1.6 million Dutch cars still driving on winter tires

In 18 percent of Dutch passenger cars, the winter tires have not yet been changed for summer tires, according to a sample from Tyre Club. This is almost four times more than the usual percentage of just over 5 percent after the normal changeover period. Due to the corona crisis, many motorists are postponing their tire change and this can lead to unsafe situations. The braking distance is a lot longer on winter tires under higher temperatures, they wear out faster and the road handling is worse.

More worn tires

Last week the tire service company Tyre Club checked the tires of 1,079 cars. Winter tires were found in 194 cars. What makes the situation even more worrying is that a large number of them are driving around on worn tires. Especially now that it is expected that the Dutch will make more use of the car in the coming period, because the corona measures will be further relaxed and people might go on vacation again.

BOVAG conducts annual research into the percentage of winter tires that are not changed. In the last few samples of around 1,000 cars, BOVAG recorded that an average of more than 5 percent drive on winter tires in summer. Converted to the total Dutch vehicle fleet of almost 9 million passenger cars, that amounts to 450,000 to 500,000 vehicles. When the Tyre Club sample of 2020 is translated into the total vehicle fleet, it appears that 1.6 million cars are still driving on winter tires.

More fuel consumption and CO2 emissions

“Normally many people already experience the tire change as a hassle,” says Peter Veldhoven, founder of Tyre Club, “but in recent months motorists have seemingly been completely reluctant to go to the car garage. Scheduling an appointment and having to wait there for the change was even less appealing than usual. At the same time, we have noticed that there is now an increasing demand for an efficient and safe solution, such as our tire change on location, at people’s homes or in the company’s parking lot.”

Of the nearly 9 million Dutch passenger cars, a total of 3.2 million are fitted with winter tires each year. In half of these (1.6 million cars), the winter tires have therefore not yet been exchanged for summer tires. Consequence: the softer rubber of the winter tire, in addition to poor road grip, causes higher fuel consumption and more CO2 emissions.