What Is the Minimum Tyre Tread Depth for Trucks in the EU?
Minimum tyre tread depth for trucks in the EU ranges from 1.0 mm in the UK and France to 2.0 mm in Austria - see every country's legal threshold.
Logifie Team
Logistics Technology Experts
There is no single EU-wide minimum tread depth for trucks. National roadworthiness rules for heavy goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes diverge sharply, ranging from 1.0 mm in the United Kingdom and France to 1.6 mm in Germany (the same threshold used for cars) and 2.0 mm in Austria, checked at every periodic technical inspection.
Is the minimum tyre tread depth different for trucks than for cars in the EU?
Sometimes, but not everywhere. Germany applies the identical 1.6 mm minimum to both cars and HGVs under StVZO section 36 , so a German fleet manager does not need a separate mental threshold for trucks. Austria goes the other direction and sets a stricter, HGV-specific figure: 2.0 mm in summer conditions, rising to 5 to 6 mm once winter tyres are fitted, as confirmed by Austria's federal transport ministry in its official tyre tread depth guidance , last updated in January 2026. The UK instead reduces the HGV threshold below the general 1.6 mm car minimum under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 , and France applies the same reduced figure to heavy vehicles under its tyre equipment order , allowing trucks in both countries to run down to 1.0 mm before the tyre is considered illegal. A carrier moving a single trailer from Munich to Vienna to Calais therefore crosses three different legal minimums in one trip, and the tread depth that clears a check in Germany may not clear one in Austria.
Which EU countries require a stricter tyre tread depth for HGVs?
The table below summarises the four thresholds a cross-border operator is most likely to encounter, plus the general EU baseline used for light vehicles as a reference point.
| Country | Minimum tread depth for HGVs (>3.5t) |
|---|---|
| Germany | 1.6 mm (same as passenger cars, StVZO section 36) |
| United Kingdom | 1.0 mm (reduced HGV-specific threshold, DVSA) |
| France | 1.0 mm over 3.5t (1.6 mm under 3.5t) |
| Austria | 2.0 mm summer, 5 to 6 mm winter (KDV section 4) |
| EU baseline (cars/light vehicles) | 1.6 mm |
These figures are all checked as part of the periodic technical inspection required under Directive 2014/45/EU , which sets the EU-wide inspection framework but leaves the specific tread depth threshold to each member state. Because there is no harmonised HGV figure, drivers and fleet managers should treat the strictest threshold on a planned route, not the home-country figure, as the working minimum.
What happens if a truck is caught below the legal tyre tread depth?
A tyre below the legal minimum fails the periodic roadworthiness test outright and typically triggers an immediate prohibition notice at a roadside check, taking the vehicle off the road until the tyre is replaced. Fines vary by country and by how far below the limit the tyre is found, and repeated or severe violations can affect a carrier's operator licence standing. Fleets running mixed international routes reduce this exposure by using a driver compliance app to log tyre depth automatically at every pre-trip check rather than relying on memory, and by booking the periodic roadworthiness test before tread depth runs out.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum tread depth for winter tyres on a truck?
Winter tyre requirements are generally stricter than the summer minimum. Austria, for example, requires 5 to 6 mm of tread once winter tyres are fitted, well above its 2.0 mm summer threshold. See the full country-by-country check winter tyre and snow chain rules for trucks in Europe for the complete picture.
How is tyre tread depth measured at a roadside check or technical inspection?
Inspectors use a tread depth gauge pressed into the deepest grooves of the tyre, taking readings at several points across the tread width and around the circumference. The lowest reading found on the tyre is the one that counts against the legal minimum, not an average.
Can a truck legally run on regrooved tyres in the EU?
Regrooving is permitted in several EU countries for tyres originally designed for it, provided the tyre still meets the applicable minimum tread depth after regrooving and the underlying casing is not exposed. Rules on which tyre types qualify vary by country, so operators should confirm eligibility with the tyre manufacturer before regrooving.
What is the fine for driving a truck with tyres below the legal tread depth in Germany?
Germany treats an underweight tread on an HGV as a roadworthiness violation under StVZO section 36, with fines that scale according to how far the tyre falls below the 1.6 mm minimum and whether multiple tyres are affected. A vehicle found in this condition can also be pulled from service at a roadside check until the tyre is replaced.
Keep tyre compliance consistent across every country on the route by joining Logifie's carrier network .
