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.

  • Heikki@sopuli.xyzOP
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    5 days ago

    Pretty much yes! In the Nordics and the Alps most families own two sets, usually each on its own wheels (then you can change them by ourself, slo many times theres somekind of storage or you can use storaging and changing as a service), so the swap takes half an hour at home or a few minutes at a tyre shop. Many don’t keep them at home at all: tyre shops run “tyre hotels” that store your off-season set and swap it for you twice a year.

    The other route is all-season tyres with the snowflake-on-a-mountain mark (3PMSF): in most countries with a winter rule, Germany included, they count as winter tyres, so one set does the whole year. Where winters are mild that’s the usual choice.

    • devfuuu@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Pretty useful info. What a strange and alien concept, tyre hotels lol. But it makes more sense like that.

      • Heikki@sopuli.xyzOP
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        5 days ago

        Yeah, totally get that, in ever smaller housing and apartments in cities price of storing winter tires might not make sense anymore. Ofcourse it also makes other funny things like people remembering their cars bolt pattern when someone has useless round of wheels at their storage and such.