QUICK ANSWER
In Sweden, the car insurance of someone who has died usually keeps running until the estate (dödsbo) cancels it – and as long as the car is on the road, it must have traffic insurance. Don't cancel the insurance until the car has been sold, taken over or taken off the road. An ownership change from an estate is done on the paper form (part 2 of the registration certificate), signed by one of the estate's heirs on behalf of the estate, and the new owner takes out traffic insurance from the date on the form.
Where it goes wrong
The insurance is cancelled too early. When relatives go through the deceased person's contracts, it's easy to cancel everything at once, the car insurance included. If the car is still on the road in the vehicle register, the traffic insurance fee runs from the day after the insurance ended – now as a debt of the estate.
The premium stops being paid. If the insurance was paid by direct debit from the deceased person's account, the payments can stop working after the death. If the premium goes unpaid, the insurance company can eventually end the policy, just as it would for anyone – see what happens if you don't pay your car insurance?
The sale takes longer than expected. The estate inventory (bouppteckning), the division of property between spouses and the distribution of the inheritance often take months, and the estate has to agree before the car can change owner. Meanwhile the car stays registered to the deceased person, and as long as it's on the road it must be insured – even if nobody drives it.
The registration certificate is missing. An ownership change requires the original of the most recently issued part 2 of the registration certificate. If you can't find it, a new one can be ordered free of charge from the Swedish Transport Agency, but it is normally sent to the deceased person's last address and takes a few days.
How to avoid it
Contact the insurance company early. Tell them about the death and ask how long the insurance runs, how the premium should be paid from now on, and what applies until the car is sold or taken over. Keep the insurance in place in the meantime.
Take the car off the road if it isn't used. A car that's off the road needs neither traffic insurance nor vehicle tax while the estate is being settled – though the annual vehicle register fee is still payable. To take the car off the road you need part 1 of the registration certificate and the authorisation code printed on it. It takes effect from the day a complete notification reaches the Swedish Transport Agency, so keep the traffic insurance until it has been registered.
Do the ownership change on paper. An ownership change from an estate can't be reported digitally. One of the heirs (dödsbodelägare), or a specially appointed estate administrator, signs part 2 of the registration certificate and writes “För dödsboet” (“for the estate”) with their name and their name in block letters in the current owner box. No estate inventory needs to be attached, but the estate must agree on the ownership change before the form is sent in.
The new owner insures from the date on the form. This applies both when the car is sold to someone outside the estate and when one of the heirs – for example a surviving spouse, partner or child – takes it over. The new owner takes out traffic insurance in their own name from exactly the ownership-change date on the form, the same day it's signed. The insurance company then ends the deceased person's policy, the same way as when any car changes owner – see traffic insurance when changing ownership.
Good to know
If a traffic insurance fee has already arisen, it becomes a debt of the estate, not a personal liability for the relatives – see a vehicle in an estate after the owner has died. If you don't know which vehicles the deceased person owned, the estate can request an extract from the Swedish Transport Agency, and with the authorisation code you can also see whether there are unpaid debts linked to the vehicle.
Sources: Swedish Transport Agency, when a vehicle owner dies. Konsumenternas, insurance in an estate. Swedish Motor Insurers, the fee for uninsured vehicles. Last checked: 2026-11-01.