The AA has said that insurance company call centre workers have, through a lack of knowledge, been classifying the addition of the safer tyres as a modification, which carries an automatic 20 per cent extra premium.
The driving organisation has been seeking to rectify these increases however, as the addition of the tyres should without question make a premium decrease. One driver, Alison Martin, who fitted the tyres and was told they would cause her insurance to rise, said she was completely shocked by it.
"I only mentioned it because I though as winter tyres improved safety I might get a reduced premium," she said. "After all it’s going to cost me to have the tyres changed again once spring arrives."
Winter tyres are made out of a substance that has a much higher proportion of rubber which keeps the tyre soft, even in freezing conditions. The ordinary composition of tyres means that once the temperature drops below seven degrees, the material begins to harden and its traction is reduced.
The AA has said that anyone who has been charged the extra premium should contact their insurer's head office directly.