Part-worn tyres: the UK rules, and why we do not fit them

The short answer: selling part-worn tyres is legal, but they must have at least 2mm of tread across the full breadth, be free of specific damage, and be permanently marked PART-WORN in letters at least 4mm high. Trading Standards surveys repeatedly find most on sale fail these tests.

What the law requires

Under the Motor Vehicle Tyres (Safety) Regulations 1994, a part-worn tyre may only be supplied if it:

• has original tread of at least 2mm across the full breadth and around the entire circumference;
• is free from any cut, bulge, lump or tear exposing the cords;
• has not suffered internal or external separation of the structure;
• is permanently and legibly marked PART-WORN in uppercase letters at least 4mm high — and that marking must not be made by hot branding or cutting into the tyre.

Failing to comply is an offence carrying a fine and up to two years' imprisonment.

The problem in practice

Local authority Trading Standards teams test part-worn tyres regularly, and the results are consistently poor — investigations have found the overwhelming majority of tyres sampled were not correctly marked and therefore non-compliant, with some carrying dangerous defects.

The deeper problem is that a used tyre's history is unknowable. You cannot see whether it has been run flat, kerbed hard, repaired badly, or stored outside for five years. All of those cause damage that is invisible from the outside and only found by inspecting the inner liner off the rim.

The arithmetic

A new tyre starts with around 8mm of usable tread and is legally finished at 1.6mm — call it 6.4mm of life.

A part-worn sold at the legal minimum of 2mm has 0.4mm before it is illegal. Even a generous 4mm part-worn gives you around 2.4mm, roughly a third of a new tyre's life. Priced against a budget new tyre, part-worns are frequently poor value per mile as well as an unknown quantity.

If you are going to buy them anyway

• Check for the PART-WORN marking. If it is not there, the sale is illegal — walk away.
• Measure the tread yourself, in several places across the width.
• Check the DOT date code. A tyre with 5mm of tread and a 2011 date is old rubber.
• Inspect both sidewalls for cracking, bulges and repair patches.

Our position

We do not fit part-worn tyres. Not on principle about the law — it is that we cannot inspect a used tyre's history well enough to put our name to it, and a budget new tyre from a known brand costs little more and comes with its full life ahead of it.

If cost is the concern, tell us. There is a real spread across the budget end of the market and we would rather find you a sensible new tyre than fit something we are unsure about. Call 07989 606060.