Whether it’s general wear and tear over time, the countless number of potholes in the UK, or that solitary nail that’s appeared from nowhere, having to buy new tyres is never a welcome event.
Many motorists have turned to purchasing part worn tyres to soften the blow as they are viewed as not only better value for money but also just as safe as brand new tyres.
An investigation into the sale of part worn tyres, coordinated by TyreSafe and the National Tyre Distributors Association, set out to prove this theory wrong. The largest study of its kind was conducted across the UK and revealed that thousands of drivers have been exposed to alarmingly high levels of risk. From a sample of 817 part worn tyres purchased in various mystery shopper exercises last year, over a third were found to be damaged or contained faults of some kind. Even more alarming was that a staggering 97% of the tyres had not been labeled as ‘part worn’ by retailers which is required by law. A similar study was conducted this summer, which showed that part worn tyres are less trustworthy and pose greater risk to drivers than new tyres, due to the majority of them being sold illegally.
According to the Consumer Protection Act, it’s a criminal offence for anyone to sell part worn tyres that do not meet industry standards and requirements. These requirements are:
- The tyre must be correctly inflated to the correct pressure level.
- The tyre must have at least 2mm of tread depth around its entire circumference.
- The tyre’s integral structure must not be damaged.
The study revealed that these requirements are not being met across the board. The independent tyre assessors found a number of faults, which ranged from dangerous puncture repairs, under inflation and exposed cords to damaged beads and penetration damage. These are all faults that could pose a potential safety hazard to the user and other motorists.
Image: A tyre blowout due to improper maintenance.
For more findings from the largest and most extensive nationwide study into part worn tyres please visit the TyreSafe website.
Forget putting part worn tyres on your car, with all the potential underlying faults and dangers associated with them. Instead, take a look at these alternative uses for part worn tyres!
Arnold Clark is committed to ensuring your tyres are both safe and legal so if you’re unsure about the condition of your tyres don’t hesitate to visit your local Arnold Clark Service Centre for a FREE tyre safety check and a complimentary FREE tyre safety kit.
You can also visit our tyre web page for even more tyre-related news, content and competitive prices on brand new tyres from the likes of Michelin, Pirelli and Hankook.