If your car's tyres are looking worn, you're far from alone – but you could also be flirting with a serious MoT fail.
In 2024, over 2.15 million cars failed their MoT because of badly degraded tyres. That’s about one in five of all failures and nearly 100,000 more than the previous year. Since 2019, over 250,000 vehicles have failed for the same reason – and the trend is going in the wrong direction.
Even more worrying? Around 750,000 of those cars had already been advised to sort their tyres in a previous MoT. In other words, loads of people are ignoring tyre warnings and continuing to drive on rubber that might be illegal – or even dangerous.
Tyres aren’t just a tick-box on your MoT. In 2023, 1,700 people died in crashes where tyre issues were flagged as contributing factors. That’s why road safety charity TyreSafe is now pushing the government to step in.
TyreSafe, along with the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), wants follow-up action within three months of a tyre advisory being issued. That could mean alerts sent to drivers, prompts from garages, or even proof that the tyres have been replaced.
It’s not a cheap fix – replacing tyres can be pricey – but as Verifleet’s director Richard Stowe put it, “The consequences of inaction can be fatal. It’s time we treated tyre safety with the seriousness it deserves.”
It’s not just drivers cutting corners, either. A recent Auto Express investigation found that some dodgy sellers are offloading part-worn tyres that don’t meet legal safety standards. TyreSafe reckons 94% of them are being sold illegally.
Their consumer editor, Chris Rosamond, has written to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, urging a full review of the part-worn tyre trade.
