Overview
- In Germany there is no fixed seasonal mandate; suitable tires are required only when roads have ice, packed snow, slush, black ice or frost.
- Police penalties commonly start at €60 for drivers plus one Flensburg point, vehicle owners face €75 and a point, and fines can rise to €120 if others are endangered.
- ADAC warns that liability insurers may pay first but later reclaim up to €5,000 if missing winter tires contributed to an accident, and accident victims without proper tires can face partial fault.
- The legal tread-depth minimum is 1.6 mm, while ADAC recommends at least 4 mm and replacing aging tires after about six years as rubber hardens and grip declines near 7°C.
- Experts say all-season tires suit many urban drivers as a cost-saving compromise, and reporting notes that since October 2024 tires with the Alpine symbol are required, while nearby countries such as Austria use date-based rules with steeper fines.