Car insurance in Sweden: third-party, partial or comprehensive cover?

In Sweden, halvförsäkring combines compulsory trafikförsäkring with a package of additional cover called delkasko. Helförsäkring adds vagnskadeförsäkring, which covers certain types of damage to your own car. This guide explains those three levels and how a vagnskadegaranti, a vehicle damage guarantee, can affect your choice.

You may see these levels described in English as third-party, partial and comprehensive insurance. Their scope follows the Swedish system explained below. In particular, Swedish trafikförsäkring can compensate personal injuries to the driver as well as passengers and other road users.

Trafikförsäkring is compulsory for a car registered in Sweden unless it has been formally taken off the road, a status called avställd. It covers personal injuries and damage the car causes to other people’s property. Your own trafikförsäkring does not cover damage to your own car.

Exact cover, deductibles and vehicle age limits vary between insurers. Compare the terms for the particular car and policy you are considering. The Swedish word självrisk means the deductible or excess: the part of a covered claim you pay yourself.

What does delkasko mean?

Delkasko is the collective term for the cover included in halvförsäkring in addition to compulsory trafikförsäkring. It usually includes theft, fire, glass damage, mechanical and electronic damage, vehicle recovery and legal expenses cover. It does not include vagnskadeförsäkring.

The terms are related but refer to different things: delkasko is one part of halvförsäkring, while halvförsäkring is the whole package, including trafikförsäkring. See If’s explanation of delkasko, in Swedish.

Comparing the three levels of Swedish car insurance

Trafikförsäkring is included at all three levels. Delkasko and vagnskadeförsäkring provide additional protection. A vehicle damage guarantee may cover certain damage to your car even if you only have halvförsäkring, but that compensation comes from the guarantee.

The contents of delkasko vary between insurers, particularly cover for accidental mishaps, mechanical damage, a replacement hire car and additional roadside assistance. Check deductibles, compensation limits, and restrictions based on the car’s age and mileage.

Trafikförsäkring: the compulsory foundation

Trafikförsäkring compensates personal injuries and damage the car causes to other vehicles or property. It can cover the driver’s and passengers’ injuries even when the car’s own driver caused the accident. Compensation depends on the circumstances and can be reduced in certain cases.

Your own trafikförsäkring does not cover damage to your own car. Our detailed guide, what trafikförsäkring covers, in Swedish, has a comparison table and examples of common accidents.

Is trafikförsäkring compulsory?

Yes. A registered car that has not been formally declared avställd must have trafikförsäkring. Simply leaving it parked is not enough to remove that requirement. It still applies if the car is unroadworthy, subject to a driving prohibition or stolen.

Our Swedish guide to trafikförsäkring explains the insurance requirement and what happens if a car is uninsured. You can also check Transportstyrelsen’s information, in Swedish.

What does halvförsäkring include?

Halvförsäkring includes trafikförsäkring and delkasko. The delkasko part usually covers:

• Theft and attempted theft.
• Fire.
• Glass damage, such as a stone chip or cracked windscreen.
• Mechanical and electronic damage, often subject to vehicle age and mileage limits.
• Vehicle recovery and towing.
• Legal expenses for certain disputes.
• Accidental mishaps, misfuelling or lost keys with some insurers or policy options.

Halvförsäkring does not normally cover damage to your own car after a collision, driving into a ditch or vandalism. To have your own protection against these risks, you normally need vagnskadeförsäkring or a valid vehicle damage guarantee. Some optional additions provide limited cover, so read the terms.

What does helförsäkring include?

Helförsäkring consists of halvförsäkring plus vagnskadeförsäkring. This additional cover can compensate damage to your own car caused by, for example:

• A road accident that you cause.
• An accident involving only your own car, including driving into a ditch.
• Vandalism.
• Another sudden external event, such as a tree falling onto the car.

It does not cover every kind of damage. Wear and tear, rust, design defects and inadequate maintenance are common exclusions. Deductibles and other terms differ between insurers.

When can halvförsäkring plus a vehicle damage guarantee be enough?

Most new cars sold in Sweden come with a vagnskadegaranti, usually lasting about three years. This is a separate guarantee against certain damage to the car, provided through the vehicle’s importer or general agent. Check that your particular car has one.

While the guarantee remains valid, halvförsäkring can often give you a combined level of protection comparable to helförsäkring: the insurance covers risks such as theft, fire and glass damage, while the guarantee covers eligible vehicle damage.

Always check:

• When the guarantee expires.
• Its deductible.
• Which damage and geographical areas it covers.
• Whether it remains valid after a change of ownership.

When the guarantee expires, you normally need to add vagnskadeförsäkring, taking your cover up to helförsäkring, if you want to retain that protection for your own car.

Which level suits your car?

There is no single best level for everyone. Start by considering the financial loss you could manage if your car were damaged or stolen.

Trafikförsäkring alone may be a deliberate minimum when

• Your car has a low market value.
• You could afford the loss if it were stolen, damaged or destroyed by fire.
• The premium and deductible for wider cover are high compared with the car’s value.

Halvförsäkring may suit you when

• Your car has a valid vehicle damage guarantee.
• You want protection for theft, fire, glass damage, recovery and eligible mechanical damage.
• Your car’s value does not justify the cost of helförsäkring, but you still want protection against some common losses.

Helförsäkring may suit you when

• Your car has no vehicle damage guarantee and its value is more than you are willing to risk.
• You want cover for damage to your own car after an accident or vandalism.
• Your car is financed and the lender requires more extensive cover.

Look beyond the monthly premium. Check the deductible, compensation limits and exclusions, and how the car’s age or mileage affects mechanical damage cover. Konsumenternas Försäkringsbyrå, the independent Swedish insurance consumer advice bureau, has an overview and comparison of Swedish car insurance, in Swedish.

Frequently asked questions

Is halvförsäkring the same as delkasko?

Not exactly. Delkasko means the cover beyond trafikförsäkring, such as theft, fire and glass damage. Trafikförsäkring and delkasko together make up halvförsäkring. Vagnskadeförsäkring is added at the helförsäkring level.

Does halvförsäkring cover a collision?

Halvförsäkring does not normally include collision damage cover for your own car. Compensation for that damage therefore generally requires helförsäkring, a valid vehicle damage guarantee, or payment from another responsible driver’s trafikförsäkring.

Is halvförsäkring enough for a new car?

Often, if the car has a valid vehicle damage guarantee. Check the expiry date and terms. When the guarantee ends, you normally need helförsäkring to keep that protection for damage to your car.

Understand your household’s wider insurance cover

Car insurance is one part of your household’s protection. Read our guides to which insurance you need in Sweden, in Swedish and what Swedish home insurance covers. You can also explore our European insurance coverage guide.

insurAGI is designed to help you bring your insurance documents together and understand gaps and overlaps in your cover. See how the service works.

Sources and review date

This article explains Swedish car insurance. The compulsory insurance rules, cover levels, delkasko and vehicle damage guarantee information were checked against the sources below on 6 October 2026. All the following sources are in Swedish:

• Trafikskadelag (1975:1410), Sweden’s Road Traffic Damage Act — Sveriges riksdag.
• Compulsory motor insurance — Transportstyrelsen.
• Car insurance — Konsumenternas Försäkringsbyrå.
• Charges for uninsured vehicles — Trafikförsäkringsföreningen.
• Delkasko — If.
• Halvförsäkring — Folksam.
• Car insurance and cover levels — Folksam.
• Vehicle damage insurance and guarantees — If.

This is general information, not a decision about compensation for an individual claim. Policy terms vary between insurers and can change. Always check your own policy documents and the terms that apply to your cover.