have to pay insurance once a year?
No.
This is another thing that needs correcting compared to the old article.
There is no single rule stating that everyone must pay the entire car policy up front for a year.
The method of payment depends on the insurer and the contract.
The state trafikkforsikringsavgift is also collected in the same rhythm as the premium payment. It can therefore be spread, for example, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually.
Moreover, if the car is sold or properly deregistered, the owner pays the fee only for the period during which the vehicle was registered to them and subject to the insurance obligation.
Bonus – no-claims discount
In Norway the bonus has a very big impact on the insurance price.
It is a system of rewarding a history without claims.
The higher the bonus, the lower the premium can be.
But very important:
the bonus is not a single statutory system identical across all companies.
Individual insurers may apply their own rules for the starting bonus, its increase, loss after a claim, or transfer between vehicles.
For example, both If and Gjensidige today describe a starting bonus of 60 percent, but the detailed rules for calculating and losing the bonus should always be checked with the specific insurer.
Therefore the old statement:
“The discount accumulates each year and can reach 75 percent”
is an oversimplification.
Seventy-five percent is a popular maximum level, but the way to reach it and the rules after a claim depend on the insurer.
Do you have a no-claims history from Poland? Be sure to ask about it
This is particularly important for Poles moving to Norway.
Do not assume you must automatically start at the lowest possible level just because you previously insured a car in Poland.
Some companies may take into account a bonus or no-claims history earned abroad.
For example, If states that in many cases it can transfer a bonus earned abroad and recommends contacting them for an individual assessment of the documentation.
However, this does not mean that every insurer must grant an identical bonus.
Before signing a policy it's worth preparing:
proof of insurance history,
the number of claim-free years,
the period of previous policies,
the details of the previous insurer.
Ask the Norwegian company before purchasing a policy which documents it accepts and in what language.
Do not automatically assume that a sworn translation is required. It depends on the requirements of the specific company.
Can the bonus be transferred to a spouse?
Here again you should not present a single rule as applying to the entire market.
Individual companies have their own regulations.
For example, If allows, under certain conditions, the transfer of a bonus to:
a spouse,
a cohabiting partner,
a registered partner,
but does not allow ordinary transfer of a bonus between a parent and a child.
Treat this as an example of one insurer's rules, not a general provision of Norwegian law.
The price of a policy depends on many more factors than the bonus
Two people owning the same car model do not have to receive the same price.
Costs can be influenced by, among other things:
the model and value of the car,
the vehicle's age,
place of residence,
claims history,
bonus,
declared annual mileage,
scope of coverage,
the deductible amount,
driver's age and profile,
how the vehicle is used.
The amount of the deductible, that is the policyholder's own contribution in a claim, is particularly important.
Usually a higher deductible means a lower premium, but in the event of a claim you cover a larger portion of the bill yourself.
Therefore do not compare offers solely by the monthly price.
A policy for 900 NOK per month does not have to be better than a policy for 1050 NOK if it has a much higher deductible or a narrower scope.
The best way to compare insurance
You do not have to limit yourself to individual company advertisements.
Norwegian Forbrukerrådet runs Finansportalen, where you can compare offers and terms of car insurance from different insurers.
Compare car insurance – Finansportalen / Forbrukerrådet
When comparing offers, check at least:
the annual or monthly price,
liability / partial comprehensive / comprehensive,
deductible,
bonus and bonus loss,
annual mileage limit,
roadside assistance,
replacement car,
glass coverage,
theft and vandalism,
engine, battery or drivetrain protection, if that matters to you.
The cheapest insurance is not always the best choice
Let's assume one policy costs:
900 NOK per month
and the other:
1100 NOK.
The first looks better.
But if, in the event of a claim, the first has a deductible of 15 000 NOK, and the second 6000 NOK and additionally provides a replacement car, the situation already looks different.
When you buy insurance you are not only buying the monthly price.
You are also buying the way the risk will be divided between you and the insurer.
Check 8 things before signing the policy
Before you accept an offer, answer eight questions:
Do I only need mandatory liability insurance, or protection for my own car?
How much is the car worth?
What deductible can I afford to pay out of my own pocket?
What no-claims bonus do I have?
Has the company taken into account my no-claims history from Poland?
What annual mileage did I enter?
Do I need a replacement car or roadside assistance?
What are the most important exclusions?
Only then compare the price.
Read also on Your Norway
Use the “Internal link” function here.
If already published, link this guide to:
Polish car in Norway – can I drive it?
and:
Buying a used car in Norway
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Editorial comment Your Norway
Car insurance is one of those products where the lowest price can look best only until the first claim. First you need to determine which risk you want to cover yourself, and only then compare premiums. For people who previously drove without claims in Poland, it is also always worth asking about recognition of foreign insurance history – it can have a real impact on the price.
Official sources and useful links
Trafikkforsikringsforeningen – obligation to insure vehicles
The rules of liability insurance and vehicles covered by the obligation.
Open TFF – Obligation to insure motor vehicles
Trafikkforsikringsforeningen – fees for lack of an insurance policy
Current daily fees for an uninsured vehicle.
Lovdata – Bilansvarslova
Legal basis of liability and the current limit of 100 million NOK for property damages.
Skatteetaten – trafikkforsikringsavgift
Current rates of the state fee added to the policy.
Check the trafikkforsikringsavgift rates
Forbrukerrådet / Finansportalen – bilforsikring
Independent information about ansvar, delkasko, kasko and comparing insurance policies.
Compare car insurance policies
Information verified: 14 September 2026.
Sources
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