Made in October 2026. Each country’s rule was read from its own law or transport authority on 24–25 Oct 2026; every source is linked in the full table: https://copilot.travel/maps/winter-tyres

A few things that surprised me:

  • Estonia requires winter tyres 1 Dec–1 Mar whatever the weather; Finland 1 Nov–31 Mar only when conditions require.

  • Germany only accepts tyres with the snowflake (3PMSF) mark in wintry conditions; old M+S-only tyres no longer count.

  • Caravans need winter tyres too in Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Lithuania; in Germany, Austria and France the rule only covers the towing car.

  • Humanius@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    1 day ago

    These days there exist four-season tyres, which to my knowledge meet the requirements of countries that require winter tyres in winter or wintery conditions.

    • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.caEnglish
      3·
      11 hours ago

      All season tires are a marketing term. It’s not possible to make rubber formulas that work across a 50 degree temperature range. If they did work in cold weather, then would wear quickly in hot weather.

    • trollercoaster@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      10 hours ago

      Those all season tyres are really just a bad compromise, I wouldn’t bet my life on them. And with the tyres being the interface to the road, responsible for keeping the car on the road and making it stop in a timely manner when you hit the brakes, you are literally betting your life on them.

      • Humanius@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        10 hours ago

        They are still functional tyres. I’ve been driving on all season tyres for years now and it’s never been an issue.
        I live in a country with a relatively mild climate, so we don’t really get extreme winters or summers. All season tyres are plenty good enough for the occional light dusting of snow in winter.

    • PissaIFrysern@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      4·
      1 day ago

      While they do meet the requirements they are objectively worse than dedicated winter tyres in the winter and vice versa for summer. As a Norwegian I’d never trust all season tyres in the winter, at least not here in Norway. Non-studded winter tyres work good enough in the cities, but studded tyres are the best regardless of where you drive in the winter.

      • Humanius@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        1 day ago

        As a Dutchman, I just don’t want to get fined when driving into Germany. Preferably without breaking the bank.

      • Señor Mono@feddit.orgEnglish
        3·
        1 day ago

        The major trade-off is the time and distance it takes to brake and that the tyres get stressed more heavily in comparison to seasonal ones.