Can I use my phone while driving in Sweden?
No — you may not hold the phone in your hand while driving. Since 2018 the Traffic Ordinance has banned holding a phone or other communication device in your hand while driving a motor vehicle, and holding or typing on it brings a 1,500 kr on-the-spot fine. Hands-free, a phone in a holder and voice control are allowed — it is the holding itself that is banned, not the call. The trap most people fall into: a car stopped at a red light still counts as "in traffic", so the queue is not a free zone. Repeated or dangerous use does not stop at 1,500 kr but can become careless driving, with day-fines and a warning or a revoked licence. Emergency vehicles may use equipment when circumstances require it.
📋 The rules
- Banned to hold the phone in your hand while driving
- Fine: 1,500 kr on the spot
- Hands-free and a phone in a holder are allowed
- Applies even when the car is stopped at a red light
- Dangerous use can become careless driving
🔓 Exceptions
- Emergency vehicles may use equipment when circumstances require it
- A phone fixed in a holder and used hands-free is not covered
- Glancing at a mounted screen is not the holding offence itself
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Holding the phone in your hand brings a fixed fine of 1,500 kr, which the police issue on the spot — the amount is fixed and does not depend on your income. What can cost more is the reclassification: dangerous use can instead be judged as careless driving, which brings income-based day-fines plus a warning or a revoked licence. The fine targets the holding and not the call, and it applies even when the car is stopped at a red light — having stopped does not save you.
📎 Official sources
- Transport Agency · Phone use in traffic →
- Swedish Police · Phone use in traffic →
- Traffic Ordinance (1998:1276) · Riksdagen →
❓ Frequently asked
Can I hold the phone at a red light?
No. A car stopped at a red light still counts as in traffic, so the ban applies there just as in moving traffic. It is holding the phone in your hand that is banned, whether the car moves or not.
What does holding the phone cost?
A fixed fine of 1,500 kr, which the police can issue directly on the spot. The amount is fixed and not based on your income, unlike the day-fines that can follow from careless driving.
Can I use hands-free?
Yes. Hands-free, a phone in a holder and voice control are all allowed, because it is holding the phone in your hand that is banned. A phone fixed in a holder is therefore not covered.
Can I use GPS on my phone?
Yes, if the phone sits in a holder. You may not hold it in your hand while driving, though glancing at a mounted screen is not the holding offence itself.
Can it be worse than a fine?
Yes. Dangerous or repeated use can be judged as careless driving, with income-based day-fines. You can also be given a warning or have your licence revoked.
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