Do Hired Cars Come With Snow Chains?

do Hired Cars Come With Snow Chains?

You may be surprised to find that hire cars do not come with free snow chains, they are an optional extra. it is always up to you, the driver to research your desired destination and check if you need snow chains when renting a car.

In many European countries including Andorra, Austria, France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and Italy you will find that the law dictates you must carry snow chains in your vehicle as local road signs may indicate that you need to equip them, despite this you don’t get them for free.

Snow tyres are different, during sometimes of the year in some locations, so when they are law the car hire companies must equip them free of charge, snow chains however are not.

You will also find that if legislation dictates in Italy between a certain time period that the weather is getting harsh and you need to equip snow chains, the rental companies still don’t equip them for free. The problem with this is it could be illegal if you drive away in the hired vehicle without them on, the company will supply you with them but at an extra daily cost as they are considered an additional extra.

People often prefer driving with snow chains especially to their winter sport destinations as the surface on the roads can be very dangerous at times. It’s comforting to have snow chains but is it worth it? Snow chains will set you back about 10-20 Euros a day, usually this is capped but it’s still an expensive pay no matter what way you look at it. Here at Indigo there is unfortunately not much we can do about this unless it becomes law, if you do want snow chains however we will always try and find you the best OVERALL deal, with snow chains included as well.

If you want advice on whether to get snow chains or not, and want to know more details about our Winter Car Hire Services contact us on +44 (0)113 880 0748 or email us on [email protected] and we will help you in every way we can, whether that’s finding you the best deal or giving you advice.

Having worked in the car rental industry for over 15 years, he really knows his stuff. Rob heads up our marketing department and as a keen traveller, always has a new location to talk about. Particularly if there is a golf course nearby.