500,000 cars still on winter tires! Summer isn't that bad, is it?

At the end of July and the beginning of August, De Bovag inspected 1491 cars in parking areas in the provinces of Limburg, Utrecht and South Holland. It turned out that 5.4 percent (81 units) were still on winter tires. A percentage that corresponds to the percentage found in 2019 and 2020 in comparable research.

Nearly 500,000 cars are still running on winter tires

Compared to a year ago, however, the total Dutch vehicle fleet has increased by about 135,000 and by about 230,000 compared to two years ago. In the summer of 2019, 470,000 passenger cars with winter tires were driving in absolute numbers, 475,000 last summer and 491,000 this year.

Braking distance is longer, rolling resistance and consumption are higher

Winter tires are made of softer rubber than summer tires and therefore have less road holding at high temperatures. The braking distance is longer and the rolling resistance is higher, causing the tires to wear faster. This produces more particulate matter and results in higher fuel consumption.

How can you actually recognize winter tires?

You can easily see if your car is still on winter tires. Winter tires have small, serrated grooves in the tread and often have a type name written on the sidewall with the words 'Snow', 'Ice', 'Winter' or 'Alpin' in it. Why do 5 percent of motorists forget to change winter tires? Probably because car tires are simply not 'top of mind'.