Wheel spacers: UK vs US vs Germany vs Norway
Spacers push the wheel outward, which touches two separate rules at once: whether the tyre is still covered, and whether the wheel bearing and studs are still loaded as designed.
All four markets reach the same verdict, conditional. What differs is the rule each one uses to get there, which is the third column.
| Market | Verdict | The rule that decides it |
|---|---|---|
United Kingdom DVSA / GOV.UK |
Conditional | No law bans them; tyres must stay covered Use hub-centric spacers, correct longer bolts or studs and proper torque. Nothing may foul the arches or suspension at full lock and full compression. |
United States EPA, NHTSA and state codes |
Conditional | Fender coverage varies by state Spacers must be hub-centric and properly torqued, wheels and tyres must not rub or protrude dangerously, and some states limit how far a tyre may stick out. |
Germany StVZO / KBA |
Conditional | ABE or certificate plus change inspection The wheels must stay covered by the bodywork with clearance at every steering angle, and bolt length has to match the spacer thickness for full thread engagement. |
Norway Statens vegvesen |
Conditional | Not permitted without documentation With manufacturer or technical-authority documentation for your model they are legal. A track-width change over 15 mm per axle triggers presentation for re-approval. |
Norway is the only market that starts from "not permitted" and requires documentation to make them legal, and the only one with a numeric track-width trigger.
Why the answers differ
Are wheel spacers legal?
Three of these markets start from the assumption that a spacer is permitted and then impose engineering conditions: hub-centric, correct bolt length, full thread engagement, tyres still covered. Norway starts from the opposite assumption, that spacers are not permitted, and requires documentation for your model to make them legal, with a specific numeric trigger at 15 mm of track change per axle that forces re-approval. Germany sits in between, permitting them but only with an approval document and, where that document is a Teilegutachten, an inspection and an entry. The physical requirement is common to all four and is the one that actually gets cars failed: the tyre must stay covered by the bodywork, and a spacer is the fastest way to make that untrue.
Verdict at a glance
The same four markets, grouped by where they land.
Conditional
ConditionalUnited Kingdom, United States, Germany and Norway. Permitted, but only once the condition in the table above is met.
Sources
Primary legislation and regulator guidance behind each market's verdict.
- UKMOT inspection manual: cars and passenger vehicles (GOV.UK)
- UKVehicle insurance (GOV.UK)
- USVehicle modifications and equipment (NHTSA)
- Germany§ 19 StVZO - Erteilung und Wirksamkeit der Betriebserlaubnis (gesetze-im-internet.de)
- Germany§ 30 StVZO - Beschaffenheit der Fahrzeuge (gesetze-im-internet.de)
- Germany§ 36 StVZO - Bereifung und Laufflächen (gesetze-im-internet.de)
- NorwayKjøretøyforskriften kap. 13 - Hjul og felger (lovdata.no)
Other cross-market comparisons
This is a comparison of national rules, not legal advice for your vehicle. Rules change, and the US row in particular summarises federal law where one exists and the common pattern across states where it does not. Confirm the position in your own state or region before you buy or fit anything. Sources last reviewed July 2026.