What do I need to know about UK tyre law?

 

UK Law requires that you car is fitted with the correct type and size of tyre for the vehicle type you are driving and the purpose it is being used. This means fitting the right tyre size as recommended by the car manufacturer and for safety ensuring that they are inflated to the manufacturers recommended pressure. The legal limit for the minimum depth of the tread on your tyre is 1.6 millimetres across the central ¾ of the tread around the complete circumference of the tyre.

 

“Your car will fail its mot if your tyres tread depth is below the legal limit of 1.6 Millimetres” 13% of MOT Fails are due to worn tyres.

 

For safety reasons it is recommended that you replace your tyres before the legal limit is reached. Many vehicle manufacturers recommend replacing tyres at 3millimetres. At 1.6millimeteres in wet weather it takes an extra length (8 metres) to stop at 50MPH than if your tread was 3 millimetres.

 

It is also a legal requirement to make sure that tyres of different construction types are not fitted to opposite sides of the same axle. The two main tyre types are radial and cross ply, and these must not be mixed on the same axle. Mixing brands and patterns of the same construction type is permissible depending on the vehicle type and manufacturers recommendation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your tyres may need changing when you can notice deterioration in performance. For example, your car does not handle or grip the road as well in poor weather conditions as it normally does, or it takes longer to stop when you apply the brakes. 

The fact that tyres wear gradually can make it difficult to identify the reduction in performance, so it's best to have them checked regularly and preferably by an expert. As the driver it is your responsibility to ensure that the tread on your tyres is not worn beyond the legal minimum limit of 1.6mm.

To make this easier to identify, tyre manufacturers mould tread wear indicators (T.W.I) into the design of the tyres tread pattern usually at a tread level of 1.6mm. As soon as the tread is worn to the height of the tread wear indicator, the tyre has reached the legal minimum tread depth and you should replace the tyre as soon as possible.

You should also be aware that there are many different reasons for tyre wear. Your tyres don't just get worn through age and use, but through emergency braking, under-inflation or over-inflation. And if your wheels are misaligned, one edge of the tyre can wear more rapidly than the other edge.