. Hence UK newspapers and social media are full with advise on how to drive safe on ice and how to recover from a skid. Many experts also discuss if winter tyres are worth the cost. It is estimated only 3% of car owners in Britain currently have winter tyres fitted.

Reading the articles on costs for winter tyres, I´m stunned over the lack of insight in car operating economy among the UK experts. They focus on the price of a set of winter tyres. But the price tag is only telling the need for a payment; the cost per km driven is not significantly affected (less than +10 %). This is due to the simple fact that while using the winter tyre set, the summer tyre set is stored away and will last for almost twice as many months compared to being used 12 months/year. A more relevant discussion would focus on the investment in a second set of rims (can be sold as used in the future), the cost for tyre hotel (unless stored at home) and the cost or time for changing between summer and winter tyres. This sums up to only a fraction of the price for the winter tyres. Hence the "cost for winter tyres" is much lower than illustrated by the UK experts, so many UK car owners put their and their passengers safety at risk by following improper advise.

Nokian and other manufacturers of studless winter tyres may strongly increase their sales in the UK, if they manage to explain that the car owners marginal cost is very little affected - while driving safety is strongly improved - by purchasing and using a set of winter tyres.