Compulsory winter equipment in Slovenia: what the law says

When winter equipment is compulsory

Article 29 of the Slovenian Road Traffic Rules Act requires motor vehicles and trailers to carry the prescribed winter equipment between 15 November and 15 March of the following year.

The requirement is not tied to the dates alone. Winter equipment is also required outside that period whenever there are winter conditions — that is, when falling snow is settling on the road surface or the road is snow-covered, iced over or frozen.

Does the law require you to change tyres?

The Road Traffic Rules Act does not set a date for changing tyres. It requires winter equipment: from 15 November to 15 March and in winter conditions, a vehicle must have winter tyres on all wheels or summer tyres with snow chains on board.

So the "tyre change law" in Slovenia means compulsory winter equipment during this period, not a mandatory change on a fixed day. The regulation does not say when winter tyres must be swapped for summer ones.

What counts as winter equipment

The rules allow two options:

• winter tyres on all wheels, or
• summer tyres plus correctly sized snow chains, or devices approved as equivalent to chains, carried for the driven wheels.

For four-wheel-drive vehicles: with permanent drive, chains for at least one axle; with selectable drive, chains for at least the permanently driven axle.

Which tyres count as winter tyres

A tyre counts as a winter tyre if the manufacturer has marked the sidewall M+S, M.S or M&S. The marking alone is not enough: the main tread grooves must be at least 3 millimetres deep.

You can roughly gauge three millimetres with a one-euro coin, whose gold rim is about three millimetres wide. That is a rough check for your own orientation — we measure the exact depth with a gauge during a tyre change or inspection.

The 3 mm legal limit is not the same as the point at which replacing a tyre makes sense. What applies to your tyres we can only say after inspecting them — we check wear at every tyre change and tell you if a tyre is approaching the limit.

A tyre with the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol (3PMSF) also counts as a winter tyre. Studded tyres are not allowed in Slovenia.

The general minimum tread depth for summer tyres on passenger cars is 1.6 millimetres. A winter tyre with less than 3 mm of tread counts as a summer tyre.

All-season tyres and the law

All-season tyres count as winter tyres if the sidewall carries the M+S, M.S or M&S marking or the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol, and the tread is at least 3 mm deep. The rules do not require the snowflake symbol (3PMSF); the M+S marking is enough.

A tyre with the snowflake symbol has been tested on snow, so we recommend it as the better choice for winter. This is advice, not a legal requirement.

The exception for the coastal region

For vehicles used in the coastal region of Slovenia, summer tyres alone also count as winter equipment provided the main tread grooves are at least 3 millimetres deep. This exception does not apply to Kočevje and its surroundings.

Fines

Article 29 of the Road Traffic Rules Act sets these fines (as of 26 September 2026):

• vehicle without the required winter equipment: EUR 40,
• vehicle not cleared of snow and ice: EUR 200,
• ignoring traffic signs for winter conditions: EUR 300,
• vehicle without proper equipment obstructs or blocks traffic: EUR 500 and 5 penalty points.

In winter conditions, a police officer can remove a vehicle without the required equipment from traffic.

When it is worth booking

The weeks before 15 November and after 15 March are the busiest in every workshop. Arranging a time in advance saves you the wait — you can call 041 341 102.

We balance the wheels during the change and, on request, can also do the wheel alignment during the same visit so you do not have to come twice.

Sources

• Road Traffic Rules Act (ZPrCP), Article 29
• Rules on vehicle parts and equipment, Articles 25, 46 and 48

This text was last checked on 26 September 2026.

The above is a summary of the rules in force and not legal advice. For the exact wording, see the Slovenian Road Traffic Rules Act or the guidance of the Slovenian Traffic Safety Agency.

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