How many miles per 1mm of tread depth?

Tread wear rate

Understanding how quickly your tyres wear helps you plan replacements and budget accordingly.

General guideline

As a rough guide, most car tyres lose around 1mm of tread every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. This varies significantly depending on several factors.

What affects the wear rate

• Tyre quality — Premium tyres typically wear more slowly per millimetre than budget alternatives
• Driving style — Aggressive acceleration, hard braking and fast cornering all increase wear
• Tyre pressure — Underinflated tyres wear their outer edges faster, while overinflated tyres wear the centre faster
• Wheel alignment — Misaligned wheels cause asymmetric wear that can use up tread much faster on one side
• Road conditions — Rough surfaces, gravel roads and frequent speed bumps all accelerate wear

Planning ahead

A new tyre starts with approximately 7 to 8mm of tread. With the recommended replacement point at 3mm, you have roughly 4 to 5mm of usable tread life. At an average wear rate, that translates to approximately 12,000 to 25,000 miles depending on the tyre and conditions.