Never before has there been so much search for winter tires on the Marktplaats sales site as now, the site reports. This may be due to a shortage of winter tires at garages.
The term ‘winter tires’ was entered about 150,000 times in the search bar of Marktplaats, according to the site. That is almost three times as much as in the same period a year earlier. On the other hand, no increase in supply is visible. Stronger even; the number of advertisements with winter tires is about 4,000 lower than last year. According to Marktplaats, the fact that the demand is so high so ‘early’ in the year could be due to the shortage of stock of winter tires in garages. Another reason could be that from this winter it will be mandatory to drive on winter tires in large parts of France.
The Bovag contradicts that there is a shortage of winter tires. A spokesperson also states that winter tires were used less last year, because fewer people went on winter sports due to the corona crisis. So they can last another season with the tires. In addition, the popularity of all-season tires is increasing. In 2015, approximately 4 percent of the cars drove on these tyres. That is now almost 20 percent, according to the Bovag. These tires also comply with the tire regulations in France and Germany.
The trade association does recognize that all-season tires are more likely to replace summer tires than winder tires. Nevertheless, the demand for winter tires is reduced by these all-season tires. There is therefore no question of an ‘urgent shortage’. However, some sizes of winter tires are less readily available. According to the Bovag, this is mainly due to the shortage of certain metals in the tires, instead of shortages of rubber.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl