Should I pay extra for winter tyres on a hire car?

I am planning to fly to Lyon or Geneva in mid-March 2020 and will be hiring a car for a week to go skiing in Courchevel. Please can you tell me whether hire cars at that time of year and at those pick up points will be equipped with winter tyres as standard or not, as I am getting conflicting views, with some operators wanting to more or less double the weekly hire rate and charge for chains on top?

Asked on 22 November 2019 by Anthony Forsyth

Answered by Dan Powell

Hire car companies will only provide winter tyres as standard if they are required by law. There is no legal obligation to have them fitted in either France or Switzerland, which means you'll probably have to pay extra. In our opinion, it's money well spent. I wouldn't drive any car up the Alps without some form of winter tyre.

Tags: car hire winter tyres hiring a car abroad

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