Preparing your car for winter in Poland: tyres and trips abroad

Quick answer

• Winter tyres in Poland: not mandatory. The tread must stay above the wear indicator, and studded tyres are banned.
• Germany and Czechia: winter tyres are required in snow and ice, and the rules apply to cars on Polish, UK or Ukrainian plates alike. Czechia: 1 November to 31 March, tread at least 4 mm.
• Snow left on the car: a covered number plate costs 500 zł, covered lights 300 zł.
• Tyres, battery, coolant: a job for a tyre shop and a mechanic. We do not do them at our studio.
• Paint and interior: best done in October, before the first salt. Detailing wash from 300 zł, ceramic coating from 1,300 zł, upholstery cleaning from 600 zł.

October checklist

1. Tyres. Book the swap to winter tyres, or check that your all-season tyres carry the mountain-and-snowflake symbol (3PMSF, "Alpine"). Measure the tread.
2. Battery. If it is 4–5 years old and the car started reluctantly in summer, have it load-tested by a mechanic or a battery shop. Short city trips drain it fastest in winter.
3. Screenwash. Switch to winter fluid before the first night frosts: summer fluid freezes in the pipes and jets.
4. Wipers. Replace streaking blades before the first snow, and thaw frozen blades instead of pulling them off the glass.
5. Coolant and brakes. A mechanic's job.
6. Stone chips on the bonnet. Get them sealed before the salt season: under a chip down to bare metal, rust starts quickly.
7. Underbody. Rust-proofing is done by anti-corrosion specialists. Through the winter, rinse salt off the underside at a self-service wash after every thaw.
8. Door seals. Wipe them with a silicone or glycerine product so the doors do not freeze shut.
9. Boot kit. Plastic ice scraper, soft snow brush, a spare bottle of screenwash.

Are winter tyres mandatory in Poland?

No. Polish law sets no date for switching to winter tyres, and we found no official announcement that this will change. Article 66(1) of the Road Traffic Act sets a general duty: a vehicle must be kept so that it does not endanger anyone. Bald summer tyres on snow fail that test, and the police can stop such a car.

The specific tyre rules are in the technical conditions regulation (§ 11(7)). A car may not run on tyres whose wear indicators (TWI) show the limit, and on tyres without indicators the limit is 1.6 mm. Tyres with cracks that expose the cord are banned too. Studded tyres are banned by art. 60(2)(5) of the Act, and snow chains may be used only on snow-covered roads (art. 60(3)).

On snow, a tyre only a little above 1.6 mm grips poorly, so worn winter tyres are best replaced before the season. Tyre shops usually suggest switching once daytime temperatures stay below 7 °C. In Kraków that tends to be late October or early November.

Foreign plates: whose rules apply

Traffic rules follow the road, whatever the plates. On a UK-, German- or Ukrainian-registered car in Kraków you follow Polish rules, and your home country's winter tyre law does not apply here. Cross into Germany or Czechia and their rules apply to you.

In practice:

• A car brought from the UK often arrives on summer tyres. They are legal in Poland; in Germany they break the rules as soon as the road is snowy or icy.
• A car on foreign plates must be registered in Kraków's clean transport zone system even if it meets the norms: see our Kraków clean transport zone guide.
• Insurance, inspection and registration for foreign-registered cars are covered in car insurance in Poland, car inspection in Poland and registering a car in Poland.

Rental cars. Tyres are the rental company's job. Before a winter trip abroad, ask whether the car has winter or all-season tyres with the Alpine symbol, and get written permission to leave Poland. More in car rental in Kraków.

Driving to Germany or Czechia in winter

The German rule is § 2(3a) StVO, and ADAC lists the fines. The Czech conditions and fine come from the Czech police. For a rental car, the keeper is the rental company.

Before a winter trip to Prague, to Vienna via Brno or home to Germany for Christmas, check the forecast for the whole route. Snow can lie on the Czech D1 near Brno while Kraków is dry.

Snow on the car and warming up the engine

Poland has no "snow" clause, but a covered number plate breaks the Road Traffic Act and costs 500 zł, covered lights 300 zł, and driving in a way that endangers others 200 zł. Details and penalty points are in our guide to the snow on car fine in Poland.

Do not leave the engine running while you scrape. A car standing for more than a minute is legally parked (art. 2 point 30), and art. 60(2)(3) bans running the engine while parked in a built-up area. Clear the car first, then start it and drive off.

Paint before the salt season

Kraków's winter road service runs from mid-October to mid-April, according to the city. Ceramic coating goes on clean, dry paint and needs time to cure before it gets wet, so October is the last easy moment. How often to wash in winter and how to use a Polish self-service wash is in our winter car wash guide.

We wash through the winter in a heated bay, including on days below zero. Before handing the car back we blow the water out of locks, seals, mirrors and gaps, so the doors do not freeze shut afterwards.

Ceramic is under a micron thick and will not stop a stone, so a car that does a lot of motorway driving gets film on the bonnet and bumper. More about the glass coating: rain repellent glass coating.

Interior: damp and fogged windows

Snow melts off your shoes, and the water soaks under textile mats into the floor insulation. The windows then fog up every morning and the car smells musty. Lift the driver's mat and press your palm on the carpet: if it is damp, the water is already inside. More in car windows fogging and a damp interior.

• Put in rubber mats with a raised edge for winter and dry the textile ones at home.
• Run the air conditioning together with the heater: it dries the air and the glass clears faster.
• A damp cabin needs cleaning and drying: upholstery cleaning from 600 zł.
• Car AC odour and a musty cabin are treated with ozone from 150 zł. We run the ozone through the system on recirculation, and it removes the smell and bacteria in the air ducts in 40–50 minutes. The cabin filter is a mechanic's job.

Frequently asked questions