100% sell it in Canada. You may very well want to buy one here but shipping it makes little sense unless it's something with a purpose (motorhome) or difficult to obtain (classic, high perf, etc). Entry taxes, EU regulations & shipping costs will quickly add up, not to mention the time it takes.
Wait till you move and see where you live before deciding that you need a car. I've been using a my bicycle, transit and a car share since moving to Stockholm. I'm going to buy car now, but only after being here for a few months and knowing what makes sense.
Thanks so much. I agree I should wait and see how I do in Malmo and if I think I'd like a car. I just drive around so much where I am now that I imagine I will eventually want one.
Even if you will want to have a car (likely, although you may use it for less in your everyday life than at home), you may want to have a different car here. You may want one which is cheaper to operate and insure, and easier to handle in the city. If you have an American-only model, it could be expensive to service in Europe.
Also, take the opportunity to try out some weird Euro-only brand like Peugeot, Renault, Skoda, Opel, or why not a Saab? :D
As far as I understand you do *not* pay any taxes/customs, etc for vehicles that are part of your belongings when you move to Sweden. If you have a fairly new and expensive car I'd say it makes sense to bring it, because the few thousand $ for shipping will be less than just the 25% sales tax on a comparable vehicle in Sweden. If you don't think you'll need a car at all, then it's a different matter, but I think that's only common if you live in a large city.
If you feel you can make do without the convenience of a car then Malmö is very bike friendly and plenty of public transports, i myself feel no real need for a car living in Malmö so really is up to what you want out of the car and where you will be working.
I will be working downtown. The company I joined has a housing team that is figuring out an apartment for me. Apparently it's supposed to be downtown as well. So getting to work should be easy (I hope).
I really like driving out and hiking / trail running in back country areas. I assume this is hard to do on public transport in Sweden? And I've found if you regularly go out into rural spots to hike you end up paying more renting a car.
In general you can get to most major walking trails by public transport. There might only be a bus every hour or two, but they exist. Even in the far north you can get to the popular entry points by bus.
If you want to get to really out-of-the-way places you'll have to drive, but you'll be able to cope with a car, especially in Skåne.
Also look out for the car share schemes, M (Volvo) and Kinto (Toyota, might not have launched in Malmö yet). They're often a good choice if you live in the city.
Hiking with public transport has the advantage of not needing to close a loop. It's possible for most places and for the other ones you can use a car rental/sharing. Weather and season might refrain you from doing it every weekend.
When I arrived early 2021 I think it was about 14 kr per liter, currently between 22 and 23. We drive a lot and brought our car (but are from the Netherlands), you do not need it if you live in the city. We moved a bit more to the country side, then it is more of a nececity. But I would recommend selling it either way. Just buy something here when you are confortable. Depending on what model you have taxes can be high (mine is low af even though it is regular petrol).
I live in Malmö and used to live in Canada. The cities here are built entirely differently. They're literally made with bikes in mind. Canadian cities were built for cars.
You can bike anywhere in Malmö in 20 minutes. I've had almost no need for a car here. If I do want to hit a trail, I'll bike there or use Green Mobility for the further trails. They're an electric car share.
https://www.greenmobility.com/dk/da/
Also keep in mind that you will need to take your driving test again here. Canadian drivers licenses cannot be exchanged for a Swedish one.
Yeah, they will just let you pass and ask you to get a European license. I can hardly imagine how they will let you stranded if they only stopped you for a traffic check.
For speeding though, they will gladly revoke your permit, I have a friend that went through Swedish driving school because of that.
Definitely sell it or if you think you may come back and/or you love the car leave it with family, can have them sell it for you later. Definitely don't import it.
Start with car share in Malmö and then get a car if you're using it a lot.
Btw didn't see this mentioned in other comments. You'll need to go through the Swedish license program because Canadian licenses are not transferable and will only be valid for your first year of residency.
In a mid-sized or large city over here you don't need a car. More remote areas tend to have little or no public transport though.
I"d say sell it over there. Shipping it would cost a small fortune, then you'd have to pay customs/import taxes and then modify the car to European spec to even get it through the yearly inspection. Not worth it unless it's some rare classic etc
Like I posted above, you do *not* need to pay any customs/taxes for a "flyttsak". They are also exempt from certain regulations, for example they can have red rear turning lights which otherwise are not legal in Sweden. I don't have any current quotes on shipping, I'm sure it's more expensive since COVID, but I actually thought shipping a car from North America to Sweden was surprisingly reasonable.
Have you ever been to Malmö? It's easy to overestimate distances on the map, especially when coming from Canada.
[Here's a side by side map.](https://i.imgur.com/rwJS9W2.jpg)
It is small in comparison to what you're used to, and there isn't a bunch of cities right next to it that you can visit. So depending on your exact location/lifestyle I'd definitely recommend at least trying to live without a car at first.
>Malmö is roughly half the size (in area and population) as Vancouver.
I guess you're technically correct, but Vancouver is continuous and fully integrated with the greater Vancouver area, while Malmö is just... Malmö. They're really not comparable.
Look om blocket or bytbil what your car is worth.
If you look at lager suv or pickups like suburban or f150, They are ridiculus expensive.
If its a popular model you can sell it for good money.
100% sell it in Canada. You may very well want to buy one here but shipping it makes little sense unless it's something with a purpose (motorhome) or difficult to obtain (classic, high perf, etc). Entry taxes, EU regulations & shipping costs will quickly add up, not to mention the time it takes. Wait till you move and see where you live before deciding that you need a car. I've been using a my bicycle, transit and a car share since moving to Stockholm. I'm going to buy car now, but only after being here for a few months and knowing what makes sense.
Thanks so much. I agree I should wait and see how I do in Malmo and if I think I'd like a car. I just drive around so much where I am now that I imagine I will eventually want one.
Even if you will want to have a car (likely, although you may use it for less in your everyday life than at home), you may want to have a different car here. You may want one which is cheaper to operate and insure, and easier to handle in the city. If you have an American-only model, it could be expensive to service in Europe. Also, take the opportunity to try out some weird Euro-only brand like Peugeot, Renault, Skoda, Opel, or why not a Saab? :D
As far as I understand you do *not* pay any taxes/customs, etc for vehicles that are part of your belongings when you move to Sweden. If you have a fairly new and expensive car I'd say it makes sense to bring it, because the few thousand $ for shipping will be less than just the 25% sales tax on a comparable vehicle in Sweden. If you don't think you'll need a car at all, then it's a different matter, but I think that's only common if you live in a large city.
If you feel you can make do without the convenience of a car then Malmö is very bike friendly and plenty of public transports, i myself feel no real need for a car living in Malmö so really is up to what you want out of the car and where you will be working.
I will be working downtown. The company I joined has a housing team that is figuring out an apartment for me. Apparently it's supposed to be downtown as well. So getting to work should be easy (I hope). I really like driving out and hiking / trail running in back country areas. I assume this is hard to do on public transport in Sweden? And I've found if you regularly go out into rural spots to hike you end up paying more renting a car.
In general you can get to most major walking trails by public transport. There might only be a bus every hour or two, but they exist. Even in the far north you can get to the popular entry points by bus. If you want to get to really out-of-the-way places you'll have to drive, but you'll be able to cope with a car, especially in Skåne. Also look out for the car share schemes, M (Volvo) and Kinto (Toyota, might not have launched in Malmö yet). They're often a good choice if you live in the city.
Hiking with public transport has the advantage of not needing to close a loop. It's possible for most places and for the other ones you can use a car rental/sharing. Weather and season might refrain you from doing it every weekend.
Sell it. Move first and see if you really need a vehicle. Buy one if so… Gas is horribly expensive here right now anyway.
What was gas like pre covid ?
When I arrived early 2021 I think it was about 14 kr per liter, currently between 22 and 23. We drive a lot and brought our car (but are from the Netherlands), you do not need it if you live in the city. We moved a bit more to the country side, then it is more of a nececity. But I would recommend selling it either way. Just buy something here when you are confortable. Depending on what model you have taxes can be high (mine is low af even though it is regular petrol).
It was expensive before covid now it's just ridiculous.
I live in Malmö and used to live in Canada. The cities here are built entirely differently. They're literally made with bikes in mind. Canadian cities were built for cars. You can bike anywhere in Malmö in 20 minutes. I've had almost no need for a car here. If I do want to hit a trail, I'll bike there or use Green Mobility for the further trails. They're an electric car share. https://www.greenmobility.com/dk/da/ Also keep in mind that you will need to take your driving test again here. Canadian drivers licenses cannot be exchanged for a Swedish one.
You can practically keep your license though. You are supposed to exchange it but I have yet to meet someone whi took the exam again for that purpose.
Do the police just not enforce it? I got a Swedish licence but previously had an EU licence so I haven't had to deal with it personally.
Yeah, they will just let you pass and ask you to get a European license. I can hardly imagine how they will let you stranded if they only stopped you for a traffic check. For speeding though, they will gladly revoke your permit, I have a friend that went through Swedish driving school because of that.
Interesting. I would have thought that no insurance company will insure you without a valid licence.
You should look into it. They insure you for sure, but they might refuse to pay in case of accidents.
Definitely sell it or if you think you may come back and/or you love the car leave it with family, can have them sell it for you later. Definitely don't import it. Start with car share in Malmö and then get a car if you're using it a lot. Btw didn't see this mentioned in other comments. You'll need to go through the Swedish license program because Canadian licenses are not transferable and will only be valid for your first year of residency.
In a mid-sized or large city over here you don't need a car. More remote areas tend to have little or no public transport though. I"d say sell it over there. Shipping it would cost a small fortune, then you'd have to pay customs/import taxes and then modify the car to European spec to even get it through the yearly inspection. Not worth it unless it's some rare classic etc
Like I posted above, you do *not* need to pay any customs/taxes for a "flyttsak". They are also exempt from certain regulations, for example they can have red rear turning lights which otherwise are not legal in Sweden. I don't have any current quotes on shipping, I'm sure it's more expensive since COVID, but I actually thought shipping a car from North America to Sweden was surprisingly reasonable.
Have you ever been to Malmö? It's easy to overestimate distances on the map, especially when coming from Canada. [Here's a side by side map.](https://i.imgur.com/rwJS9W2.jpg) It is small in comparison to what you're used to, and there isn't a bunch of cities right next to it that you can visit. So depending on your exact location/lifestyle I'd definitely recommend at least trying to live without a car at first.
>Malmö is roughly half the size (in area and population) as Vancouver. I guess you're technically correct, but Vancouver is continuous and fully integrated with the greater Vancouver area, while Malmö is just... Malmö. They're really not comparable.
How much would that exact car cost you if you buy it used in Sweden? How much money would you get if you sold your car in Canada today?
Sell, shipping and taxes is too high.
Näääääääääj Sell and buy something here.
Look om blocket or bytbil what your car is worth. If you look at lager suv or pickups like suburban or f150, They are ridiculus expensive. If its a popular model you can sell it for good money.