The legal minimum tread depth for car in the UK is 1.6mm throughout a continuous band comprising the central three-quarters of depth of the tread and around its entire outer circumference. When driving in wet weather, your tyre tread grooves help to remove water from the contact between your tyres and the road surface which means that your car can brake, steer and accelerate properly. Without adequate tread depth, your tyres may not be able to perform properly in wet conditions, reducing your safety on the road. It is therefore advisable to consider replacing your tyres well before they reach the minimum legal requirement.
Effects of low tyre tread
Maintaining safe and effective car tyres is crucial for road safety. As your tyre’s tread depth decreases, so does its grip on the road, which can significantly impact braking distances and affect your vehicle’s overall handling and performance. While the legal requirement for minimum tread depth is 1.6mm, tyre shop experts strongly recommend considering an upgrade for your car tyres once the tread depth reaches 2mm. This recommendation underscores the importance of safety, as the difference between the legal requirement and their professional suggestion can be the decisive factor between stopping in time and avoiding a potential accident or not stopping before you bump into the car in front of you. Regularly inspecting and replacing worn-out or old tyres is a responsible and necessary step to ensure your safety on the road.
20p Test
A quick and effortless way to see if your tyre tread exceeds the minimum legal tread depth is to take the 20p test. To conduct this test all you must do is simply place a 20p coin into the main tread grooves of your tyre. Yet the outer band of the 20p coin is obscured when it is inserted, when your tyre tread is above the legal limit. If the outer band of the coin is visible, then your tyres may be illegal and unsafe, so you should consider taking it into a professional immediately. If you need to replace your tyre you can check online for cheap tyres at competitive prices.
Tread Depth Gauge
Another simple way of checking your tyre depth is by using a tread depth gauge, this can be found at any local auto shop. As with any product there are various versions of this gauge out, but an inexpensive gauge will work just fine, all you have to do is stick the probe into a groove in the tread and press the shoulders of the probe flat against the tread block and read the result.
Tread Wear Indicator Bands
Your tyres are equipped to tell you if they are worn out or not. Every performance, light truck or medium commercial tyre comes equipped with an indicator or wear bars that have been embedded between the tread. These indicators have been placed to help you monitor tread depth and make decisions about tyre replacement. If the tread is flushed with the indicator bars, if they are then it is time to replace the tyres.
While the 20p test does what it sets out to do (telling you that your tyre has reached its legal limit) it does not however tell you if your tyres are safe for the road or not. Even though the law dictates what the legal minimum tread count is the effects of that count might differ depending on your car and way of driving.
