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No date, a weather rule: when winter tires are a must
Written by
Janine El-Saghir
Janine El Saghir is an editor at How-to-Germany.com, where she specializes in the practical aspects of daily life and integration for expatriates. With years of...
Reviewed by
Erkan Boga
Erkan Boga is the founder and CEO of qmedia GmbH, the publishing house behind How-to-Germany.com. He established the platform with the clear vision of creating...
- The rule is about the weather, not the calendar: on ice, packed snow, slush, frost or black ice you may only drive a car whose four wheels carry winter tires. On a dry December road, summer tires are legal.
- What counts as a winter tire: one that carries the Alpine symbol, a mountain with a snowflake inside. All-season tires with that symbol count. Tires marked only “M+S” do not.
- What it costs if you are caught: €60 for the driver, €80 if you obstruct traffic, and €75 for the keeper who let the car go out.
Germany has no date on which winter tires become mandatory. The “O to O” habit, from October to Easter (Ostern), is a rule of thumb that garages use for booking, not a law. What the law does is simple: if the road is icy or snowy and your car is on summer tires, you may not drive it. That leaves you two sensible choices, a second set of winter tires or one set of all-season tires with the Alpine symbol.
The rule in plain words
The road traffic regulation lists five conditions: black ice (Glatteis), packed snow (Schneeglätte), slush (Schneematsch), ice (Eisglätte) and frost (Reifglätte). Under any of them, every wheel of the car must carry a tire that meets the winter definition. The duty is on the driver, and separately on the keeper, who may not order or allow a trip on the wrong tires.
Trucks and buses have a lighter version of the rule: the driven axles and the front steering axles must have winter tires. Agricultural vehicles, motorcycles, forklifts, mobility scooters and emergency vehicles are exempt, as are special vehicles for which no winter tires exist. An exempt vehicle driving on summer tires in winter conditions must keep a gap of at least half its speed in meters and stay under 50 km/h.
Which tires count
A winter tire is a tire whose tread, compound or construction improves its grip on snow and which carries the Alpine symbol under the UN regulation for tires. The symbol is a three-peaked mountain with a snowflake inside it, molded into the sidewall. That is the whole test.
| Marking | Counts as a winter tire in Germany? |
|---|---|
| Alpine symbol (mountain with snowflake), with or without “M+S” | Yes |
| All-season tire with the Alpine symbol | Yes |
| “M+S” only, no mountain symbol | No for cars. The marking is not tested and the law no longer accepts it for anything but motorcycle tires. |
| Summer tire | No |
| Sources: Straßenverkehrs-Zulassungs-Ordnung (section 36) and the Federal Ministry of Transport page on winter tires (1 October 2026). Retrieved 4 November 2026. | |
Whatever the season, the main tread must be at least 1.6 mm deep all round. That is the legal minimum, and the inspection checks it too.
What it costs if you drive on the wrong tires
The federal catalog of amounts sets €60 for driving in winter conditions without suitable tires and €80 if you obstruct other traffic. The keeper who ordered or allowed the trip pays €75. Tread below the minimum costs the driver €60 and the keeper €75. Whether an accident on summer tires also affects an insurance payout is a question for your car insurance policy, not for the traffic rules. What other winter offenses cost, from a snow-covered plate to a blocked windshield, is in the traffic fines calculator.
Buying and changing
Two sets of tires mean two changes a year, which most garages and tire dealers do for a fee and often with storage. All-season tires with the Alpine symbol avoid the change altogether and are legal in winter conditions, so for a car that stays in the city they are the simpler answer. If you buy a used car, look at the sidewalls: a car sold “with winter tires” that are marked “M+S” only does not meet the rule. The inspection every two years does not check the season, only the tread and condition, so the TÜV inspection is no substitute for looking yourself.
Bottom line
A car that stays in the city does well on one set of all-season tires with the Alpine symbol. A second set of winter tires means regular tire changes. Whichever you pick, read the sidewall, on a used car too.
Part of driving in Germany. Related: TÜV inspection · buying a used car · car insurance in Germany.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whenever the road is icy, snowy, slushy or frosty, and only then. There is no start or end date. The October-to-Easter habit is a garage booking rule, not a law.
Yes, if they carry the Alpine symbol, the mountain with a snowflake. The law defines a winter tire by that symbol, not by the word on the sidewall. All-season tires marked only M+S do not count.
Not for a car. The current rule accepts the M+S marking only on motorcycle tires. Car tires need the Alpine symbol.
€60 for the driver, €80 if you obstruct other traffic. The keeper who let the car go out on those tires pays €75. The fine catalog has no separate higher amount for an accident.
The rule applies to every car on the road, rental cars included, and the driver is the one who pays. Ask the rental company which tires are fitted and look for the Alpine symbol on the sidewall before you set off in winter.
At least 1.6 mm across the whole main tread, in every season. Less than that costs the driver €60 and the keeper €75.
Sources and legal basis
Sources and legal basis (retrieved on 4 November 2026)
- Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung (road traffic regulation), section 2, paragraph 3a: the five weather conditions, all wheels, the lighter rule for trucks and buses, the exempt vehicles and their extra duties (half the speed in meters, 50 km/h).
- Straßenverkehrs-Zulassungs-Ordnung (road traffic licensing regulation), section 36: definition of a winter tire by tread, compound or construction and the Alpine symbol under UN Regulation No. 117; M+S only for motorcycle tires; 1.6 mm minimum tread.
- Federal Ministry of Transport, winter tires (1 October 2026): the situational rule explained, the Alpine symbol as the mark of a winter tire.
- Bußgeldkatalog-Verordnung (fine catalog), Annex, numbers 5a and 5a.1 (driver €60, with obstruction €80), 213a (keeper €75), 212 and 213 (tread below the minimum, driver €60 and keeper €75).
The transition period for M+S tires has ended. Its wording is no longer in the current regulation and is therefore not quoted.