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Are winter tires mandatory in Europe?

Winter tyres. Where are they mandatory in Europe?

10 November 2022 by Tomasz Szymański

There are some countries in Europe where drivers are not required by the law to change their cars’ tyres into winter ones. Poland is a great example of that. Meanwhile, there are places where it is laid out in the highway code. And there are fines for not adhering by these rules! 


Poland – and winter tyres 

In Poland there are no legal regulations regarding seasonal tyre changes. 

This means – it is not forbidden to have summer tyres on in the middle of winter. Or having winter tyres on in mid-August. 
There are no fines, too.

This makes Poland a bit different from the neighboring countries.

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A few tips on tyre storage
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Europe and winter tyre regulations 


As a matter of fact, this varies from one country to another. Let’s yese a look at the regulations in countries located close to Poland:

  • The Czech Republic
  • Slovakia
  • Lithuania
  • Belarus
  • Ukraine
  • Germany

Czech Republic – passenger cars, trucks, buses

The Czech highway code requires car owners to have either winter or all-season (M+S) tyres on between 1.11 and 31.03. 

It may seem changing tyres is not mandatory, as the highway code requires using winter tyres only in winterly conditions OR when there is a risk of these showing. In fact – winterly conditions are expected all winter round. 


Are drivers fined for not having seasonal tyres on? 

There is a risk of a fine –  from 2000 CZK (circa 82 euro). The worst case scenario includes even a ban of further car use – until seasonal tyres are put on. 


How about Slovakia?

The Slovak law requires drivers to have winter tyres on only when the roads are covered in ice OR snow. There are stricter requirements when it comes to trucks/buses – they need to have seasonal tyres on between 15.11 and 31.03.

No winter tyres on – Slovakia 

Fine from 60 euro. 

Lithuania – winter tyres 

The regulations for winter tyres in this country are pretty strict. All vehicles in Lithuania need to have seasonal tyres between 10.11-01.04. 

The minimum thread depth is 3 mm.

Winter tyres in motorcycles – Lithuania 


Between 01.12 – 01.03 even motorcycles need to have winter tyres on. 

Belarus 


Winter tyres are required between 01.12 and 01.03. What’s even more important, this regulation requires all vehicles to have seasonal tyres on – be it passenger, truck or buses.  

Ukraine

No regulations on winter tyres 🙂 


Are winter tyres required in Germany? 

This is one of the countries where, legally, there is an obligation but….it is not. 🙂

In case weather conditions become much worse and there is snow or ice on the road, cars need to have winter/all-season tyres on. Without them, the driver would get a ticket. 

ANOTHER CAR WITH BALD TYRES? SHOW THIS TO THE DRIVER  🙂 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg6PnYgrk2M 

Feel free to share the link – with your clients, social media, anywhere! After all, we all want safety, right? 

Rest of Europe – what are the regulations? 

There are some countries where seasonal tyre change is mandatory, according to the law: 

  • Finland 
  • Sweden
  • Estonia
  • Latvia
  • Bulgaria 
  • Croatia

Winter tyres in Finland 

Winter tyres/all-season ones are mandatory between 01.11-31.03. 

The homeland of Nokian brand is one of the countries where road conditions can be challenging. That’s why, it comes as no surprise that cars can have studded tyres on – 01.11 to 31.03.

Minimum tread depth is 3 mm. 

Winter tyres in Sweden 

Regulations are similar to Finnish ones – period for having winter/all-season tyres is 01.11-31.03. Minimum tread depth is 3 mm. 

You can also use studded tyres – 01.10-15.04. 

Estonia and winter tyre regulations 

Similarly to other Baltic countries, the Estonian highway code includes regulations on using winter/all-season tyres. They need to be on 01.12-01.03

Studded tyres can be used between 15.10 and 31.03. 

Latvia and winter tyres 

In Latvia, all cars/buses need to have winter tyres on between 01.12 and 01.03. The minimum tread depth is 4 mm. 

Bulgaria

Let’s start a quick journey to the South of Europe. Szybko przenosimy się na połudno Europy. Even though Bulgaria may not seem like the first choice when it comes to winter tyres, this issue is laid out in law between 15.11 and 01.03 cars need to have winter tyres on. If they don’t, the driver might get a fine of around 25 EUR. 

Croatia 

The period of using winter tyre is among the longest in Europe – 15.11-15.04. However! You can have summer tires all year round, as long as you have 4 tyre chains in the trunk. 

No winter tyre regulations – other countries 

Here comes a list 🙂  

  • Portugal
  • Ireland
  • Great Britain 
  • Belgium
  • Netherlands 
  • Denmark
  • Hungary
  • Greece
  • Cyprus
  • Malta

The following countries require winter/all-season tyres in bad weather conditions or in certain regions: 

  • Spain
  • France
  • Italy 

Winter tyres. Where are they mandatory in Europe? 


As you can see, there are no universal regulations when it comes to winter tyre use in Europe. We realize we didn’t include all countries from Europe. 


While writing this article we were inspired by information from the following sources 

Pisząc ten artykuł posiłków liśmy się informacjami zawartymi na następujących stronach:

  • https://www.europe-consommateurs.eu/en/travelling-motor-vehicles/motor-vehicles/winter-tires-in-europe.html
  • Information for travelers published on .gov.pl websites 

CountryWinter tyre mandatory?Period
Czech Republicyes01.11-31.03
Slovakiaonly in winterly conditions (passenger cars); yes (trucks)15.11-31.03
Lithuaniayes10.11-01.04
Belarusyes01.12-01.03
Ukrainenonot applicable 🙂
Germanyonly if road conditions are badnot applicable 🙂
Finland yes01.11-31.03
Swedenyes01.11-31.03
Estoniayes01.12-01.03
Latviayes01.12-01.03
Bulgaria yes15.11-01.03
Croatia yes15.11-01.04
Portugalnonot applicable 🙂
Irelandnonot applicable 🙂
Great Britainnonot applicable 🙂
Belgiumnonot applicable 🙂
The Netherlands (Holland)nonot applicable 🙂
Denmarknonot applicable 🙂
Hungarynonot applicable 🙂
Greecenonot applicable 🙂
Cyprusnonot applicable 🙂
Spaindepending on road conditionsnot applicable 🙂
Francedepending on road conditionsnot applicable 🙂
Italy depending on road conditionsnot applicable 🙂

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