Tire test!

Mandatory winter tires: do I have to change now?

(Bild: ÖAMTC)

If you don't already have an appointment to change to winter tires (or all-weather tires with sufficient tread depth), you should take care of it slowly - from November 1, the situational winter tire obligation applies. Find the right tires for your car here!

The law on the situational winter tire obligation in Austria applies from November 1 to April 15 of the following year, regardless of the weather. No matter how high the temperatures climb. Hence "situational". This means that in winter conditions (snow, slush, ice) only vehicles with winter tires are allowed on the roads. Nobody demands that you drive with winter tires when the roads are dry. Not even in January.

But you do when the road conditions are wintry. A little slush is enough, it doesn't have to be "deep winter". Ignoring the winter tire requirement can result in severe penalties: In extreme cases, the police can impose fines of up to €10,000 during a traffic check.

Problems with the insurance company are also inevitable if a traffic accident occurs in winter driving conditions and the vehicle was not fitted with winter tires as required by law.

Find the right tires here:

Which tires?
Only tires with the following markings may be used as winter tires: M+S, M.S., M&S, M/S or a snowflake symbol (for cars registered in Germany, only the symbol with the snowflake in the mountain now applies).

All-season tires are also marked accordingly and are therefore permitted. "These symbols are intended to guarantee that the tires are suitable for special use on winter roads," says Erich Groiss, technical coordinator at ARBÖ.

In individual cases, however, you can't necessarily rely on this, especially with cheap tires. So it's better to choose good tires, and tire test reports can help. After all, a winter tire should not only prevent a report, but also dangerous situations or even accidents.

What many people don't know: Tires with a tread depth of less than four millimeters are generally not considered winter tires! For trucks over 3.5 tons, by the way, five millimetres applies.