Germany Winter Tire Requirement - Oct 15 to Apr 15

[///M///]

So I know there were some confusion on the winter tire requirements in Germany and I had the same question as well. I just received the delivery date confirmation letter that my CA received from BMW NA and it includes a section for Performance tires. I'll just paste what it says:

Performance Tires - If your customer's vehicle is equipped with performance tires, please note Germany requires that all vehicles must have winter tires or all season tires (M & S tires) from October 15th through April 15th. For winter tire rental reservations, please contact the vendor at www.edwintertires.com. Tires are subject to availability.

Hope this helps anyone with questions on this.

Cheers

[M_Dave]

Dang so I have to get winter tires. 375 euro will be worth it

[TI.3VOM]

My understanding is that, at least in Germany, this is dependent on the actual driving conditions. I picked up 3/30 and the weather was good, so I did not need winter tires.

[SamS]

I don't think the information in the OP is 100% correct. You only need to have winter tires after October 15th if road conditions call for it.

I did my last ED October 17th and didn't put on winters. Got a bit of snow overnight in Davos, but otherwise was OK.

[Miamiboyca]

Originally Posted by SamS

I don't think the information in the OP is 100% correct. You only need to have winter tires after October 15th if road conditions call for it.

I did my last ED October 17th and didn't put on winters. Got a bit of snow overnight in Davos, but otherwise was OK.

Yep, its up to you depending on conditions and if you get caught in those conditions by authorities. Even if there are conditions and you stay on well traveled roads you should be fine.

[Macheins]

Originally Posted by Miamiboyca

Yep, its up to you depending on conditions and if you get caught in those conditions by authorities. Even if there are conditions and you stay on well traveled roads you should be fine.

This.

I did my homework on this because I was concerned about some potential timeline changes on my ED. It was explained to me that you can get your car with Summer tires and drive it however you see fit. However, if you are driving between October 15 and April 15 and you get into any form of accident... and the local authorities believe your lack of Winter tires had anything to do with it... you're screwed.

In short, just don't be stupid if you do have Summer tires on the car. If you are aware of bad weather conditions where you are driving between those dates, rent the Winter tires or don't drive the car there.

[///M///]

I am merely stating what BMW sent me

Originally Posted by SamS

I don't think the information in the OP is 100% correct. You only need to have winter tires after October 15th if road conditions call for it.

I did my last ED October 17th and didn't put on winters. Got a bit of snow overnight in Davos, but otherwise was OK.

Originally Posted by Miamiboyca

Yep, its up to you depending on conditions and if you get caught in those conditions by authorities. Even if there are conditions and you stay on well traveled roads you should be fine.

Originally Posted by Macheins

This.

I did my homework on this because I was concerned about some potential timeline changes on my ED. It was explained to me that you can get your car with Summer tires and drive it however you see fit. However, if you are driving between October 15 and April 15 and you get into any form of accident... and the local authorities believe your lack of Winter tires had anything to do with it... you're screwed.

In short, just don't be stupid if you do have Summer tires on the car. If you are aware of bad weather conditions where you are driving between those dates, rent the Winter tires or don't drive the car there.

[V8MAN]

My plan is to do ED end of March of next year so I am definitely going to be knocking on wood for good weather, I do not want to be switching wheels and spending another $500+ if I don't have to. From what I have read winter tires will be mandatory in Austria and Switzerland so unfortunately I will be missing on visiting any of the highlights from those areas.

Originally Posted by TI.3VOM

My understanding is that, at least in Germany, this is dependent on the actual driving conditions. I picked up 3/30 and the weather was good, so I did not need winter tires.