M + S winter tyres are illegal in Italy during summer months

BEWARE …

M + S winter tyres are illegal in Italy Mid-May to mid-October, what they term as “summer months”. The penalty for breaching the rules? Up to 1600!!!

Upon hearing about this, I have just done some research and the results are staggering. It is not only Italy that imposes rules on winter/summer tyres, many European countries have stringent rules & regs regarding which tyres can and can’t be used at particular times.

Germany for instance is only a €40 fine if you don’t have M + S winter tyres fitted in winter months, but the most scary is Austria. Not only are winter tyres compulsory, the law states that:-

Between 1st of November and the 15th of April, a car  - that has a maximum weight 3.5 tonnes - can only drive in winter conditions (i.e. snow, ice, slush, etc) as long as winter tyres have been fitted. If an all-season tyre bears the "M + S" mark on the sidewall, these will be considered as an adequate alternative.

If you do not follow these laws, you risk a fine of around €5,000 plus your vehicle can be impounded.

There are also major ramifications to your insurance. If you are in an accident during the winter and you do not have winter tyres fitted to your car, then your policy will be deemed null & void.

Now that’s something to think about!

Research information -

www.driveeuropenews.com/2013/11/06/winter-tyre-rules-in-europe

www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/snow-chains-winter-tyres.html

www.blackcircles.com/tyres/winter-tyres/laws-and-legislation

So I take it that NO Defender or Discovery ! can use the tyres as supplied and fitted from new by Land Rover in the summer ?
My standard fitment tyres are marked M+S.

Correct - clever eh? Great law that one. 

That's mental! Here was me quite chuffed that i had m+s markings all round thinking that would make all of Europe accessible all year round! Italy May just have lost a customer. All be it one that never pays to camp or use facilities.  :tongue

I would rather have M&S all year round and by-pass Italy-----M&S give access to much better Countries in the winter months IMHO-----------------Mind you----I think I read that the law applies to vehicles under 3.5 T ????? ----If so, it wouldn't affect me   

The whole issue of M&S tyres tyre socks/studded tyres and snow chains is VERY complicated-------Talking to a friend in Sweden it seems like most towns don't allow chains/studs ------but on a lot of roads they are compulsory if snow/ice are likely---------looks like some detailed research is necessary if travelling in the winter ------we try to keep away from areas where chains may be required, but thats not always possible  
Nigel & Pamala

As I understand it, it's more about the speed rating of winter tyres. Lower speed rated winter tyres are allowed in, err, the winter period. These are not allowed to be used during the summer period. However, if your winter (or All Season M+S) tyres are equal to or greater than the manufacturer specified tyre speed rating for your vehicle, then you're good to go.

Sort of makes sense but the legislation will probably only come into play after an accident when plod is looking to point the finger at someone.

So much easier in my day, driving hgv's all over Europe winter and summer, same tryes some motors had chains some not, I had them but if chains were needed parked up till road cleared.
one time leaving Italy December 21, got held up at the bottom of Mont Blac in Aosta for 24 houres 2 trucks had bloked the road up near the tunnel ploice said they would not let any body go up with out chains, most have been about 1000 trucks all nationalty's went buying up chains, every shop sold out, all the drivers taking of mud gards,and going up the mountain, 4 of us 2 Uk 1 dutch and a french said we would wait till the next day, that night a irish truk came down and said the end of the que was 1 mile from car park, it being about 5 miles to the tunnel, clad we stayed, the car park had mud gards all over the place, definitly xmas came early for the scrap man. Next morning we went up no chains no problem.

all thease new rules, seem things get wores instead of better, we had no problems back then

Some bureaucrat twiddling their fingers at their desk has come up with yet another stupid directive to justify their highly paid job. I despair.

whilst im no expert I have read into this and my understanding is slightly different,

But im possible wrong.

The change in law relates more to the speed index of the tyres which mustn't be lower than that in the log book. in the winter in italy you can fit 1 lower speed rating than what your car requires, if you fit the correct speed rating you do not need to change and winter tyres can be used all year round.

its worth saying this has been law in Switzerland for many years.

here is the full article it Italian with the extract below translated - http://www.tageszeitung.it/2014/05/03/die-winterreifen-posse/

"It is not true that driving with winter tires from 15 May is prohibited. In this regard, much confusion has been donated in the past few weeks. In winter one can circulate with winter tires that are one level below the registered car Booklet speed index. This kind of winter tires actually need to be removed to 15 May and replaced with summer tires, otherwise threaten fine collection of the vehicle registration certificate and duty revision. But who goes with winter tires whose speed index corresponds to the name entered in the car booklet index - he may not be lower - can also go in the summer with these winter tires ". What this means for motorists: You must / should control themselves, what type of winter tires they have fitted. It then suffices to look into the car booklet aim of identifying what speed index must correspond to the tires (one example: the "T" stands for up to 190 km / h). If the value at the specified index in the vehicle registration document, the wheels must be changed to 15 May. wrote:

In the UK the law only states tires must be capable of running at the national speed limit.
In some European country's the speed symbol must be higher than the max speed of the vehicle

http://www.btmauk.com/data/files/Replacing_Car_Tyres_1_June_2011.pdf

IE my jeep has a top speed of 127mph and fitted with tyres of speed rating H as standard.
I fit KL71 245/75x16 Q rated tyres, (max 99mph limit) if this was a road car in italy with road tires it is illegal.

this law is only relevant to Winter tyres and not all season.

Yes I've read this on other forums and agree, it's not a blanket ban on off road tyres after 15th May but as you say it's a speed rating issue and that rating is shown in the owners hand book.

Now being the sceptic I am I think this is aimed at getting extreme patterned mud remould tyres off the road in summer months.

I'm pretty sure it will not effect factory fitted A/T designs that can be specced as optional extras.

But then again who knows if enthuastic off road drives can't make head or take of the rules do you think the local police will have a clue, might be a different senario in larger towns and cities though

Dragging this one up....

Yes, the rules sound mad and draconian, but at least these countries involved, the drivers can actually DRIVE when it's snowy and know what to do....


This country, 1mm of dust and the whole place grinds to a halt, apart from lane 3 on the motorways where the BMW's and Audi's just go faster and closer....

diesel_jim wrote:

This country, 1mm of dust and the whole place grinds to a halt, apart from lane 3 on the motorways where the BMW's and Audi's just go faster and closer....

... and shorter as they slam into one another!