How much do wintertyres cost?
A set of four winter tyres costs £300 to £700 before fitting, about £360 to £800 fitted, in 2026. Add the twice-yearly swap and storage and the real added cost lands near £100 to £200 a year. Here is the full breakdown, winter vs all-season, and when they pay off in the UK.
Price per tyre
Winter vs summer vs all-season
Per tyre, before fitting. A winter tyre is not much dearer than a good summer tyre to buy; the extra cost of running winters is the second set, the swap and the storage rather than the tyre itself. Add roughly £15 to £25 per tyre for fitting, balancing and disposal.
| Type | Per tyre | When it is best |
|---|---|---|
| Summer tyre | £70-130 | Best in warm and dry. Grip falls away below 7C. |
| All-season | £80-150 | Year-round compromise. Carries the 3PMSF snowflake. No seasonal swap. |
| Winter tyre | £75-175 | Best below 7C on cold, wet and icy roads. Wears fast in summer heat. |
Bands are an editorial register compiled from UK retailer listings across budget, mid-range and premium brands; they are indicative, not a single retailer quote. The same figures appear on our specialist tyres overview.
The full running cost
What a winter set really costs a year
The sticker price is only part of it. Running a dedicated winter set means a second set of tyres, two fitting visits a year to swap them, and somewhere to keep the off-season set. Here is the whole picture.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Set of 4 winter tyres | £300-700 | One-off. Lasts 3 to 5 winters. |
| Fitting for the set | £60-100 | About £15 to £25 per tyre, balancing and disposal included. |
| Seasonal swap (twice a year) | £80-160 | On in October, off in April. Includes balancing. |
| Storage / tyre hotel | £30-60 | Per season. Skip it if you have garage space. |
| Annual cost (amortised) | £100-200 | After purchase, factoring in reduced summer-tyre wear. |
A point that is often missed: while your winter tyres are on, your summer tyres are not wearing. Five months on winters extends your summer-tyre life by roughly 40 per cent, which is why the amortised annual cost lands nearer £100 to £200 than the headline set price suggests.
When winter tyres pay off in the UK
Winter tyres use a softer compound that stays flexible below 7C, where a summer tyre's rubber starts to harden and lose grip. The tread carries thousands of tiny sipes that bite into cold, wet, snowy and icy surfaces. The result is shorter braking distances in the cold, not only on snow but on a cold dry or wet road too. That is the safety case, and it is strongest in Scotland, in hilly and rural areas, and on frosty early-morning commutes.
The UK does not mandate winter tyres, unlike Germany, Austria and parts of France, so this is a value and safety judgement rather than a legal one. For drivers who mostly cover motorway and town miles in the milder south, a set of all-season tyres carrying the 3PMSF snowflake mark is usually the more sensible spend: useful cold-weather grip, no second set, no swap and no storage. Keep dedicated winters for genuine cold-climate driving where the extra snow and ice performance earns its keep.
The all-season alternative
All-season tyres cost £80 to £150 per tyre and stay on all year, so there is no swap fee and no storage. They carry the 3PMSF snowflake and cope with the occasional UK snow day while remaining fine in summer. For most of England and Wales they are the practical choice. The leading lines are the Michelin CrossClimate 2, Continental AllSeasonContact and Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3. You give up some outright snow and ice grip versus a dedicated winter tyre, but you avoid the second-set running cost entirely.
The leading lines
Best winter tyres for 2026
These three premium lines take the top places in independent UK and European winter-tyre tests. Mid-range options from Hankook, Falken and Vredestein deliver most of the cold-weather benefit at a lower price.
Continental WinterContact TS 870
Repeated group-test winner. Strong across snow, wet and dry with excellent feel.
Michelin Alpin 6 / Alpin 7
Leads on snow braking and mileage; the newer Alpin 7 adds wet-weather balance.
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
Top ADAC 2025 result, with strong wet braking and low rolling resistance.
Common questions
Winter tyre cost FAQ
How much do winter tyres cost in the UK in 2026?
A set of four winter tyres costs roughly £300 to £700 before fitting, depending on size and brand, or about £360 to £800 once you add fitting, balancing and disposal at £15 to £25 per tyre. Per tyre that is £75 to £175. On top of the tyres there is the twice-yearly swap at £80 to £160 a year and, if you have no garage, £30 to £60 a season to store the off-season set. Amortised over the 3 to 5 winters a set lasts, and allowing for the summer tyres you are not wearing, the real added cost is around £100 to £200 a year.
Are winter tyres worth it in the UK?
It depends where and how you drive. Winter tyres use a softer compound that stays flexible below 7C, so they brake shorter than summer tyres on cold roads even when it is dry, and far shorter on snow and ice. That margin matters most in Scotland, hilly and rural areas, and on early-morning frosty commutes. The UK does not require them by law, unlike many European countries. For most of England and Wales an all-season tyre is the practical middle ground, giving useful cold-weather grip without a seasonal swap.
Winter tyres or all-season tyres: which is cheaper?
All-season tyres are cheaper to run because there is no second set, no twice-yearly swap and no storage. They cost £80 to £150 per tyre and stay on all year. A dedicated winter set costs £75 to £175 per tyre plus the swap and storage, but delivers noticeably better grip in genuine cold and snow. If you regularly drive in hard winter conditions the dedicated set is worth it; if you want a single set that copes with occasional UK snow, all-season is the better value choice.
What temperature do winter tyres work best at?
Below 7C (about 45F). That threshold is the point where a summer tyre's compound starts to harden and lose grip, and where a winter compound's extra flexibility and its thousands of tiny tread sipes begin to pay off. It is not about snow specifically: winter tyres brake shorter than summer tyres on a cold, wet or dry road too, not just on ice. Above roughly 7C the softer winter compound wears faster and grips less well than a summer tyre, which is why you swap back in spring.
Do winter tyres save money elsewhere?
Partly. While your winter tyres are fitted, your summer tyres are not wearing, so five months on winters extends your summer-tyre life by roughly 40 per cent. That offsets some of the cost but does not erase it: the tyres, swap and storage still net out at around £100 to £200 a year. The stronger case for winter tyres is safety and shorter stopping distances in the cold rather than a saving.
What are the best winter tyre brands in the UK?
The leading premium winter lines in 2026 are the Continental WinterContact TS 870, the Michelin Alpin 6 (and newer Alpin 7) and the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3, which take the top places in independent UK and European winter-tyre tests. Continental and Michelin lead on snow braking and mileage; Goodyear scores well on wet braking and rolling resistance. Mid-range options from Hankook, Falken and Vredestein offer most of the cold-weather benefit at a lower price.
Sources: Winter and all-season price bands are an editorial register compiled from UK retailer listings across budget, mid-range and premium brands; they are indicative, not a single retailer quote. Leading-line rankings per independent 2026 UK and European winter-tyre tests (Auto Express, ADAC). Editorially independent; our pricing is not influenced by any tyre manufacturer or retailer. Some accessory links elsewhere on the site are affiliate links and never affect the data.