Tyre condition matters more than age when it comes to passing your MOT — though some limits do apply. In this guide, we explain when old tyres become a legal issue, the 10-year rule for commercial vehicles, and how to check if your tyres are still road-safe before your next MOT.
The annual MOT is an opportunity for your vehicle or car to undergo a full check – ensuring the vehicle falls within legal standards and is safe to drive.
As part of this check an MOT tester will look at the tyres, ensuring they are inflated to the correct pressure, free from cracks and splits, and that the tread depth is adequate. One question that many drivers have, however, is not about tyre condition but instead about the age of tyre.
Is there a maximum age that tyres can reach before they will no longer pass an MOT?
Keep reading to find out.
How Often Do You Need an MOT?
Every vehicle must hold a valid MOT certificate in order to be legally driven.
While the first three years of a vehicle’s life do not require an MOT, once you surpass three years then the vehicle will become eligible for the annual safety check.
Each MOT certificate is valid for a year from the date of the previous test. Your next test will therefore need to be scheduled for a date before or on the day of the previous test, to ensure the vehicle’s MOT does not expire.
What Tyre Checks Does an MOT Include?
While the tyres are not the only thing that’s checked during an MOT, they are one of the most important components – with several individual specifications needing to be met in order to ensure a pass certification.
These include:
- Being inflated to the correct pressure
- No damage to the tyre sidewall – that is, the surface between the tyre tread and the wheel rim
- No bulges, cracks, or splits anywhere on the tyre
- Even tread wear, with a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm
If a vehicle is found to be driving without a valid MOT, the driver may be fined up to £1,000 and banned from driving until the vehicle has a valid MOT certificate.
How Important is the Age of a Tyre?
With so many different components contributing towards the safety of a tyre, you might be wondering what the valid age for a tyre is before it is considered too old for safe driving.
In actual fact, the safety of a tyre is more about condition and quality than it is about age.
A tyre could be just a year or two old but have been run ragged with uneven wear and damage to the sidewall – or it could be ten years old but still perfectly safe due to limited and careful driving.
Of course, there are limitations. Any commercial vehicle must not legally be fitted with tyres which are over 10 years old. Similarly, if a care is fitted with tyres that were manufactured before 2000 then these should be changed urgently.
Aside from these though, as a general rule, MOT’s are more concerned with the condition and integrity of a tyre, than with its age.
