Experts recommend winter tyres as Austria’s seasonal rule returns

Austria’s situational winter-tyre requirement begins on 1 November, and experts recommend changing tyres regardless of the weather, ORF reports. All-season tyres may be an alternative for some drivers.

Winter tyres are required from 1 November to 15 April only when roads have winter conditions such as snow, slush or ice. Klaus Eichberger, president of ARBÖ in Styria, recommends switching tyres in any case, saying winter tyres’ softer rubber provides better grip and shorter braking distances in cold conditions.

Drivers using summer tyres in severe winter conditions could face fines of up to 5,000 euros. Eichberger also warned that after a crash, an insurer could argue that winter tyres would have prevented it, potentially leaving the driver partly liable.

Older winter tyres should have at least four millimetres of tread, which can be checked with a two-euro coin, the article says. For drivers who do not regularly travel in high alpine areas and want to avoid changing tyres twice a year, Eichberger recommends considering all-season tyres, which he said have improved considerably.

All-season or all-weather tyres are recognised as winter tyres in Austria if they carry the “M+S” marking or the snowflake symbol.