Wheels and tyres

Legal requirements state a minimum tread depth of 1.6 mm for summer tyres. We recommend at least 3 mm. For winter tyres, the legal requirement is 1.6 mm. We recommend at least 4 mm.

Tyre width, height-width ratio, rim diameter – your vehicle registration document tells you the dimensions that the tyres on your Volkswagen need. If you have any questions, your Volkswagen Dealer will be happy to help.

Wheel/tyre combinations at Volkswagen are generally divided into Volkswagen Genuine Parts or Volkswagen Accessories – you can choose from both.

When a Volkswagen is purchased or handed over, you will be given the Certificate of Conformity (CoC). This lists all authorised wheel/tyre combinations permitted for your model and its particular engine system. These are always Volkswagen Genuine Parts – after all, they are the only parts installed in your new vehicle.

The range of products available for a (retrofitted) customised Volkswagen is expanded by Volkswagen Accessories wheels. When it comes to accessories, the specific general operating permit is what’s important: This once again specifically states all the vehicles for which the accessory part or rims are authorised. Registration by the MOT body (or a comparable testing facility) is not required in either case.

As a manufacturer of motor vehicles, Volkswagen must apply for an EC operating licence for all passenger vehicles. Said licence is valid in the entire EU area. In addition to the licence, the parts in question also receive an e-test mark. A certificate is generated on the basis of this operating licence – the so-called CoC (Certificate of Conformity). This document verifies that the vehicle conforms with the EC operating licence (EC type approval) and can be authorised in every EU country without individual approval. These vehicles bear an EC type label in the form of a black sticker in the door area on the driver’s side – or in the engine compartment in older vehicles.

The CoC document has the same significance as registration certificates. The original copy should therefore not be kept in the vehicle. The CoC document contains the EC type approval number and detailed technical data on the vehicle, such as the emissions class and all authorised wheel/tyre combinations – insofar as it refers to Genuine Parts and not Accessories wheels.

A general operating permit can be issued for both entire vehicles and individual vehicle parts.

The vehicle general operating permit used to be the national permit for vehicles and was replaced in 1998 by the type approval/EC operating licence. You should always have a part-specific general operating permit with you when driving – it might be requested during a check.

The list in the CoC contains all combinations that Volkswagen has verified as suitable for the respective vehicle during its development. This is so precise that these combinations are immediately presented to the MOT authority and have already been approved by them when the vehicle goes on sale. The selection and recommendation of these combinations are based on practical trials. The results of these trials must meet Volkswagen’s high standards regarding driving behaviour, driving safety and driving comfort.

Combinations that are not recommended by the vehicle manufacturer often entail structural modifications to the wheel and/or vehicle. Such modifications must first be checked by an officially recognised testing institute, and not every modification is approved. The easiest way to avoid inconveniences is to stick to the recommended wheel/tyre combinations in the CoC or part-specific general operating permit.

In contrast to a part-specific general operating permit, a part-specific technical report does not always constitute the permission to carry out a structural modification. But: The part-specific technical report generally contains the point “Fields of application”. For example, it may say: “The modification described in the appendix to the vehicles listed therein may be carried out in compliance with the conditions and instructions specified therein.” In this case, the part-specific technical report contains direct permission to retrofit the wheel/tyre combinations listed in the appendix. Volkswagen also has the relevant part-specific technical report from the MOT authority for the approved wheel/tyre combinations specified in the CoC.

Most importantly, however, a part-specific technical report contains requirements concerning how the respective part is installed. Without an approved appendix, the MOT authority (or an equivalent testing facility) must check that the modification has been correctly performed in accordance with the technical report. A registration office can only enter the structural modification to the vehicle in Part I of the registration certificate, formerly known as the vehicle registration document, once it has been accepted.

The registration certificate only contains a selection of possible wheel/tyre combinations for the respective vehicle. In general, these are the minimum sizes. But: It is not essential that one of these stated combinations is mounted. All combinations listed in accordance with the EC operating permit/type approval can be used as well as all combinations resulting from a part-specific general operating permit and a vehicle named therein.

You can get another copy of both the CoC and a part-specific general operating permit – please ask your Volkswagen Dealer.

Find a Dealer

If a wheel/tyre combination is mounted for which there is no operating permit by way of the CoC, no part-specific technical report plus appendix or no part-specific general operating permit, the operating permit of the respective vehicle is automatically invalid. It is therefore no longer allowed to be driven in road traffic – regardless of whether the structural modification causes no apparent change when driving. All you have to do now is arrange an appointment at the MOT authority (or a comparable testing facility) to have the modification to the vehicle officially accepted.

You cannot report to a registration centre until the testing facility has issued a new certificate (usually on the basis of the part-specific technical report). The certificate must provide confirmation that the structural modification has been performed correctly and driving safety is not negatively affected. The modification will be retrospectively entered in the Part I of the registration certificate, formerly known as the vehicle registration document. If the modification has been not entered retrospectively, you must have the new certificate or the new operating permit with you when driving. It might be requested during a check.