The electric car premium is designed for households in rural areas and regions with limited public transport, with a funding pool estimated to cover 115,000 to 115,596 households nationwide until 2029. According to official sources, the support is introduced to mitigate households' increased costs when the EU's new emissions trading makes fossil fuels more expensive, while facilitating the transition to electric cars in rural areas. The goals are both to reduce emissions and make the transition more equitable, as stated by official sources. The premium is financed 75% by the EU, with the remainder covered by the Swedish state, and it is part of Sweden's social climate plan. With a new addition of 100 million SEK, the budget for the electric car premium totals 500 million SEK, according to major media reports. The European Commission approved Sweden's Climate-Social Plan, making it the first national plan endorsed under the EU Social Climate Fund, and the plan will mobilise approximately €532.8 million between 2026 and 2032, with €389.7 million financed through the Social Climate Fund and the remainder co-financed by national resources, as per research sources. This plan is financed through revenues generated under the new EU Emissions Trading System for buildings and road transport (ETS2).
Eligibility for the premium requires applicants to live in one of the 177 rural municipalities or another area with limited public transport. No person in the household can have an income high enough to pay state income tax, and the household's total income must be at most 80% of the average income in Sweden. Additionally, no one in the household can have owned or leased an electric car or plug-in hybrid in the past 12 months. A start-up supplement of 18,000 kronor is available for households with incomes below 50% of the average income. The electric car must cost at least 64,800 SEK and at most 450,000 SEK, and the premium covers only purchase or leasing of a pure electric car, not plug-in hybrids, according to official sources.
There is no allocation per county; it's first-come, first-served.
The application process is first-come, first-served, with no allocation per county, as described by Elin Hall of Naturvårdsverket to SVT Västerbotten. Eligibility can be checked via the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency's website by entering your address, and applications are submitted digitally via the agency's e-service, requiring information about household finances, residential address, and the vehicle. Applications can be made up to two months after purchase, but it is recommended to apply before purchase to be guaranteed the premium, and after approval, applicants have four months to buy or lease the electric car. The premium can be applied for between March 18 and June 30, 2028, with reduced availability until June 30, 2029, though there is confusion about the start date, with some reports indicating March 16. According to major media, the premium can be applied for both before and after purchasing or leasing, but one must have a specific electric car in mind.
Geographic coverage includes all residents in the 177 rural municipalities, such as Kungsbacka, Varberg, Laholm, and Hylte, who can apply for the support. Smaller towns in other municipalities can also be covered if they are assessed to have poor public transport, such as Ullared in Falkenberg municipality, according to official sources. Naturvårdsverket has identified 177 municipalities as rural municipalities, with 17 in Skåne, and there are 13 municipalities in Skåne on Naturvårdsverket's 'maybe list' where residents in parts with limited public transport may still qualify. Three municipalities in Skåne are completely excluded: Burlöv, Lomma, and Malmö. All of Blekinge is considered rural, making many households potentially eligible, but the specific criteria defining 'limited public transport' for areas outside the 177 rural municipalities remain unclear.
Several car dealers in Lycksele report relatively low interest in electric cars in Västerbotten due to cold winters reducing battery range.
Since the start in mid-March, about 5,000 people nationwide have applied for the support, with about half approved, according to statistics from Naturvårdsverket. In Kronoberg and Kalmar counties, there are just over 300 applicants, as per official sources. In the first days, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency received 2,730 applications, with nearly 46% (1,255 applications) approved, according to Vi Bilägare. TT has reviewed applications received by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, totaling 4,045 as of April 6, and after three weeks, there have been just over 4,000 applications regarding the new electric car premium, according to major media reports. The breakdown of approved applications by region or municipality is not publicly available, and it is unknown how many households have actually received the premium payments so far, beyond application numbers.
In Västerbotten County, approximately 42,000 households are eligible for the premium, according to official sources. Lycksele had only 129 electric cars in traffic at the end of 2024, based on figures from Trafikanalys. According to SVT Västerbotten, several car dealers in Lycksele described relatively low interest in electric cars in Västerbotten due to cold winters reducing battery range. However, according to SVT Västerbotten, Bil-Nord in Lycksele described that several people have contacted them interested in buying electric cars after the premium was launched. There are several charging stations in Lycksele but a need for more; the municipality says more will be installed in about two to three years, according to the municipality.
Bil-Nord in Lycksele reports that several people have contacted them interested in buying electric cars after the premium was launched.
Sales of used electric cars increased significantly in March, driven by high fuel prices and an unusually large supply, as per official sources. According to SVT Småland, Andreas Skagerlind described that the premium may have contributed to demand for electric cars. It is already worthwhile to switch to an electric car, especially with recent turmoil in the oil market, according to major media reports. Almost 60 percent of newly registered vehicles in Sweden in the first half of 2023 were electric cars and plug-in hybrids, and there are over half a million rechargeable vehicles in Sweden, according to Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari.
The government announced an additional 100 million SEK for the electric car premium aimed at households with lower incomes in rural areas and other areas with poor access to public transport, according to major media reports. The government is presenting two climate proposals on Monday ahead of the spring amendment budget: half a billion SEK to state agencies for fueling vehicles, work machines, and ships with biofuel, and 100 million SEK extra for the electric car support, as per major media. The Swedish government announced a plan to bring back a climate bonus for people who scrap older ICE vehicles and opt for electric cars, according to research sources. The climate bonus is a temporary scrapping premium applicable for 2024 and 2025, and the government allocated SEK 250 million annually for 2024 and 2025 for the climate bonus initiative, according to Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari and research. The government allocated SEK 1.3 billion until 2024 to ensure people who purchased electric cars or plug-in hybrids before November 8, 2022, receive their entitled incentives from the previous climate bonus.
Energy and climate advisor Jamal Mouneimne in Lycksele municipality thinks the electric car premium is good and hopes it will lead to more people buying electric cars.
The government is investing more money to speed up the growth of charging stations across Sweden for regular cars and heavy vehicles, according to research sources. The total budget for charging infrastructure from 2024 to 2026 is SEK 2.5 billion, and an allocation of SEK 8 million was made to enhance the coordination efforts of the Energy Agency in guiding the expansion of charging infrastructure. In 2023, the government increased the grant for Charging Infrastructure for Electrified Transport 2030 by SEK 90 million, bringing the total to one billion SEK. Measures to ensure the charging infrastructure expansion keeps pace with increased electric car adoption from the premium are not detailed.
Critics argue that the premium excludes middle-income earners, which is unreasonable, and that small businesses are not included, which is foolish, according to major media reports. Biogas cars are not covered by the premium, which is a shame, and Sweden's electricity tax is one of the highest in Europe, which does not facilitate the transition. Municipalities should be allowed to favor electric cars with lower parking fees or the best parking spots, which current law does not permit. According to SVT Halland, Markus Jöngren described that the premium's geographic targeting 'hits so wrong,' and he said it is 'very strange' that someone living near the train station in Kungsbacka can apply but not someone in or near central Falkenberg. According to SVT Skåne, Elin Hall described that even those living a stone's throw from a train station have the right to the premium because it applies to all residents in the municipality.
The EU decided that the support should target households with lower incomes in areas where alternatives are few.
The maximum amount a person can receive is 46,800 kronor, distributed as 1,300 kronor per month for up to 36 months. The support applies to both new and used electric cars, and one does not need to trade in an existing petrol or diesel car to qualify, according to major media reports. The extra one-time support can be used for anything but is intended for things like an increased first leasing fee or winter tires. There is a contradiction regarding coverage of plug-in hybrids: the premium covers only pure electric cars, not plug-in hybrids, but eligibility criteria state that no one in the household can have owned or leased an electric car or plug-in hybrid in the past 12 months, implying plug-in hybrids are considered in eligibility.
The funds for the premium are not new money but are taken from Klimatklivet, a state program supporting companies for green transition, according to major media reports. Sweden will be able to request its first payment from the European Commission in the first half of 2026 once implementation milestones are met, as per research sources. Future considerations include whether there are any plans to extend the premium to include plug-in hybrids or biogas cars, which remains unknown. According to SVT Västerbotten, Jamal Mouneimne described that the electric car premium is good and hopes it will lead to more people buying electric cars, and according to SVT Småland, Tea Alopaeus described that the EU decided that the support should target households with lower incomes in areas where alternatives are few.
The premium may have contributed to demand, according to Andreas Skagerlind, sales manager at Holmgrens Bil in Växjö.
Markus Jöngren (MP), group leader in Falkenberg, says 'It hits so wrong' regarding the premium's geographic targeting.
Markus Jöngren says it is 'very strange' that someone living near the train station in Kungsbacka can apply but not someone in or near central Falkenberg.
Even those living a stone's throw from a train station have the right to the premium because it applies to all residents in the municipality.