taillight 580x338 Purchasing a Used Vehicle in Stavanger

The public transport system in Stavanger is pretty efficient however nothing beats having your own vehicle to travel around in.

FINN is the site for almost everything, used vehicles included. Look in FINN>Bil (car) or FINN>MC (motorcycle). You can search under many different categories e.g. make and model of vehicle, location, the year the vehicle was produced, price, etc.

There are usually several pictures of the vehicle for sale from different angles. A description of the vehicle can also be found. Google Translate is very helpful here.

I find that Norwegian vehicle owners are usually very honest and list all the faults of their vehicles so that potential buyers really know what they are getting (of course, there are exceptions to this).

Contact the owner of the vehicle you are interested in and arrange for a test-drive.

Alternatively, contact a used vehicle dealer.

Terms you might find useful:

  • salgsform = sales form
  • årsmodell = year of model
  • karosseri = body
  • drivstoff = fuel
  • bensin = gasoline
  • girkasse = gear box
  • forhjuldrift = front wheel drive
  • bakhjuldrift = rear wheel drive
  • firehjuldrift = 4-wheel drive
  • farge = colour
  • antall seter = number of seats
  • antall dører =number of doors’
  • sommerhjul = summer tires
  • vinterhjul = winter tires
  • El. vindu = electrical windows
  • beskrivelse = description
  • oppvarmede seter = seats with heating
  • electriske speil = eletrical mirrors
  • årsavgift = Annual Motor Vehicle Tax
  • omregistrering = re-registration fee

Once you find a vehicle you like, offer the vehicle owner the price you would like to purchase the vehicle for. There might be some toggling back and forth before both parties agree on the selling price. Subsequently, the buyer needs to transfer the money to the seller and both parties need to fill out the necessary documentation.

If you require a car loan, find a list of banks here.

When a motor vehicle changes owner, the change of ownership must be reported to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. Only persons with a Norwegian personal identity number, a D-number or a Norwegian business registration number can re-register a motor vehicle in Norway.
Points to remember in relation to re-registration:

1. NOTIFICATION OF SALE

A notification of change of ownership (notification of sale) form must be submitted to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration three days after the change of ownership at the latest. Both the previous and the new owner, and any coowners, must sign the same notification of sale. The previous owner is responsible for submitting the notification of sale to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

2. REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE

The vehicle registration certificate consists of two parts. Part 2 must be submitted in connection with a change of ownership.

Part 1 is a document that must be kept in the vehicle.

Part 2 must be kept separately from the vehicle.

On re-registration, the buyer receives a temporary registration certificate. This document must be kept by the buyer until he/she receives the new registration certificate by post.

NOTE! It is not permitted to drive in another country with a temporary vehicle registration certificate.

3. INSURANCE

Motor vehicle liability insurance must be taken out with an insurance company. See list of insurance companies here.

4. FEES

When the Traffic Services Office has received the notification of sale, the new owner will receive a bank giro for the re-registration fee (omregistrering). To re-register your vehicle, both the Annual Motor Vehicle Tax and the re-registration fee must be paid.

5. IDENTIFICATION

To re-register your vehicle, you must present valid identification to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

6. PERIODIC ROADWORTHINESS CHECK (EU Kontroll)

Prior to re-registration, the vehicle must have completed a periodic road worthiness test, if required. Check when the vehicle you are interested in was last approved.

To drive a car in Norway, you must pay an Annual Motor Vehicle Tax (årsavgift). The person registered (on 1 January) in the central register of motor vehicles as the owner of the vehicle must pay the Annual Motor Vehicle Tax  Norwegian Customs Service. The Annual Motor Vehicle Tax must also be paid for vehicles whose number plates were removed after 1 January, which have not been delivered for scrapping by 20 March.

Unpaid Annual Motor Vehicle Tax will be collected by the Norwegian National Collection Agency. The tax will usually be deducted from your pay. If you sell your vehicle in the period from 1 January to 20 March, you must ensure that the Annual Motor Vehicle Tax has been paid. The previous and current owner are both responsible for this.

Norway does not have an obligation to carry out periodic road worthiness tests on foreign vehicles in Norway that are not registered here. It is the obligation of the country in which the vehicle is registered to ensure that the test requirement is met. The following applies to vehicles registered in Norway:

THE TEST

Cars with a gross vehicle weight of 3,500kg or less must be tested during the course of the fourth calendar year after
first-time registration. After that, the vehicle must be tested every other year. Cars and trailers with a gross vehicle weight of 3,500 kg or more, all cars that are registered for 10 or more people, and taxis and ambulances must be tested during the course of the second calendar year after first-time registration. The vehicle must then be tested every year.

WHO PERFORMS THE TEST

The test can be performed by an approved control body. Garages and the Norwegian Automobile Federation’s (NAF) testing stations are approved for test purposes.

You are responsible for booking a date for the test. Find out when your car is due for a test.

It is advisable to make an appointment in good time to make sure your vehicle is approved by the end of the test month. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration currently offers periodic road worthiness tests. However, this service is very limited. For further information, contact the Norwegian Public Roads Administration on tel.: 06650.

I hope this information (partially from “New in Norway“) has been useful to you!

Please feel free to leave a comment or add additional information!

Purchasing a Used Vehicle in Stavanger

About Cynthia Myrnes

Cynthia is a Singaporean who has been living in Stavanger since Feb 2008 with her Norwegian husband. She works as a physiotherapist here and also owns her own petsitting service, Stavanger Petsitter, for the residents of Stavanger. In addition, she manages the Stavanger International Moms group. She loves hanging out with friends, spending time with animals, travelling and watersports such as scuba diving and wake boarding. Most of all, she is enjoying the experience of being a first time mom!