Winter Driving in Europe: Tyres, Vignettes & Low Emission Zones

Why winter and borders make car rental tricky

Drive a rental car in winter from Munich to Innsbruck, from Milan into Switzerland or from Basel into Alsace, and within a few hours you pass through several sets of rules: different tyre requirements, different toll systems, different low emission zones. Your car is only as well equipped as the rental company at the pick-up location thinks is necessary, and that company is thinking about its own country, not your route.

The basic principle: a rental car is subject to the same tolls and traffic rules as a private car, and the renter is the one responsible. The car will have local plates, which helps in its home country but often means an extra step in the next one. This guide sums up the key rules for 13 countries in tables and shows what to check when you book and when you collect the car. Updated October 2026. Rules and prices change, so always check the official sources before you travel.

Winter tyres and snow chains: rules by country

The table distinguishes three types of rule: situational (required only on snow, ice or slush), seasonal (required during a fixed period when winter conditions apply) and regional (required on specific signposted roads or in mountain areas).

Minimum tread depths also differ: Austria requires 4 mm on winter tyres, Czechia 4 mm for cars, and France 3.5 mm on winter tyres in Loi Montagne areas. Italy and France enforce strictly: the police can stop you from continuing until your car is properly equipped. According to ADAC, fines in Italy can reach €345, and in France they are €135.

Vignette or per-section tolls: what applies where

Only three of the countries covered use vignettes for cars: Austria, Switzerland and Czechia. Everywhere else you pay per section at a toll booth, by camera (free flow) or not at all.

Vignette prices for 2026, cars up to 3.5 tonnes:

Two traps worth knowing: in Austria, 2-month and annual digital vignettes bought online only become valid on the 18th day after purchase, while 1-day and 10-day vignettes are valid immediately. (2026 is the last year of Austria's sticker vignette; from 2027 it will be digital only.) In Czechia, electric cars are exempt from the vignette, but if the car is registered abroad you must notify the exemption in advance. Plug-in hybrids with no more than 50 g CO2/km and natural gas vehicles pay reduced prices.

Low emission zones and stickers

Rental cars are usually young and meet Euro 6, so the emissions standard itself is rarely the problem. The issue is proof: a sticker, a registration or a day pass. A rental car registered in the country you are driving in is normally already covered there; once you drive it across a border on its foreign plates, you often need an extra step.

Germany: a rental car registered in Germany will normally already carry the green sticker. If you drive a car rented elsewhere into a German Umweltzone, it needs one too; the sticker is issued per vehicle and sent by post, so it is hard to get at short notice. Ask the rental company or plan your route around the zones.

France: the Crit'Air sticker costs €3.85 including delivery within France. For foreign-registered vehicles it is only available online from the official site. In Greater Paris, cars with Crit'Air 3, 4, 5 or no sticker may not be driven on weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm. Because the sticker arrives by post, it is almost impossible to get for a spontaneous border crossing in a rental car with non-French plates. Plan your route around the zones or ask the rental company whether the car has one. A car rented in France is not guaranteed to have one either, so check the windscreen.

Brussels: since 2026 diesel cars need at least Euro 6 and petrol cars at least Euro 3. Foreign-registered vehicles must register before entering. In Antwerp you can do this up to 24 hours afterwards, and a registration there is also valid in Ghent.

Italy: ZTL cameras photograph every number plate. The fine goes to the rental company, which passes your details on to the authorities and, under its rental terms, often charges an admin fee for doing so (amount varies). Park outside the zone and ask your hotel about a temporary access permit.

Spain: a Spanish-registered rental car is already covered by the national environmental labelling system. For foreign plates, Barcelona (and also Madrid) require prior online registration (fee around €7), with day passes as an alternative; register a few days before you travel. According to ADAC, a German green sticker is often, but not everywhere, accepted as proof. Rules differ from city to city, so check the official city website before you drive.

What this means for your rental car

Vignette: a car rented in Austria, Switzerland or Czechia often already has that country's vignette, but no rental car comes with every European vignette. Whether the vignette is included is not always stated in the contract, so get it confirmed at the counter. With digital vignettes the licence plate is only known when you collect the car, so that is the earliest you can buy one.

Cross-border trips: rent in Austria and drive into Switzerland, and you need the Swiss vignette. Rent in Milan and drive over the Brenner Pass, and you need the Austrian one. The responsibility is yours, not the rental company's. Get caught on a Swiss motorway without a valid vignette and you pay a CHF 200 fine and still have to buy the CHF 40 vignette.

Permission to drive abroad: many rental companies only allow trips to certain countries or charge a cross-border fee. What happens to your insurance cover if you drive somewhere without permission is set out in the rental terms, so read them first. Name every country on your route when you book. Ferries may be excluded.

Winter tyres: the rental company must provide a roadworthy car, but many rental cars run on all-season tyres in winter. If you need proper winter tyres, ask about availability and any surcharge. For France and Italy, without suitable tyres you must carry chains or snow socks. Ask when you book whether chains are available and what they cost.

One-way rentals: returning the car in another country is often not included in the base price and can be very expensive. Ask for the one-way fee before you book.

Toll transponders: many rental companies offer transponders for an extra charge. In Portugal, rental cars often have a Via Verde transponder and the tolls are added to your final bill. Without one, you pay Portuguese tolls for a Portuguese-registered car at the post office (CTT) between 48 hours and 15 days after the trip. For Ireland's M50 and Italy's free-flow sections, also check whether the rental company bills you or you pay yourself.

Checklist before you collect the car

1. Name every country on your route when you book and get permission for cross-border travel confirmed in writing.
2. Ask about one-way fees, cross-border fees and winter tyre surcharges in advance.
3. Check the tyre sidewall: Alpine symbol (required in Germany), at least M+S, and tread depth for the strictest country on your route.
4. For France (1 Nov–31 Mar) and Italy (often 15 Nov–15 Apr), book chains or snow socks if the car does not have winter tyres.
5. Ask which vignettes are included; buy any missing vignettes for transit countries from the official sources right after pick-up.
6. Check low emission zones on your route: Crit'Air for France, online registration for Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent, ZTL boundaries in Italy.
7. Find out whether the car has a toll transponder and how tolls are billed.
8. Photograph existing damage and have the rental company record it; clarify the fuel policy.

Frequently asked questions