Like many other Norwegians, we live abroad for part of the year. I wonder which car solution is best for a married couple with a dog. Buy, rent – or bring your Norwegian car?
The terrace door is open
It is 29 degrees outside despite the fact that it is the end of October. The restaurants still serve meals outdoors. We are not the only Scandinavians in this small French town. Most people here have a car. Some have bought their own car while others rent. There is no exact answer to what is best for everyone. It's about taste and pleasure, and not always as much about kroner and øre. I have collected some points that speak in favor and against different options.
Limitations of the stay abroad
There are rules for how long you can stay abroad without losing your rights in the Norwegian health system: A maximum of 12 consecutive months or 6 months per year during the last 2 years. In addition, the travel insurance limits the duration of the stay, depending on the agreement you have with your company. We have a maximum length of 10 weeks on our insurance.
- I recognize you!
It is always nice to be recognized as a customer. The man at the rental car counter said they have thousands of visitors. Still, they recognized me. "I come here quite often", I replied modestly. Regardless of the loyalty program the rental company has, renting a car becomes an expensive affair for private individuals. If you add up the rental price for a couple of years, you could buy a usable car.
Long-term rental or ownership?
Our holiday home is located 2 hours by car from Barcelona. We travel there twice a year, autumn and spring, and live there for 2 months at a time to make sure we keep our membership in Folketrygden. We have three obvious options: Fly and long-term car hire locally, buy a car locally or drive a car from Norway
| Solution | : ) | 🙁 |
|---|---|---|
| Flights and rental car | Waives responsibility for car while in Norway. Failure to follow up on maintenance. |
Rental prices are variable and can be very high. Can be charged for damages and cleaning. |
| Buying a car abroad | Always have access to a car. Family and friends can borrow the same car. |
Must bear all costs of owning a car. Costs are incurred regardless of the degree of use. |
| Drive a car from Norway | Eliminates costs for a local car. Can use a bigger and safer car. |
Expensive and time-consuming car travel. Winter tire problem. |
Parking
A prerequisite for buying a car abroad is that the car has its own parking space. If you do not have your own parking space, you must rent a garage or parking space to get your car off the street while you are in Norway. At the airport in Barcelona - and probably elsewhere too - you can rent parking on an annual basis near the airport. Renting year-round parking costs around NOK 10 per year.
EU controls
If you travel abroad a couple of times a year, you will certainly be able to have an EU inspection (CT) of your foreign car carried out while you are in the country. But you can also run the risk of being prevented from traveling during the months in which the check can be carried out. It's worse if you've taken yours Norwegian car for long-term stays abroad. Namely, you cannot take EU control of your Norwegian car in Spain or France.
Covid
When countries close their borders, as in the case of the latest Covid pandemic, most people wish they didn't own a car abroad. After two years, it is not certain that the car will start. It must be serviced, and you get two years of loss in value on the purchase. Any gain from owning rather than renting can be eaten up if you are prevented from travelling.
New or old car
The costs of owning a car abroad can be reduced by buying a slightly older car. As long as you avoid the premium brands, a workshop stay does not cost as much as in Norway. The disadvantage of an older car is that small but annoying problems can easily appear after it has been standing for a few months. Not so dangerous if you can fix small things yourself and can leave the car for a couple of days. Bigger problem if the car is parked at the airport. The loss in value on a new car is relatively high, but is taken from reality. Being a foreigner is probably a disadvantage when selling locally.
Consider different rental arrangements
You cannot count on any kind of discount when you normally rent for a long time, but most rental car companies offer long-term rentals where you pay per month, for example from NOK 4-6 (Europcar, Sixt+). In addition, an initiation fee may apply. Now you can draw car subscription also in Spain and France, for example via beep. Common to long-term rentals is that you have to book well in advance.
Avoid renting at peak
The prices at the rental car companies are controlled by demand. Renting a car during Easter week can therefore cost more than double the "normal" price. At the airport in Barcelona, prices can rise, for example, when FC Barcelona plays a big game at home. You can save a lot of money by checking the price picture week by week and avoid renting a car when the prices are at their peak. In practice, this means handing in the car before prices rise and picking up a new one when prices have fallen. Then you can become a "regular" at the counter 🙂
Share a car with others?
Given that you only spend a few months abroad each year, it can be a win-win for all parties to let others use (rent) the car when you cannot yourself. The person who owns the car can earn some of the car's maintenance. The car also benefits from regular use. Renting from acquaintances can be a nice supplement to long-term renting from car rental companies.
Drive yourself – with which tyres?
With today's flight prices, you save nothing by driving from Norway - on the contrary. But the trip can be a positive experience. Maybe you can choose different routes? One of the biggest problems is if you are going to stay abroad in autumn and spring. If you go down in August and return home in November, you may risk that it has become wintery at home in the meantime. You can also run the risk of getting into trouble in Germany where they have a winter tire mandate that applies in wintry driving conditions - generally between October and Easter.
Traveling with a dog
Dog as travel luggage has worked well for us (thanks to Norwegian). Without a dog, we could have taken the fast train on from Barcelona Sants, but unfortunately they do not accept our dog size on board. Then a car is the only alternative - but which companies accept dogs? Sixt does it. The company we used loyally in the past, Europcar, forbids dogs in their cars. Too bad, because Europcar's prices are cheaper. Hertz has a slightly unclear policy. They ban dogs on their low-cost company, Thrifty, while officially giving a conditional permission to bring dogs on Hertz - but according to customer feedback, customer service agents get the final say - and it's often "no". A dog makes owning a car more attractive than long-term renting.
Economic considerations
Take these considerations with a grain of salt! It is only intended as an indication of what a car abroad can cost. Insurance is not included in the overview.
Ordinary rental car
Per month based on a rental period of 2 months: NOK 13
Example is based on renting a Skoda Kamiq from Sixt in Barcelona in early 2023. Prices can vary enormously!
Long-term rental
Per month based on a rental period of 2 months: NOK 6
Assumed share of establishment costs: NOK 1
Example is based on long-term rental of Skoda Kamiq from Sixt+ in Barcelona in early 2023. The solution is in the initial phase for Barcelona.
Buy a new car for year-round use 12 months/year
Assumed loss in value per month: NOK 2
Estimated service cost per month: NOK 150
Estimated capital cost per month: NOK 600
Rent of garage/parking: NOK 1
The example is based on the purchase of a car for 240, assumed selling price after 000 years 5, 120% capital cost on Parking rental either in a local garage or agreed parking agreement near Barcelona El Prat.
Buy a new car that is only used 4 months/year
Assumed loss in value per month in use: NOK 6
Estimated service cost per month in use: NOK 450
Estimated capital cost per month in use: NOK 1
Rent of garage/parking: NOK 1
The example is based on the purchase of a car for 240, assumed selling price after 000 years 5, 120% capital cost on Parking rental either in a local garage or agreed parking agreement near Barcelona El Prat.
Buy an older car for year-round use 12 months/year
Assumed loss in value per month: NOK 1
Estimated service cost per month: NOK 300
Estimated capital cost per month: NOK 300
Rent of garage/parking: NOK 1
The example is based on the purchase of a car for 120, assumed selling price after 000 years 5, 60% capital cost on Parking rental either in a local garage or agreed parking agreement near Barcelona El Prat.
Buy an older car that is used for only 4 months/year
Assumed loss in value per month in use: NOK 3
Estimated service cost per month in use: NOK 900
Assumed capital cost per month in use: NOK 900
Rent of garage/parking: NOK 1
The example is based on the purchase of a car for 120, assumed selling price after 000 years 5, 60% capital cost on Parking rental either in a local garage or agreed parking agreement near Barcelona El Prat.
NAV is included
Holiday home and pensioner - or opportunity to work from abroad? Do you think 6 months per year is too little? Check this out!
Out of the last 2 years, you can stay abroad for up to 12 months without being deregistered from the National Insurance. That means less than 6 months on average per year.
Can you stay longer? What can happen? Who cares?
I have been told that NAV can identify you as the owner/part owner of a home abroad. It is the which allows you to end up in the spotlight. Insight into the movements of your bank accounts and flight history reveals the length of time you lived abroad. As far as I know, no systematic checks are carried out on people with houses abroad, but checks are occasionally carried out in connection with payments from NAV/Folketrygden. If it is discovered that the rules for stays abroad have been broken, you may risk losing social security or having to pay your own health expenses.
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