Winter tyres: pros, cons, costs, laws and should you buy them for your car?

On the continent, where winter strikes harder, drivers routinely swap summer rubber for winter tyres. Here in the UK we’re used to milder winters, and drivers can be a bit sceptical about the advantages of switching to bespoke tyres for that season.

But while many are happy to make do with their standard-fit tyres year-round, there’s no escaping the fact that tests consistently prove the safety benefits of winter tyres even in typical UK cold-weather conditions. It’s undeniably a significant extra cost, and there’s an element of hassle involved, but we’d have no hesitation in recommending an annual swap to winter tyres if your budget allows.

They may not make a very meaningful difference to your ability to get around in snowy or icy conditions, but when temperatures are low or below freezing, the extra grip provided when braking or steering will mean you’re keeping yourself and passengers safer.

What’s different about winter tyres? 

Summer and even all-season tyres are produced with rubber compounds that work better in mild weather conditions, and the tread patterns aren’t designed to shed packed snow or ice.

Winter tyres are produced from different compounds designed to increase the grip on offer when temperatures approach freezing or drop below, and typically they’ll outperform summer rubber in the wet or dry from around seven degrees Celsius. With UK winter temperatures averaging four degrees, that’s clearly going to provide a benefit here.

The tread patterns that are designed to help prevent tyres from clogging up with ice or snow will also be helpful if more extreme conditions do hit. The fast rate of snow compaction into standard tyre treads is the main reason they’re less effective, and that makes winter tyres typically more effective than a car with four-wheel drive on regular tyres in such conditions.

Even though winter tyres are an incredibly useful addition to your car, it is worth notifying your insurer when you have fitted them. The reason is some insurance companies class winter tyres as an aftermarket modification, despite the fact that they offer safety benefits in those cold, dark months.

Are winter tyres worth it?

If you're buying a new car, then you might want to weigh up the benefits of winter tyres compared with paying extra for four-wheel drive. The latter will command a premium of around £1,500 on models that have it as an option, but you could get a set of decent winter tyres for a third of that.

However, if there's no grip, then a four-wheel-drive car won't get much further than a 2WD car on the same tyres. And under braking, the benefits of 4WD are virtually non-existent.

According to leading tyre maker Continental, a car fitted with winter tyres braking on snow can come to a stop from 31mph in 35 metres, which is eight metres, or about two car lengths shorter than if it was fitted with summer tyres.

The difference is even more pronounced on ice. At a slow 18mph, a car with conventional tyres takes an extra 11 metres to stop, which is the length of a double-decker bus.

How much do winter tyres cost?

If you live further north or at higher altitude where temperatures are regularly in single figures, or even if you know that you'll be driving for many miles over the winter, it's worth considering a set of winter tyres. They don’t come cheap, however.

If you own a compact hatchback, then a set of four winter tyres will probably cost in the region of £500, although as always it pays to shop around because prices can vary a lot. That's a lot less than 4WD, but still quite an outlay. You also need to consider whether it's worth paying for a set of wheels to fit them on.

This might be expensive, but then if you're switching every year, it may work out less expensive to get a set of cheaper steel rims to fit your winter tyres to than going to your local tyre fitter every time you want to swap over. There's no point in trying to fit them yourself, as you need dedicated machinery to mount and balance the tyres on the wheels. Regardless of whether they’re on rims, you’ll need somewhere to store the set of tyres that you’re not using. 

Despite all these hurdles, we’d strongly recommend investing in a set of winter tyres if you can afford them because they make driving in cold weather considerably safer.

Winter tyres and wheels

If you've bought a set of winter tyres, then the simplest course of action is to replace your conventional tyres on your car's wheels. This is best done at a tyre fitter, so that they can fit and balance your rubber properly. However, that does mean you'll be back at your tyre fitter in the spring to put your conventional tyres back on.

Another alternative is to buy a set of wheels to go with your new winter tyres. You could get a matching set of alloys, but a cheaper alternative is to either get a smaller wheel design, or even basic steel wheels, if they're available. Cars get pretty filthy over winter anyway, so a set of steels won't spoil your car's aesthetics much and you can keep your good wheels for when things warm up.

If your car has a full-size spare wheel, which is increasingly rare these days, it's worth considering fitting that with a winter tyre as a matter of course. There's a greater risk of punctures in winter due to potholes, while a winter tyre is OK to drive for a short period in warm weather, as long as you replace the punctured tyre as soon as possible.

Currently there's no such thing as a winter-spec space-saver spare wheel, but regular space-savers feature treads that are designed to work in a range of conditions, usually at speeds up to 50mph. If your car has run-flat tyres, you can get winter run-flats that remain useable even after a puncture.

Winter tyre storage and 'tyre hotels'

One obstacle to fitting winter tyres is having somewhere to store your other set of tyres when they're not in use. If you haven't got a garage or shed to store them in, it can be a real inconvenience, and that's where the tyre hotel comes in.

This service is available at some main dealers or high street tyre retailers, and means you can keep your tyres safe for an annual fee. However, some companies will only store your tyres, not the wheels that they’re fitted to.

If you have storage facilities, then the tyres need to be kept in a cool, dark and reasonably well ventilated place so that they stay in good condition. Continental suggests that fitted tyres should be inflated to 1 bar (about 14psi) and be hung from the wheel spokes, although we'd advise caution, as not all wheels are designed to be stored like this.

If your only option is to stack your tyres, then they should be restacked every month to maintain their shape. And if your tyres aren’t fitted to a wheel, then stand them in a tyre rack and rotate them every month.

Can I use winter tyres in the summer or all year round?

It's not recommended. Winter tyres are designed to work at temperatures below seven degrees Centigrade, and they aren't as effective once above that. Thanks to the type of rubber used and the tread-pattern design, the rubber will move around significantly when it's warm.

Not only does this give your car a vague, woolly feeling, it also means stopping distances will be marginally longer. In addition, the soft rubber compound used in winter tyres will wear out faster in warm weather than a standard tyre.

All-season tyres are a compromise between normal summer tyres and winter tyres. The optimum operating temperature varies but all-season tyres can perform well from minus 10 all the way up to 30 degrees Celsius. As you’d imagine, they’re neither as good as winter tyres in the cold nor as good as summer tyres in warm, dry conditions, but the mix of compound and tread technologies they offer are a compromise that improves safety when conditions become more slippery. 

Winter tyres vs summer tyres vs snow chains vs 4x4

The benefits of winter tyres over summer tyres in cold weather are clear, and in some cases they are a better alternative to the other options available.

Four-wheel drive is arguably the best option for buyers wanting to get through winter. It's an expensive choice, both in initial outlay and with higher running costs when compared with a 2WD car. But there are plenty of options out there, both in terms of all-wheel-drive variants of standard cars and SUVs and crossovers, to choose from.

You get more grip with four-wheel drive, and most 4WD cars feature either clever electronics or mechanical differentials that send power to the wheels with the most grip. In most conditions 4WD will find more grip, but in heavy snow and ice, if your tyres can’t grip the road, you’ll find it hard to move no matter how many wheels are driven. Of course, fitting winter tyres to a four-wheel-drive car is the ultimate winter set-up.

Snow chains are compulsory in some parts of northern Europe and mountainous areas further south, where there’s a high risk of heavily compacted snow and ice. Snow chains are extremely fiddly to fit, so there's not much point in having them in the UK unless you live in a region that has regular winter snow cover and is never cleared by snow ploughs. As soon as there's any sign of tarmac, snow chains need to be removed, making them more trouble than they're worth.

Snow socks are a cheaper alternative to chains. They're made of textile and cover the tyres with an additional surface that increases grip. As with chains, they need to be removed as soon as the snow clears, or they'll wear through quickly on tarmac.

Another option for European drivers is snow studs. These tyres feature metal spikes to gain grip on ice and snow, but they are illegal for use in the UK because of the damage that they can do to bare tarmac.

Where can I buy winter tyres?

Most tyre stockists in the UK will offer winter tyres. They're not as common with high-street retailers such as Kwik-Fit or National Tyres, but online specialists such as Black Circles ​​​​​and eTyres will have a wide range in stock. 

None of these retailers will be able to supply you with a set of wheels to fit the tyres on. Your best bet there is a main dealer, or you could pick up a second-hand set of wheels from eBay. Just be aware of the wheel size that is suitable for your car. If you go for a smaller wheel size, then be sure the tyres you're buying maintain the same overall diameter, and that the wheels themselves have enough clearance for the brakes and steering.

When should I buy winter tyres?

Winter tyres are available to buy all year round, although you will invariably see a spike in demand as the temperature drops in the autumn and winter. Savvy buyers will be able to pick up a bargain in the spring when demand for winter tyres drops and retailers will be wanting to shift old stock.

If the winter is particularly bad, then demand is sure to outstrip supply, so you may struggle to find a set for your car. If you’re planning to buy a set of winter tyres, it’s worth doing it sometime in the autumn, before the weather takes a turn for the worse.