It is springtime Switch from winter to summer tyres
Spring has finally arrived! The long, snowy winter has come to an end and temperatures continue to rise. If your (rental) car is still fully equipped with snow tyres for wintertime, as required in e.g. Germany, you can now change them to summer tyres. But there are a few things you have to think about…
The general rule in Germany is: From April until October is the right time to provide your car, either your own or a rental car, with summer tyres. But please be aware of the fact that particularly in the Alps there is still a fairly high risk of snow even in April, so do not make the mistake and mount your summer tyres too early!
The German Highway Code demands suitable tyres for prevailing weather conditions. So if there is snow on the street, which might be the case in mountainous regions, your car will need snow tyres. Otherwise you will have to pay a penalty. Therefore, plan your rental car trip in Germany carefully and check the weather conditions of your destination. When in doubt, always contact car hire Germany or carhiremarket.com about tyre requirements for your holiday destination.
If you have furnished your car at home with winter tyres and now want to mount summer tyres, there are other important things you need to know: The tread depth of tyres should be at least 3mm (0.12 inch) and the summer tyres must not be more than 10 years old. Also note that you store your winter tyres in a dry place and remember to remove all foreign objects such as stones out of the tread before you store them.
The good thing about hiring a car is that you do not have to think of e.g. tyre storage. Anyways, check the tyres of your rental car right at the pick-up location and mention any irregularities to the supplier immediately. Please be also aware of the fact that damages to tyres are usually not covered by the car insurance. To avoid extra costs and worries, we highly recommend you an additional insurance that covers such costs.
Carhiremarket.com is wishing you a carefree drive with summer tyres!