When should you replace your tyres?
Tyres wear out long before they look worn out. These are the five signs that it is time, how to check your tread in under a minute, and what the law requires.
Tread at or near the legal limit
Below the legal minimum of 1.6mm you risk a fine, penalty points and an insurance dispute, and the tyre has little wet grip left. Plan the change from 3mm.
Cracks, bulges or cuts
A bulge or egg in the sidewall means the internal structure has failed and the tyre can let go without warning. Cracked or perished rubber is age damage. Both mean replacement, not repair.
Uneven wear across the tread
One worn shoulder or a feathered edge usually points to alignment or suspension trouble. Replace the tyre and have the cause corrected, or the new tyre will wear the same way.
Vibration, pulling or noise
New shakes through the wheel, a steady pull to one side, or a hum that rises with speed can all be a failing tyre. Have it inspected before a long trip.
Repeated punctures or old repairs
A tyre can only be safely repaired in the central band, a limited number of times. Punctures in or near the sidewall, or a tyre driven flat, mean replacement.
How to check your tread depth in under a minute
The legal minimum in most of Europe is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tread, all the way around. Use a tread depth gauge, or the wear bars moulded into the grooves of every tyre: when the tread sits flush with a wear bar, the tyre is at the limit. Check all four tyres and both edges as well as the centre, because uneven wear can put one shoulder below the limit while the middle still looks healthy.
Safety organisations recommend replacing at 3mm, not 1.6mm: braking distance in the wet grows sharply below 3mm.
Tyres age even when they are not used
Rubber hardens and cracks with age regardless of mileage. Have tyres inspected yearly once they pass five years, and replace them at ten years even if the tread looks fine, spare included. The four-digit DOT code on the sidewall shows the week and year of manufacture: 2523 means week 25 of 2023.
Common questions
How long do tyres last?
Typically 20,000 to 40,000 miles depending on the tyre, the car and how you drive, and no more than ten years regardless of mileage. Front tyres on a front-wheel-drive car wear fastest.
Should I replace tyres in pairs?
Replace in pairs across the same axle whenever the remaining tyre is noticeably worn, so grip is balanced left to right. Fit the newer pair to the rear axle for stability.
Can I mix tyre brands?
Mixing brands between axles is legal and common. Avoid mixing across the same axle, and never mix construction types on one axle. Matching the original size, load and speed rating matters most.
Do I need to replace all four tyres at once?
Usually not. Most all-wheel-drive cars are the exception: a large difference in wear between axles can strain the drivetrain, so check your handbook before replacing fewer than four.
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Find my tyresThe tyre everyone forgets
The tyre most often forgotten is the one in the boot. A spare ages at the same rate as the four on the road, and it is usually the one nobody has checked pressure on since the car was new.
If your car has a full-size spare, include it in the occasional check: pressure, tread and the date code. A space-saver has its own speed and distance limits printed on it, and those exist because it is a get-you-home item rather than a tyre.
Many cars now carry a sealant kit instead of a spare. Those have an expiry date on the bottle, and a kit that has passed it may not seal when you need it. It is worth knowing which of the three your car has before you need to find out on a hard shoulder.
Why tyres are replaced in pairs
A fitter will usually recommend replacing two at a time rather than one, and it is worth understanding why rather than assuming it is an upsell.
Two tyres on the same axle with different tread depths behave differently under braking and in the wet, because the deeper one clears more water. That difference is small on a dry road and much less small on a wet one, and it shows up as the car pulling or the back stepping out when you least want it.
If you are only buying two, the conventional advice is to put the new pair on the REAR, whichever wheels drive the car. Understeer, where the front loses grip first, is more recoverable for most drivers than the back letting go. Front tyres wearing faster on a front-drive car is normal and does not change that.
On an all-wheel-drive car the tolerance is tighter still, and some manufacturers specify replacing all four when the difference passes a certain point, because a persistent speed difference between axles loads the centre differential. Check the handbook before buying just one.