The rally's history began in 1950 as the Midnight Sun Rally, initially a summer competition across Sweden. The first winner was Per-Fredrik Cederbaum. In 1952, the finish line moved to Rättvik, and Olof "Grus Olle" Persson won in a Porsche 356. In 1953, Lennart Hyland provided radio coverage as a co-driver. The 1956 rally saw Allan Borgefors set a stage record with a 27-meter leap on the Husås–Andviken stage. Gunnar Andersson won in a Volvo PV 444 in 1958, while Greta Molander secured her sixth ladies' class victory in a Saab.
In 1965, the rally transitioned from a summer gravel event to a winter rally, renaming itself Svenska Rallyt. Tom Trana won both the last summer Midnight Sun Rally in 1964 and the first winter Rally Sweden in 1965. For the first two years of its winter format, Örebro served as the central location, moving to Karlstad and Värmland in 1967.
Rally Sweden has been part of the World Rally Championship since its inception in 1973, making it one of five rallies to hold this distinction. The first winner in Sweden under the WRC was Stig Blomqvist in 1973, driving a Saab. The WRC initially only awarded a constructor's title; an official drivers' world championship was established in 1979, with Björn Waldegård as the inaugural world champion.
In 1981, Hannu Mikkola became the first non-Swedish driver to win Rally Sweden, driving an Audi Quattro. This victory increased global interest in the winter rally. The 1980 podium was entirely Swedish, with Anders Kulläng winning, followed by Stig Blomqvist and Björn Waldegård. In 1982, Stig Blomqvist won after Hannu Mikkola and Michèle Mouton collided. Ari Vatanen won in 1985 with a Peugeot 205 Turbo 16.
Kenneth Eriksson secured the latest home victory in 1997, his third win, with remarkably fast driving on the "Soptönna" stage in his Subaru. In 1995, Tommi Mäkinen deliberately stopped before the finish to allow Kenneth Eriksson to win due to team orders; Mäkinen later won Rally Sweden three times. Colin McRae's jump in 1997 on the Vargåsen stage led to the creation of Colin's Crest, where the Colin's Crest Award is given for the longest jump. Eyvind Brynildsen holds the record with a 45-meter leap in 2016.
Sébastien Loeb made history in 2004 as the first non-Nordic driver to win Rally Sweden. Nine years later, Sébastien Ogier became the second non-Nordic winner in 2013. Petter Solberg won in 2005, a significant moment for Norwegian and Swedish rally enthusiasts. Jari-Matti Latvala became the youngest WRC winner at 23 in 2008, and he has won Rally Sweden three more times (2012, 2014, 2017).
In 2015, Sébastien Ogier won after Andreas Mikkelsen hit a snowbank on the Power Stage. Ott Tänak won in 2019, securing extra points on the final Power Stage despite a comfortable lead. Elfyn Evans became the first Briton to win Rally Sweden in 2020, which was also the last event held in Värmland before the relocation.
The rally has been canceled four times since its inception in 1950. The first cancellation was in 1974 due to the oil crisis. In 1990, the event was canceled due to weather conditions, though a TV stage known as the Swedish TV Rally was conducted instead. In 2009, Rally Sweden temporarily lost its WRC status in favor of Norway. The 2021 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to increasingly warmer and snow-poor winters in Värmland, making a proper winter rally impossible, the event relocated to Umeå in Västerbotten. Rally Sweden has been held in Umeå since 2022, a region considered much colder and more snow-assured. The Red Barn Arena in Umeå has become a central point for the rally, attracting over twenty thousand spectators in 2023.
The 2026 Rally Sweden is scheduled from February 12 to February 15 in Sweden. Ott Tänak won the 2026 event driving for Toyota Gazoo Racing.
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