Fine for a snow-covered car in Poland: rules, amounts, points

For a snow-covered car the police can fine you from 20 zł (PLN) to 3000 zł, with no points according to the police guide. The basis is art. 66 of the Road Traffic Act: field of vision and safety. The tariff adds 500 zł for covered plates, 300 zł for lights and 1000 zł for creating a danger.

How much the fine for a snow-covered car is

The police quote a range from 20 zł (PLN) to 3000 zł. Such a wide bracket comes from the fact that the fines tariff has no separate line for a "snow-covered car". The officer matches the legal classification to what they see: covered plates, a restricted field of vision, or in the worst case a slab of ice that fell off your roof onto another car.

The upper limit, 3000 zł, comes from art. 97 of the Code of Petty Offences (Kodeks wykroczeń). That provision sets a fine of up to 3000 zł for breaching road traffic rules that have no separate sanction. The guide in the Warsaw police magazine (Stołeczny Magazyn Policyjny) says it in one sentence: the fine can be from 20 to 3000 złoty, with no points. That is the most reliable reference point, because it comes from the service that issues these fines.

Which rule requires you to clear snow off your car

Polish law contains no sentence saying "the driver must clear the roof". The obligation follows from the general provisions of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym):

• art. 66(1)(1): the vehicle must be kept so that using it does not endanger the safety of the people in it or of other road users;
• art. 66(1)(5): the vehicle must give the driver a sufficient field of vision;
• art. 60(1)(2): a ban on covering lights, signalling devices and registration plates;
• art. 60(1a): the driver must keep the registration plates in proper condition and ensure they are legible.

A layer of snow on the windscreen restricts the field of vision, so it breaches point 5. Snow on the headlights and the plate falls under art. 60. Snow on the roof breaches point 1, because under braking it slides onto the windscreen, and at speed ice breaks off and flies at the drivers behind you.

What exactly you have to clear

The police list: windows, roof, bonnet, tailgate, headlights, rear lights and the registration plate. Add the exterior mirrors, without which you cannot judge what is happening behind the vehicle.

Driving "tank-style", meaning with a small hole scraped in the snow on the windscreen, is the classic example of a breach. The officer does not have to prove that you missed something. It is enough that the field of vision is restricted.

What exactly you pay for: table of offences and sanctions

Below are only the amounts from the fines tariff (regulation of 30 December 2021) and from the police announcement. As of September 2026.

The classification is what matters. As long as the snow is merely sitting on the car, we are talking about improper maintenance of the vehicle. When it covers the lights, you pay 300 zł; when it covers the registration plates, 500 zł. When a slab of ice falls off your roof and hits the car behind you, the officer reaches for art. 86 of the Code of Petty Offences, and then adds 1000 zł to the fine. If someone is injured, 1500 zł comes into play, or 3000 zł for a repeat offence.

Are there penalty points for a snow-covered car

The media differ. Texts from early 2026 mention amounts like "up to 3000 zł and 12 points", "300 zł and 8 points for covered lights" or "500 zł and 8 points for plates". The amounts of 300 zł and 500 zł are literally rows of the tariff (items 196 and 197). The point counts come from a separate list of offences, which is not among our sources, so we neither confirm nor refute them. The tariff itself has no row called "snow-covered car", and the police in their guide write plainly about a fine with no points.

Points come into play when the officer classifies the situation as a specific offence from the tariff, for example covering lights or plates under art. 60, or as creating a danger to road safety. With such a classification, expect points. How the points system works, the limits of 20 and 24, and the removal after a year are described in the article on penalty points and losing your driving licence.

Fine for clearing snow with the engine running

Many drivers start the car, switch on the window heating and get out with a scraper. The tariff provides two separate penalties for that. Leaving the engine running while parked in a built-up area costs 100 zł (item 206). Walking away from the vehicle with the engine running is another 50 zł (item 204).

The solution is simple: clear the snow first, then start the engine. If you want to warm up the windows, stay in the car and do not walk away from it.

How to clear snow off your car quickly and without scratches

The police advise keeping three things in the car: a scraper, de-icer and a soft-bristled brush (so as not to scratch the paint), ideally telescopic so you can reach the roof. The order matters, otherwise you clean the same thing twice.

1. Start with the roof. Sweep the snow off with the telescopic brush towards the back or to the side, never onto the windscreen.
2. Clear the bonnet and the tailgate. Snow from the bonnet will land on the windscreen the first time you brake, and snow from the tailgate will fly at the drivers behind you.
3. Spray the windows with de-icer, wait a moment and scrape off the ice. You clean all the windows, not just the windscreen.
4. Clear the headlights, rear lights, mirrors and both registration plates.
5. Only now start the engine and switch the blower onto the windows.

A soft brush is not a fad: a hard scraper or an ice scraper used on the bodywork leaves scratches in the paint, as the police point out in their guide.

Winter in the test and in the question catalogue

Snow-covered windows are not just a fine. The official catalogue of exam questions contains a question about snow-covered windows that make it harder to assess the situation on the road. The test also checks whether you know how to behave when driving on snow, at an icy junction (question 6354), when pulling out of deep snow (question 10079) and in a skid (questions 11314-11317).

In winter it also helps to know how ABS and ESP work on a slippery surface. In short: brake hard, do not pump the pedal, and the system itself will stop the wheels locking. More on this in the description of car safety systems. If you are still studying for theory, winter questions will come up at random in the mock test, just as at the WORD (Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego, the regional exam centre).

A practical tip to finish: in winter leave home 10 minutes earlier and clear the whole car, roof included. It is cheaper than 500 zł for covered plates, calmer than a conversation with a police officer, and safer for everyone driving behind you.