If you feel like riding a set of Michelin Cup 2 Rs with only two millimeters of tread during a ferocious snowstorm, Dutch law allows you to do so. You’re not going to get far, but that’s a side issue. In Germany they have always been a bit stricter regarding winter tires, and from next year they will be even stricter.
If you want to drive in Germany when there are ‘winter conditions’, your car tire must have an M+S logo or the 3PMSF symbol. The latter is the mountain with the snowflake, also called the alpine symbol. These may be winter tires or all-season tires. From October 2024, M+S tires will be banned during these winter conditions.
This strap has both logos | Photo: © Michelin
A transitional arrangement is currently active for the M+S bands. Tires older than January 1, 2018 are still allowed, but M+S tires that were produced later (you can see this from the DOT code on the sidewall of the tire) are now not included. From next year it will be simpler: if you only have an M+S code on the tire and no snowflake, you are not allowed to drive it in winter conditions in Germany.
When is the snowflake mandatory in Germany?
In Germany there are no specific months where you must have suitable tires; so it is about the circumstances at that time. So if you are going to a Christmas market next year, it is wise to have tires with an Alpine logo. These do not have to be specifically winter tires, as long as they have the logo. Normal summer tires are therefore not allowed during winter weather.
Be careful with second-hand tires
If you still need to look for a new set of tires and you are going to Germany again in the winter, it is useful to buy a set with the 3PMSF logo. The M+S tires are in principle no longer in production, so this advice mainly applies to people who want to get a set of second-hand tires. Then always check the DOT code carefully to see how old the tires are.
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