Iceland Winter Tyres 2026: No Mandate, 3 mm From 1 November

Iceland does not order winter tyres by date. Two things are dated instead. From 1 November to 14 April, every car tyre must have at least 3.0 mm of tread (1.6 mm the rest of the year). And studs and chains are banned from 15 April to 31 October unless conditions demand them. Whenever there is snow or ice on the road, the car must have chains or other grip equipment, such as winter-pattern tyres with or without studs.

The rule is about grip, not the label on the sidewall

Regulation 822/2004 on vehicle construction and equipment, article 16.02, frames the winter duty as a condition: when snow or ice lies on the road, the vehicle must have snow chains or, depending on conditions, other equipment that provides resistance — coarse-patterned winter tyres, studded or not. There is no switch-over date for a car’s tyre type.

What the calendar does fix is tread depth. Since the 2014 amendment (regulation 736/2014), a passenger car, bus or truck must run on tyres with at least 3.0 mm of tread from 1 November to 14 April, and at least 1.6 mm from 15 April to 31 October. A worn summer tyre that is legal in September can make the car non-compliant on 1 November without any change in the weather.

Studs: the normal season is 1 November to 14 April

Article 16.02(6) bars studded tyres and chains from 15 April to 31 October inclusive, unless driving conditions make them necessary. Reykjavík reminds drivers every spring that studs must come off after the season, and the city actively discourages them on its streets because of road wear and particle pollution, recommending good non-studded winter tyres instead. Outside the capital, where ice can linger on long rural stretches, the calculation is different, and studs remain legal for the whole season.

Fines

Iceland’s fines regulation (288/2018) sets ISK 20,000 per tyre both for a tyre that fails the requirements and for a studded tyre used without permission. On a car fitted with four studded tyres in May, that is ISK 80,000.

Before each leg

Weather changes fast and roads close. The Road and Coastal Administration publishes live road conditions and closures on road.is, which is worth checking before every stage of a winter trip.

Sources

• Regulation 822/2004 on vehicle construction and equipment, article 16.02 — grip equipment in snow or ice; studs and chains banned 15 April to 31 October unless conditions require.
• Regulation 736/2014 amending 822/2004 — 3.0 mm from 1 November to 14 April, 1.6 mm from 15 April to 31 October.
• Fines regulation 288/2018 — ISK 20,000 per unfit tyre and per studded tyre without permission.
• Reykjavíkurborg, Nagladekk bönnuð eftir 15. apríl — spring stud deadline and per-tyre fines.

More on Iceland

• Driving Rules in Iceland
• Tyre Laws in Iceland
• Tyre Requirement Checker