Are cracked tyres legal or illegal?

Cracked Tyres and the Law

This depends on the severity of the cracks. Some tyres are quite legal, others can be illegal!

Some shallow cracks

Small cracks on the tyre are legal for older tyres; however, as soon as there are any cracks in the structure of the tyre, it would not pass an MOT.

Other more serious cracks

Deep or large cracks, widespread surface cracking, or cracks that open up a tyre's structure are very dangerous and would lead to an MOT fail and the tyre should be replaced.

Our advice

If you see any cracks on the side wall of the tyre, no matter how shallow you think they are, it is most likely an old tyre and should be replaced soon.