Winter tyres in Europe, week by week
What each country asks of a car, motorhome or caravan from October to April — on set dates even when it's dry, only when the road is wintry, or only in signed mountain zones. Every rule read from the country's own law or transport authority.
October to April
The rule in each country
| Country | Rule | When | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Required on set dates, even on a dry roadregardless of weather: winter tyres, or summer tyres 4 mm plus chains | 1 Nov – 1 Apr | bihamk.ba |
| Bulgaria | Required on set dates, even on a dry roadwinter tyres, or any tyres with 4 mm tread, on dry roads too | 15 Nov – 1 Mar | rta.government.bg |
| Estonia | Required on set dates, even on a dry roadwinter tyres compulsory | 1 Dec – 1 Mar | transpordiamet.ee |
| Latvia | Required on set dates, even on a dry roadnational source unreachable; EU Your Europe portal | 1 Dec – 1 Mar | europa.eusecondary source |
| Lithuania | Required on set dates, even on a dry roadend date per EU Your Europe portal | 10 Nov – 31 Mar | ltsa.lrv.lt |
| North Macedonia | Required on set dates, even on a dry roadwinter tyres 4 mm, or summer tyres plus chains carried; ministry notice read via press reposts | 15 Nov – 15 Mar | —secondary source |
| Slovenia | Required on set dates, even on a dry roadwinter tyres on all wheels, or summer tyres plus chains carried | 15 Nov – 15 Mar | promet.si |
| Austria | Required in wintry conditions, within set dateson snow, slush or ice: winter tyres (4 mm) on all wheels, or chains on 2 drive wheels on continuous snow/ice | 1 Nov – 15 Apr | bmimi.gv.at |
| Czechia | Required in wintry conditions, within set dateswhen there is, or can be expected, snow, ice or frost; 4 mm | 1 Nov – 31 Mar | zakonyprolidi.czsecondary source |
| Finland | Required in wintry conditions, within set datesif weather or road conditions require; non-studded tyres need the 3PMSF snow mark | 1 Nov – 31 Mar | traficom.fi |
| Montenegro | Required in wintry conditions, within set datesin winter conditions; on listed roads even when dry | 15 Nov – 1 Apr | gov.me |
| Serbia | Required in wintry conditions, within set dateswhen snow, ice or sleet is on the road; 4 mm | 1 Nov – 1 Apr | mup.gov.rs |
| Sweden | Required in wintry conditions, within set dateswhen there are winter road conditions | 1 Dec – 31 Mar | transportstyrelsen.se |
| Germany | Required in wintry conditions, any time of yearon black ice, packed snow, slush, ice or frost; only 3PMSF tyres count | — | gesetze-im-internet.de |
| Luxembourg | Required in wintry conditions, any time of yearin wintry conditions; M+S or Alpine symbol | — | guichet.public.lu |
| Norway | Required in wintry conditions, any time of yearenough grip whenever conditions require (winter tyres, chains or similar); 3 mm tread in the winter period | — | vegvesen.no |
| Romania | Required in wintry conditions, any time of yearwhen the road is covered with snow, ice or sleet | — | mai.gov.ro |
| Slovakia | Required in wintry conditions, any time of yearon a continuous layer of snow, ice or frost | — | slov-lex.sk |
| Croatia | Only on signed roads or in mountain zoneson 839 km of designated winter sections regardless of weather; elsewhere in winter conditions | 15 Nov – 15 Apr | policija.gov.hr |
| France | Only on signed roads or in mountain zonesin listed mountain communes: 4 winter (3PMSF) tyres, or chains/socks carried; motorhomes included | 1 Nov – 31 Mar | legifrance.gouv.fr |
| Italy | Only on signed roads or in mountain zonesby road-owner ordinance and sign, even with no snow; Valle d'Aosta from 15 Oct | 15 Nov – 15 Apr | poliziadistato.it |
| Spain | Only on signed roads or in mountain zoneschains or 3PMSF tyres when signs or traffic authorities require | — | revista.dgt.es |
| Albania | No winter-tyre lawthe road owner may order anti-skid equipment; chains where signed (Road Code art. 6) | — | — |
| Belgium | No winter-tyre lawno obligation found (no official statement either way) | — | —secondary source |
| Denmark | No winter-tyre lawbut tyres 'obviously unsuitable' for the conditions can be fined (since 1 Jul 2025) | — | fstyr.dk |
| Greece | No winter-tyre lawon snowy roads chains unless the car has winter tyres | — | e-nomothesia.gr |
| Hungary | No winter-tyre lawchains where signed | — | katasztrofavedelem.hu |
| Netherlands | No winter-tyre law | — | rijksoverheid.nl |
| Poland | No winter-tyre lawchains where sign C-18 is posted | — | api.sejm.gov.pl |
| Switzerland | No winter-tyre lawno obligation, but summer tyres in winter can mean a fine or a cut insurance payout | — | ch.ch |
| United Kingdom | No winter-tyre law | — | gov.uk |
| Ireland | Not verifiedno winter-tyre law known; not verified | — | — |
| Portugal | Not verifiedno obligation known; not verified | — | — |
Cars, motorhomes up to 3.5 t and cars towing a caravan. Where a source is secondary (a law publisher, the EU portal or press quoting the ministry) it says so. Latvia's national pages could not be reached; Portugal and Ireland are not verified.
Questions and answers
Answered from this page's own data, as of 25 October 2026.
Do the winter-tyre rules apply to foreign-registered cars?
Yes, wherever the rule exists: none of the official texts read exempts foreign vehicles, and Finland's says so outright. A Dutch or British car in Austria in a snowstorm needs the same winter tyres (or chains on continuous snow) as an Austrian one.
Do motorhomes and caravans count?
Yes. The table is for cars, motorhomes up to 3.5 t and cars towing a caravan; France's mountain rule names motorhomes explicitly. Heavier vehicles often have stricter rules, not shown here.
What is the difference between 'set dates' and 'in wintry conditions'?
On set dates (Estonia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina…) winter equipment is compulsory even on a dry road. In Austria, Sweden, Finland or Czechia the dates only frame the season: the duty bites when the road is wintry. Germany and Romania have no dates at all — the condition alone counts.
Are M+S tyres enough?
Not everywhere any more. Germany, France and Finland now count only tyres with the Alpine 3PMSF snowflake symbol; Spain accepts only 3PMSF in place of chains. Older M+S-only tyres are still accepted in Italy, Luxembourg and Croatia.