Winter Tyres & Snow Chains

Stay Safe: Winter Car Hire Requirements in Europe & USA

Advise and booking details for winter tyres (tires) and snow chains for your cheap car hire in Europe or the USA.

Winter Tyres: Drivers travelling to winter/icy destinations should always reserve winter tyres (or tires) in advance.

In countries such as Germany, there is a mandatory charge for winter tyres in cold weather, so it is worth checking if the total cost including the fee is worth it.

Country:	Winter Tyres Requirement
Austria	Compulsory between 1^st November and 15^th April
Canada	Recommended for mountain driving or snowy conditions, but not mandatory
France	Recommended for mountain driving or snowy conditions, but not mandatory
Italy	Recommended during the winter months as weather conditions cannot be predicted
Sweden	Compulsory for Swedish registered vehicles between 1^st December and 31^st March
Switzerland	Not mandatory, but drivers may be fined for not having winter tyres fitted if involved in an accident
Germany	Not mandatory, but drivers may be fined for not having winter tyres fitted if involved in an accident
USA	Recommended for mountain driving or snowy conditions, but not mandatory

How to book Winter Tyres and Snow Chains:

In certain airports/locations (such as Geneva) you will see options in your quotations results for cars to hire with winter tyres – they can be towards the bottom of the results- so please scroll down:

Any Issues?

If at your preferred location, no results show snow tyres, before booking, click on the rental conditions of the car you get a price for snow/winter tyres:

You will note the price is usually between €35 and €50 per booking – and is on request – our booking system doesn’t allow you to make this request when booking in some instances, but please still proceed to book, and email us after you book, and we will make the snow tyres request to the car hire provider for you. In 95% of bookings, the snow tyres will be provided in the vehicle you booked, if the provider cannot provide your request, your booking can be cancelled at no cost.

Please note Special Equipment/ Optional extras may be requested at the time of booking, but they are not included in the rental price.

Snow Chains & Ski Racks

These can be requested to any booking at the payment – please note Special Equipment/ Optional extras may be requested at the time of booking, but they are not included in the rental price.

Many rental cars in European Alpine/Mountainous regions now come with all weather tyres. They are good for driving on 99% of the roads in the Alps in the winter.

Snow chains aren’t included in all rentals, but would only be needed in extreme circumstances and private driveways etc – so you should add these when booking, or collecting your winter ready car rental.