Winter tyres won’t affect insurance premiums, says Autocar

Fitting winter tyres to your car won’t increase or invalidate your insurance premiums, a new investigation by Autocar concludes.

It is thought that many motorists have been put off fitting winter tyres to their cars due to reports which surfaced last year suggesting that premiums could rise by more than 20 per cent-or even have their cover revoked-for fitting winter tyres.

But following an investigation by the car mag, big insurance names including the AA, Churchill, Co-operative, Direct Line, Esure, Liverpool Victoria and RBS all confirmed that winter tyres did not count as a modification and would not affect their insurance ratings.

“There was a lot of confusion over winter tyres last year, with some insurance companies rating them as modifications, which could lead to increased premiums,” said Jim Holder, Autocar editor. “However, following the research we’ve done, we are pleased to advise that the opposite is in fact true. They are definitely not seen as modifications.

“Winter tyres make driving in winter weather much safer for all road users, and they won’t increase your premium.”

The insurance companies approached by Autocar all confirmed that so long as the winter tyres meet the manufacturer’s specification, and are professionally fitted and – in most instances – fitted to all four wheels, premiums would remain valid at their current price.

There is no formal requirement to notify your insurers that you’ve fitted winter tyres to your car, although most recommend informing them of any changes you make to your car.  It is also not a formal requirement to tell your insurance company if new wheels are fitted to your car along with winter tyres, although if considerably more expensive wheels are fitted, these could be classed as a modification and may incur extra charges.

Winter tyres address the two big problems that summer tyres have in snow – rubber’s inability to grip snow or ice, and the hardness of the rubber at low temperatures. They are made of a softer rubber compound that stays more flexible in icy weather and the tread pattern is covered with tiny slits called sipes.  These exploit the fact that snow grips snow better than rubber grips snow. So they take a ‘mouthful’ of snow and retain it as the tyre rotates, using it to grip the snowy road as it comes back into contact with it. 

The bad news is that there are currently no discounts on offer among any of the insurers contacted by car magazine for the fitting of winter tyres.

It is widely expected that this winter will see a wider adoption of winter tyres following the harsh weather of the past couple of years. 

Author: Faye Sunderland, October 26th, 2011
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