Winter driving laws around Europe decoded

For that reason, DiscoverCars have collected data from 47 European countries to explore winter driving laws and how they differ from country to country.

European Countries where winter tyres are required

There are 24 European countries where winter tyres are required:

. Andorra

‘ Armenia

. Austria

. Belarus

. Bosnia and Herzegovina

. Bulgaria

. Croatia

. Czech Republic

. Estonia

. Finland

. Germany

. Iceland

. Latvia

. Lithuania

. Luxembourg

. Moldova

. Montenegro

. Romania

. Russia

. Serbia

. Slovakia

. Slovenia

. Sweden

. Turkey

In some countries, winter tyres may be required only during certain times of the year when conditions are more extreme.

Countries that do not allow studded tyres

Non-studded winter tyres are designed for countries where the weather conditions are milder, such as in Central Europe.

On the other hand, in the Nordic countries, winter is typically more snowy and icy.

To allow people to be aware of which are the Nordic non-studded tyres and which are the European, a particular Ice Grip marking is currently being created by the tyre industry.

Studded winter tyres are popular in Nordic countries but forbidden in Hungary and Poland.

The use of tyre studs must always also have a sign attached to the car.

In Belgium, studded tyres are generally not allowed, however they may be permitted in exceptional weather conditions from November 1 to March 31 for vehicles up to 3,500 kg.

In addition, in Switzerland, studded tyres are allowed but they can’t be used on motorways.

Finally, winter tyres are a necessity for vehicles registered in Bulgaria during winter road conditions and are recommended for people visiting the country too.

Snow chain laws in Europe

The legal minimum tread depth is 3 mm in most European countries.

The Netherlands is the only country that forbids snow chains in Europe.

Snow tyres are not compulsory in Liechtenstein but vehicles must carry snow chains. These must be used in areas where signs inform drivers to and must be fitted on two drive wheel cars.

In some European countries, the use of tyre chains is recommended and in some countries they are compulsory. Some locations have traffic signs that show the mandatory tyre chains in the steep mountain areas. In other countries, it is enough just to have the tyre chains in the car.

DiscoverCars wants to ensure that their readers’ trips run as smoothly as possible.

Aleksandrs Buraks at DiscoverCars.com said: “For many people, their next trip will be their first holiday since before the pandemic.

“For that reason, we wanted to help their trip to be as smooth as possible. No one wants to run into something unexpected that costs them money!

“We want our research to help people prepare properly so that their experience is even better.”