Sweden, the Texas of Europe

In Sweden we like big vehicles, with all the trimmings. SUVs, minivans and premium cars have a long history of selling well here. We also have one of the largest collections of classic American cars outside of the US. This love for size and luxury also translates into the RV market. This makes Sweden interesting for the RV manufacturers, because here they can sell their top-margin models

Sweden is a small country. We are a mere 10 million inhabitants. But the geographics of Sweden means we have long distances between cities. If we want to take our RV to continental Europe it is a very long drive. At least if You don’t live in the south of Sweden. From the far north of Sweden to the south it is almost 1,600 km as the crow flies, with a car it is close to 2,000 km. That is like driving from Copenhagen to Rome.

A large part of the nation is wilderness. One of the last true wildernesses of Europe. When we go RVing we can’t expect to find a campground or

RV-parking every 10 miles, or a service station for that matter.

We also have the unique right to camp almost anywhere. It is a privilege called “Allemansrätten”, a word not easily translated, in direct translation it reads “all peoples right”. It means we can stay also on non-public land as long as we don’t disturb anyone. In (very) simplified terms it means out of sight from houses, no littering and not to have any negative effects on the land. In short; to be respectful. All of the above makes us want RVs suitable for wild camping. We want/ need a high degree of self sufficiency.

And also comfort. Preferably in all seasons. I think most RVers of the world say the same. But in Sweden it is not only words. To sell an RV in Sweden it needs to have heated and insulated tanks. We prefer waterborne heating. If we buy an RV with airborne heating, for example the Truma Combi, we for sure choose the larger 6kW version. With electric cartridge. Even in vehicles around six meters we choose the larger heater.

To sell a poorly winterized motorhome in Sweden is almost impossible. Even though 80% of the RVs are not used during the winter season.

This is Sweden

Total area: 532,000 km2 (incl. lakes and sea)

Land area: 410,000 km2

Coastline: 2,400 km

Distance North-South: 1,572 km

Distance West-East: 499 km

Capital: Stockholm

Population: 10.5 million

The faiblesse for comfortable living on the road has resulted in the largest fleet of tag axle motorhomes in Europe.

“Grandfather rule” helps with payload issues

In Sweden all holders of a B-license taken before 1st of July 1996 are allowed to drive motorhomes without any weight restriction. Even liners based on heavy truck chassis. This is because before 1st of July 1996 there was no weight restriction on passenger cars. And since motorhomes in Sweden are registered as Passenger

Winterization is a big topic in Sweden

Things valued extra high by Swedish RVers

• Winterization

• Wardrobe by entrance

• Shoe storage by entrance

• Large fridges

• Alde heating

Cars Class 2 they follow the same rules as Your everyday family car. This means a lot of motorhomes have gross vehicle weights over 3,500 kg. It makes no sense to buy a 3.5 ton vehicle with low payload when You are allowed to drive a heavier vehicle without upgrading Your license.

High ratio of premium vehicles

Since we like wild camping, good winterization and have less issues with weight of the vehicle it reflects on what vehicles we prefer. The Swedish market have a bigger percentage of premium and upper level midclass

• Solar panels

• Lithium batteries

• Automatic gearbox (motorhomes)

• Payload vehicles. You won’t find any real entry level vehicles at the dealerships. Forget about €50,000, or even €60,000 motorhomes.

In Sweden the bulk of the sales is in the €90,000 to €110,000 price range. Also vehicles with prices from €200,000 and above have an unusually high market share in Sweden compared with most European markets.

The same is true for caravans. Our domestic brands Kabe, Polar and Easy Camper are premium brands. Built for all year use. And when foreign brands make a push into our market it is with more exclusive and competent rigs.

Highest taxes in Europe

In Sweden we have a taxation of motorhomes called “Bonus Malus”. The idea is that environmentally friendly motorhomes get a bonus - lower tax and even a cash bonus. Not so envi- ronmentally friendly vehicles are instead punished, Malus, with extra high taxation.

This system is based on personal vehicles, so the emission limit for Bonus is set very low. No light commercial vehicle can reach the Bonus level, in reality they all get a hefty Malus.

To explain the system in detail with all parameters and all the exceptions would take too much space and Your brain would melt from reading about the idiotic system. But if I tell You that the motorhome taxation is between €1,500 and €3,000 annually, You un- derstand that this doesn’t help motorhome sales.

Luckily the pandemic compensated somewhat for the decline in sales due to the high taxes. With no possibilities to go abroad for vacation many turned to motorhomes and caravans for their holiday pleasure. And it seems like most of them keep their vehicles and have embraced the nomadic lifestyle. There are already signs that this taxation system will not survive. The cash bonus have been cancelled since November due to the fact that it is no longer needed. People buy electric

The author

Stefan Janeld is the editor in chief of Sweden leading online motorhome magazine, www.alltomhusbilen.se and also runs The Motorhome School (www. husbilsskolan.se ), an online service that advice consumers on all matters connected to motorhomes and mobile living. He has been a motorhome journalist since 2008 and has tested more than 350 motorhomes.

If You have questions, want to give feedback or for any other reason want to reach him You can shoot him an email: stefan@alltomhusbilen.se vehicles in a fast pace, too fast for the charging infrastructure to keep up. A new system is needed. To pay for the cost of charging infrastructure the electric vehicles need to be taxed. I expect a tax based on milage will be presented in a few years. That will benefit motorhomes that on average drive less than 7,000 km annually.

Slow to adopt trends

15 years ago I wrote my first “van special”. I pointed out the advantages of this small and very versatile vehicle. I also pointed out that it was a very popular type of motorhome in France, Germany and Great Britain and predicted the same would be true in Sweden shortly. When it was published Swedish dealers mocked me. Their reasoning was that for the same amount of money the customers could get a larger and more comfortable motorhome.

Five years later some of them contacted me for advice on what vans to keep

2022 Swedish motorhome market

The total sales of new motorhomes was 3,523 units. 30% less than 2021.

Top 10 motorhome brands

Adria 362 units

Volkswagen 239 units

Hymer 223 units

Kabe 204 units

Pilote 203 units

Knaus 169 units

Sunlight* 152 units

Bürstner 146 units

Carado* 132 units

Rapido 129 units

Market shares by group

Trigano Group 26%

Hymer Group 25%

Knaus Tabbert Group 8%

Kabe Group 7%

Pilote Group 7%

Rapido Group 5%

Carthago Group 5%

Independent brands** 17% in stock. Today vans are at least 25% of the Swedish market and every dealer carries them.

Now the European trend is small campervans with popup-roof. A trend that has not caught on in Sweden. Again dealers say they are too expensive. “You can get a much more comfortable full size van for the same money.” But give it 2-3 years and I am certain also this segment of the market will grow in Sweden. Last year only a handful of dealers carried popup-vans. 2023 many more have at least one in stock.

Few independent garages

In 15 years the number of registered motorhomes in Sweden has gone from 25,000 to 120,000. Most of them are repaired and serviced at the dealership where they were purchased.

With such a rapid growth the dealers have problems keeping up with demand. An average sized dealership sell about 100-200 units per year. In a few years it becomes an almost impossible amount of vehicles to repair and service. There is a need for independent garages to take the load off the dealerships. But so far not many have opened. If this doesn’t change it will become difficult to own a motorhome in Sweden. And already we hear complaints from motorhome owners that can’t get help from dealers when they travel around Sweden. The dealers only have time for their own customers.

Same is true for those that has bought their motorhome outside Sweden and imported it themselves. They have a hard time getting repairs of the living area. Luckily they can service and