The invention relates to a rubber composition that is free of zinc or that contains less than 0.5 phr of zinc, which can be used for the manufacture of tires, based on at least: one diene elastomer; one sulphur-based crosslinking system; one inorganic filler as reinforcing filler; one blocked mercaptosilane of general formula I below: (R3O)R2R1—Si—Z—S—C(═O)-A in which: R1 and R2, which are identical or different, represent a monovalent hydrocarbon-based group chosen from alkyls, which are linear or branched, cycloalkyls or aryls, having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms; R3 represents a monovalent hydrocarbon-based group chosen from linear or branched alkyls having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms; A represents hydrogen or a monovalent hydrocarbon-based group chosen from alkyls, which are linear or branched, cycloalkyls or aryls, having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms; Z represents a divalent bonding group comprising from 1 to 18 carbon atoms.