You need good tyres to drive safely and comfortably. They are your only contact with the road and affect your steering, braking and acceleration. If you look after them they will work better and last longer. Neglecting them could be expensive and could even cost you your life.

The legal minimum tread depth of the main grooves of car and similar tyres in the European Union, including the United Kingdom, is 1.6mm across the central three quarters of the breadth of tread and round the entire outer circumference.

Most car tyres have tread wear indicators, usually at least six small ribs across the bottom of the main tread grooves, and when the tread surface becomes level with these ribs the tyre is at the legal limit and must be replaced. Gauges are also available to give an acceptable guide to tread depth.

In normal use the only part of a tyre to wear away is the tread and tyres can be given a new lease of life by retreading. All retread tyres supplied in the United Kingdom must comply with the British Standard BS AU 144e. They must meet the same performance standards as new tyres.

Retreads are not to be confused with part-warn or second-hand tyres. It is possible to buy such tyres, but there are inherent dangers in this. Their history is unknown and they may have been removed from a vehicle involved in an accident or have been badly damaged by ‘kerbing’ or similar problems. They are often removed from cars on the continent and sent in containers to the UK.

Regulations require a part-worn tyre to be marked “PART-WORN” adjacent to the E e or BS mark, to indicate that it has been properly examined internally and externally. Tread depth must be at least 2mm across the whole breadth of tread.