Winter tyres and snow chains in France, and the rules next door

The rule: four winter tyres, or chains in the boot

Do you need winter tyres to drive up to a French ski resort? What the text says, first of all: from 1 November to 31 March, in the mountain communes designated by the prefect, every car, van or motorhome must either run on four winter tyres or carry snow chains or snow socks able to fit at least two driven wheels [1]. The rule applies throughout that period, whether it snows or not. That is the big difference from Germany and Austria, as we will see below.

The requirement has applied since 1 November 2021 [2]. In practice: with four winter tyres, you need nothing more. With ordinary tyres, the chains or socks must be on board, the right size and ready to use, but you only fit them when the road calls for it; with no snow or ice, they stay in the boot [3].

Where does it apply? 34 départements, but not everywhere

The law covers neither the whole of the mountains nor necessarily a whole département. In the 48 départements that take in part of a mountain range (the Alps, Corsica, the Massif Central, the Jura, the Pyrenees and the Vosges), the prefect consulted local councillors and the range’s mountain committee, then issued a list of communes [5]. In the end, 34 of them designated communes. The national list published by the Sécurité routière in October 2022 runs to 4,173 communes, 156 of them only in part; the two Corsican départements designated none at all [6]. In the Loire, 193 of the 323 communes are covered [5].

To find out whether your route enters a zone, the official tool is the Sécurité routière map, run by France’s road safety agency: it shows which communes are wholly or partly covered and links to each département’s order [3]. Check the date on the order, because the lists change. Isère, for example, issued a new order on 12 January 2026, at a commune’s request, to regulate access to parts of Claix and Varces-Allières-et-Risset [7].

On the road, two signs are what count. B58, white with a red border, marks the start of a zone; beneath it is a plate reading ‘du 01/11 au 31/03’ (from 1 November to 31 March), and sometimes a second one, ‘sur l’ensemble du département’ (throughout the département). B59, crossed by a black diagonal bar, marks the end [4]. Without them, the requirement cannot be enforced against you: the signs are needed for the rule to apply [1]. One detail that catches people out: the end of a zone is not always signposted, for instance at the boundary between two départements when the zone carries on across it [4].

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Alpine symbol, M+S, all-season tyres, snow socks: what is accepted

Under the decree, a winter tyre bears the alpine symbolA three-peaked mountain enclosing a snowflake, moulded into the sidewall. It is also called 3PMSF, for Three Peak Mountain Snow Flake. together with one of the markings M+S, M.S or M&S [2]. The symbol rests on a standardised European traction test on snow or ice [1]. M+S on its own, by contrast, mainly signals a chunky tread and says nothing about grip on snow, as the Swiss motoring club TCS points out [8].

Until 31 October 2024, a tyre marked only M+S was enough. Since 1 November 2024, it no longer counts as a winter tyre; the decree had planned this change as far back as 2020 [2]. You can still drive on such tyres, but you then need chains or socks on board, just as with summer tyres [9]. The same goes for all-season tyres, which have no legal definition: only those bearing the alpine symbol count as winter tyres [3].

For removable devices, the rules let you choose between metal chains and ‘textile chains’, in other words snow socks. The Sécurité routière recommends chains for frequent use, as they grip better in heavy snow or on ice but are harder to fit, and socks for occasional use [3]. Either way, you need enough for at least two driven wheels, in the size of your tyres and compatible with the clearance between wheel and bodywork. Studded tyres exempt you from everything else [1].

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Campervans, motorhomes, over 3.5 tonnes: what the paperwork changes

The decree mentions neither campervans nor motorhomes: it works by European vehicle category, the one shown on the vehicle’s registration papers [2]. The official texts nevertheless list motorhomes among the vehicles that may choose between chains and winter tyres, without distinguishing by weight [1] [5]. What changes from one category to another is mainly where the winter tyres must go:

• Car, campervan, motorhome (category M1) and light van (N1): chains or socks for two driven wheels, or winter tyres on at least two wheels of each axle.
• Lorry or van over 3.5 tonnes without a trailer (N2, N3), coach or bus (M2, M3): the same choice, but the winter tyres must be on at least two steered wheels and two driven wheels.
• Lorry over 3.5 tonnes with a trailer or semi-trailer: chains on board in every case, even with winter tyres.

For a caravan towed by a car or motorhome, the text adds nothing: the requirement to carry chains whatever the tyres applies only to lorries with trailers [2]. That leaves one practical point, which matters more on big vehicles: check that chains or socks exist in your tyre size and fit inside the wheel arch [1]. On weight itself, and what a standard car driving licence covers in France, see our feature on 4.25-tonne motorhomes.

What you risk today if you are stopped

It is the question that comes back every autumn, and the answer comes as a surprise: the requirement exists, but no penalty of its own goes with it for now. In an answer published on 12 February 2026, the French interior ministry wrote that the rule has been applied ‘in an educational way, without sanctions’ from the start, that a penalty requires a decree, and that the decree ‘could not be published in 2025’ [10]. As of our check, we found no trace of one, and Service-Public’s page on winter 2026-2027 mentions no fine [1].

There is, however, a penalty that already exists, and it does not depend on the time of year. The round blue B26 sign requires chains fitted to the wheels on a snowy road, not merely carried in the boot, even outside the winter period. Winter tyres are accepted instead, unless a plate reading ‘chaînes à neige obligatoires’ (snow chains compulsory) accompanies the sign [4]. Ignoring a B26 is a second-class offence, with a fine of up to €150 [12].

Finally, the prefect or the road operator can, during a snowfall, close a road or bar certain vehicles from it: the decree states that the equipment requirement applies without prejudice to such restrictions [2].

Skiing in Germany, Austria, Switzerland or Italy

Cross a border and the logic changes. France thinks in dates and communes; Germany and Austria in road conditions; Switzerland imposes nothing general; Italy decides road by road. As for tyres marked only M+S, they no longer count as winter tyres in France, Germany or Switzerland, but still do in Austria and Italy.

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Check before you go

It all comes down to a few checks, best done at home rather than at the foot of the pass. And if the drive worries you, the mountains can also be reached by train and bus; if you are sleeping up there, our guide to campervans in winter covers heating, freezing and the battery.

1. The commune and the road: the Sécurité routière map, then the département’s order, with its date.
2. The sidewalls of all four tyres: the alpine symbol and M+S. If not, chains or socks on board, in the right size, for two driven wheels.
3. A trial fitting at home, with gloves and a head torch, since you will often need them after dark.
4. The category on your registration papers, if your motorhome weighs more than 3.5 tonnes and you are driving through Austria.
5. The rules in the country you are heading for: road conditions in Germany and Austria, until 15 April in Austria, and road-by-road ordinances in Italy.

A rule should always be read with its date: since 2021, the list of communes and the accepted markings have already changed, and the penalty is waiting for its decree. Last winter’s rule will not necessarily cover you this winter.

Arnaud Couderc

Fact-checking, regulations and safety

Arnaud Couderc reviews our contributors’ articles and writes for Outfarer about regulations, safety, fishing, the sea and outdoor pursuits. He traces every rule back to its official text and every figure to its source, so that you set off with sound benchmarks.

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