Winter tires, be they the studded variety or not, are mandatory from December 1, but it is advisable to change them much earlier than that – and studded tires have been permissible from October 15, despite the apparent damage they can do to road surfaces.

On the other hand, in the current economic situation, those having to purchase new tires (rather than reinstall last year's winter tires) are keenly eyeing prices; sales of more affordable tires made in China and other east Asian nations are on the rise.

Tarmo Kilp, CEO of Vianor, a tire change provider which has outlets in many locations across Estonia, told ERR that the peak season is underway, with wait lines at their Lasnamäe and Mustamäe centers in Tallinn - among the most established and most used locations and in densely populated areas - stretching around a week.

On the other hand, there has been no wintry weather to speak of, at least in Tallinn.

Kilp said: "There's no panic. Usually, that starts when there's snowfall or the temperature drops to about minus five degrees, "adding that despite the unusually mild autumn, people have not been holding off on changing their tires.

"I would say that at least half of the cars have already changed [their tires]; people no longer leave it to the last minute, especially those with studless tires," he went on.

Paavo Planken, CEO in the Baltic states of Baltyre, which operates in Tartu County, meanwhile told ERR that people have become more knowledgeable, and the onset of a few frosty days has prompted many to start thinking about changing their tires.

However, there are still always those who only do so once the roads are already icy.

The first available slot for a tire change at Baltyre is only on November 18, nearly a full two weeks from now.

A full change of four wheels costs between €64 and €94.

Like many other companies, the firm offers seasonal tire storage at their "tire hotel," for €30.

Planken added: "We have made some adjustments to our price list, aligning prices across certain rim sizes; in some cases, the cost has gone up a bit, while in others, it remained in the same range as last season."

Planken added that every once in a while a service provider announces yet another 10 percent price hike, but all services are becoming more expensive anyway.

Expert: Studded tires are gradually becoming more environmentally friendly.

"With our sector, the story is the same: Services aren't getting any cheaper as wage pressures remain everywhere," Planken acknowledged.

Meanwhile the Vianor CEO said that they have not raised their prices this season, while compared with the general price hikes, tire change costs have definitely risen to a lesser degree.

Determining the average price for a tire change is challenging as it hinges on a range of factors.

For example, a full tire change for a passenger car at Vianor's Lasnamäe center costs between €61 and €129, depending on tire size; seasonal tire storage comes €60. At the company's Jõhvi branch, however, storage is less than half that at €36 for the season.

Customers' choice of tires is gradually shifting towards the studless varieties, at least based on Vianor's experience.

Kilp said: "Taking a look outside, why make noise, kick up the dust, and damage the roads with studs? With these studless tires, you can also drive safely in positive temperatures, but their grip is almost as good as that of studded tires."

Baltyre still sells more studded tires, however, Planken said, noting that the share of winter tires without studs tends to rise when the winters are milder, as was the case a few years ago.

"There were several relatively mild winters, which seemed to boost the market share of studless tires. But since the past two or three winters have been snowy, which is great for skiing at least, the share of studded tires has increased," he went on.

Planken noted that tire buyers seem to be watching their wallets carefully. The only time they didn't do so was when the second pillar of the Estonian pension system was freed up from 2020, and many people cashed out. Since then, inflation has soared, and a controversial car tax is being introduced.

"At that time, it seemed to be the case that people were buying everything, not just tires but also TVs and other items. Nowadays, customers are highly price-sensitive. On the other hand, those buying new cars ahead of the vehicle tax arrival often opt for higher-quality, more expensive tires," the Baltyre CEO said.

Both tire change firms' representatives also spoke of a quality gap between more expensive and cheaper tires being even more noticeable when it comes to winter tires, even as demand for the latter is growing.

"The market share of these [Asian-made tires] in total sales is growing, especially in e-commerce. Those who come on-site are usually convinced to choose premium tires, but with e-stores, the value-for-money or budget segment is definitely growing," said Kilp said.

When it comes to choosing winter tires, Kilp said the issue is not only grip but also that higher-quality winter tires from brands like Nokia, Michelin, or Continental differ from cheaper variants in terms of noise, wear, balance, size options, and many other metrics.

Planken expanded on that in saying that people buy their winter tires with the idea of them lasting more than a year, and unfortunately, there is a significant quality difference here when buying new.

While many people buy used tires with a tread depth of four, or at best, five millimeters, for about the same price they could buy a brand new tire made in China and, in this scenario, the latter option is the more advisable, he said.

"It can't be stated that Asian products are on par with Michelin, Continental, or Bridgestone tires - there's definitely a difference there. Yet that doesn't mean you can't drive safely on Chinese tires," he said.

"Chinese tires have made massive strides forward in the past 10-15 years, so they're definitely up to the task now. So there is nothing wrong here, though for those prioritizing safety, it's worth considering a slightly larger budget."

Another issue is that since studded tires had often been made in Russia, the developments of recent years have left a gap there.

However by now, that gap has been filled by EU-based factories, Kilp said.

In recent years, there have been concerns that studded tires were mainly manufactured in Russia, and after leaving that market, it took time to reorganize production. However, Kilp noted that the production volumes of tire factories left in Russia have now been replaced within the European Union.

Winter tires are mandatory through to March 1. While drivers can leave their winter tires on beyond that date and, again, it is advisable to given snow can come as late on as late April, as seen this year, the studded variety must be removed by March 31.

Non-studded winter tires are made of a different formula and thickness of rubber, and have deeper treads, than their summer counterparts.

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