Tyre tread depth: 1.6 or 3.0 millimetres

Two limits that do not substitute for each other: 3.0 mm in winter, 1.6 mm in summer. Below is also what is rarely written down — how depth is measured at inspection, and when the defect becomes a serious one.

3.0 / 1.6 mm
winter and summer: 4243
tyres with a stated depth

Checked 21.09.2026

Two limits, not one

millimetres of remaining tread

3.0 mmin winter, during the mandatory period— 1 December to 1 March, and whenever the road is snowy or icy
1.6 mmin summer— the same limit applies to a winter tyre outside the mandatory period
1.3 mmserious-defect limit in summer— 80% of the required depth is a separate, heavier line in the defect list

The summer limit is almost half the winter one — which is why one does not replace the other.

Winter, mandatory period: 3.0 mm
Summer: 1.6 mm
Serious defect below: 80%

The summer limit does not apply in winter. In December, 1.6 mm means the requirement is not met, not that it is nearly met.

Source: Transpordiamet, checked 19.09.2026.

How it is measured at inspection

The roadworthiness test looks at the wear indicator moulded into the tread and reaches for a gauge when needed. The indicator is a small bar inside a main groove: when the tread is level with it, the limit has been reached.

Source: Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications regulation No 77, annex 4, tyre check items 7 and 8. Checked 21.09.2026.

Where to measure: the most worn point

Depth is judged by the most worn part of the tyre rather than an average. One worn shoulder takes the whole tyre below the limit even when the centre of the pattern still looks fine.

Uneven wear is a signal in itself: a single worn shoulder usually comes from the wrong pressure or unset alignment. A new tyre will wear the same way unless the cause is dealt with.

What tread depth does not fix

The same list treats it as a defect when one axle carries tyres of different sizes or different construction, and when cord is visible or broken.

Defect	What is checked	Does tread help
Different size on one axle	Tyre size on both wheels	No
Different construction	A radial together with a cross-ply	No
Visible or broken cord	Tread surface and sidewall	No
Depth below the limit	Wear indicator or a gauge	Yes

The first three rows mean a nearly new tyre can still fail the test.

Source: Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications regulation No 77, annex 4, tyre check items 3–8. Checked 21.09.2026.

When to change in practice

Transpordiamet's road safety expert suggests thinking about replacing a summer tyre already at 2 mm. The legal limit is not the depth at which a tyre still works well — it is the depth at which it may no longer be used.

The gap shows most on a wet road: a shallow pattern cannot clear water out of the grooves fast enough, and braking distance grows before the drive feels noticeably worse.

Source: Transpordiamet, checked 19.09.2026.

Why we print millimetres on a used tyre

Every used-tyre listing states the remaining tread in millimetres. Without it there is nothing to compare a price against: two tyres of the same size with different remaining tread are not the same goods.

Tyres on sale with a stated depth: 4243
Of those below 4 mm: 67
Shallowest: 3 mm

As of 20.09.2026. We hold nothing below 3 mm.