All-season tyres gain ground, but not for every driver

All-season tyres are becoming more popular in Switzerland and across Europe, but they are not the right choice for every driver, SRF reports. Sales of summer and winter tyres have fallen over the past decade, while all-season tyre sales have grown sixfold to 49 million.

Milder winters have helped drive the trend, says Adrian Burkhard, a garage owner in Niederbipp, in the canton of Bern. Improved tyre technology and rising costs for switching between summer and winter tyres have also contributed.

Marco Wölfli, a spokesperson for the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS), says all-season tyres suit drivers who cover few kilometres and mostly drive in urban areas where snow is rare. He advises buyers to choose tyres with the snowflake symbol, which indicates they are recognised as winter tyres.

Drivers who often use motorways, travel in high temperatures or go on ski holidays are generally better off with separate summer and winter tyres, Wölfli says. Burkhard also advises against all-season tyres for people who regularly drive at higher elevations or cover more than average distances.

All-season tyres use a rubber compound, tread pattern and sipes designed to work across a range of temperatures and weather. Their tread channels help clear water and slush, while the edges of the sipes provide grip on snow. Some models use interlocking sipes to keep tread blocks stable when braking and steering on dry roads.

Tyre performance can vary considerably, particularly when braking, according to the latest TCS test. Wölfli recommends choosing a model rated at least “recommended” in the test. Tyres should have at least three millimetres of tread in summer and four millimetres in winter.