When Will Your Tyres Need Changing?

Seven in ten motorists say they’re putting off changing their tyres - as a result, 30% of cars receive a tyre warning during their MOT. However, making sure your tyres are fit for purpose is vital for safe motoring, since they’re the only thing connecting your car to the road.

But millions of motorists say they don’t check how safe their own tyres are – or even know how to. Thankfully, our free tyre calculator makes it easy. Just pop in your current tread depth (there’s an easy-to-follow guide below which shows you how to do this) and how many miles you do each month, and the calculator will tell you:

• When your tyres will nearly be out of tread and will no longer be performing at their best
• When they will become illegal

While it may sound daunting if you’ve not done it before, tyres are designed to make checking your tread depth quick and easy.

Your tyres will have a series of small, raised areas at the bottom of the grooves called tyre wear indicators, which allow you to see how close your tread depth is to the legal limit of 1.6mm. You can find our full guide for checking your tread depth here.

If you’d rather we checked your tread depth for you, you can book in for a Free Tyre Check at one of our 600 garages. A friendly Halfords expert will assess your tyre tread depth, your tyre pressure, and ensure your tyres are safe and legal.

The performance of tyres deteriorates the more worn they become. In fact the difference in stopping distance between tyres with 4mm or tread and tyres with the legal minimum of 1.6mm can be as much as an additional 89ft at 70mph. That is why it is recommended that they are changed once tread levels reach 3mm or less.

Disclaimer: *Tyre life results are illustrative only - check the tread of your tyres regularly. Results are based on average tyre wear for the front wheels of a front wheel drive vehicle. This is based on 1mm or tyre wear for every 3,703 miles driven - however, the rate of wear can be impacted by other factors, including driving style. Additional stopping distances for worn tyres based on information in a report by Cardiff University, commissioned by Halfords.

At Halfords, we know that many people are struggling to afford unexpected costs like new tyres right now. That’s why we’re offering customers 0% APR for up to 12 months so they can spread the cost and pay later, to help make motoring safer and more affordable for everyone. See our finance options

Another way to keep moving, keep safe, and keep saving is by joining the Halfords Motoring Club, which gives you a host of benefits, discounts, and exclusive offers.