Sweden on an Australian Licence — The Side Switch & a 0.02 Limit

Sweden is a forgiving place to drive — disciplined traffic, empty rural roads, and some of the best-maintained surfaces in Europe. For an Australian, two specific things still need real attention, and neither is the road quality.

The first is the side switch. Australia drives on the left; Sweden drives on the right. That reversal is the single thing most likely to catch you out, and the danger window is your first hour — pulling out of a car park, taking a roundabout that now flows clockwise the other way, or glancing the wrong direction before a turn. Collect the car somewhere quiet, take a slow first drive, and stay deliberate at every junction until right-hand traffic stops feeling backwards. Sweden’s light traffic makes the adjustment easier than most places.

The second is alcohol, and it is stricter than Australians expect. Sweden’s limit is 0.02 — less than half of the 0.05 at home and effectively a no-drinking rule. Police run random breath tests and treat drink-driving as a serious criminal matter, not a fine-and-move-on offence. The only safe plan is nothing before you drive.

Paperwork is straightforward: an IDP is recommended alongside your Australian licence, valid for stays up to a year, and the driving permit checker confirms it. Sort the permit in Australia before departure.

Speeds are moderate — 110 km/h on motorways, 70 rural, 50 in town — and enforcement is camera-heavy, so a speeding ticket starts around SEK 2,000 (≈ EUR 175); the speeding fine calculator gives a quick estimate. Watch for elk and reindeer near dawn and dusk; the warning signs are not decorative. Winter tyres are mandatory in the cold months, fuel is about $1.88/litre, and the emergency number is 112. For the full rules, see the Sweden driving guide.