01
At least 2mm of tread, right across
Across the full breadth of the tread and around the entire circumference. That is double the 1.6mm legal minimum for a tyre in use, so there is real life left in it.
Part worn tyres
Part worn tyres, done to the letter of the law
Part worn tyres have a bad name because plenty of places sell them badly. Ours are inspected off the rim, pressure tested and marked exactly as the regulations require — and if a new tyre is the better buy for your vehicle, we will say so.
- Inspected off the rim
- Marked PART WORN
- Fitted here or at your vehicle
The standard
What a part worn tyre must satisfy before it is legal to sell
These are not our rules. They are set out in the Motor Vehicle Tyres (Safety) Regulations 1994 and enforced by Trading Standards. We are listing them because you should be able to check any seller against them, including us.
02
The original markings still legible
Size, load index, speed rating and the safety markings must still be readable. A tyre you cannot identify is a tyre nobody can vouch for.
03
No dangerous damage
No cuts, bulges, lumps or exposed cords, inside or out. The inside matters as much as the outside, which is why every tyre comes off the rim to be looked at.
04
No unsafe repairs
Any previous repair has to have been done to the British Standard. A plug pushed into a sidewall is not a repair.
05
Marked PART WORN
In upper case letters at least 4mm high, permanently applied to the tyre. If a tyre is not marked, it has not been sold to you legally.
06
Passed a pressure test
Inflated and inspected before it is offered for sale, so a fault that only shows under pressure is found here rather than at seventy miles an hour.
If a part worn tyre is not marked PART WORN, walk away. It is the single easiest thing for a customer to check, it takes two seconds, and a seller who has skipped it has skipped the rest as well.
Straight answers
Part worn is sometimes the right call, and sometimes it is not
A tyre shop that only ever recommends the more expensive option is not being careful, and one that only ever recommends the cheaper one is not being honest. Which way it goes depends on the vehicle, the mileage and what the tyre is being asked to do.
When part worn makes sense
- The vehicle is coming up to sale or scrappage and does not warrant a new set
- One tyre has failed and the others are half worn, so you want to match them
- A budget is a budget, and the choice is a good part worn tyre or driving on a bad one
- A spare, or a temporary wheel, that will not see much use
When we will tell you to buy new
- You cover high mileage — cost per mile usually favours a new tyre
- The car is powerful, heavy or fully loaded, where the tyre works hardest
- You want a specific brand, a run-flat, or a particular winter or all-season pattern
- You are replacing all four and the price difference has closed up
Work it out per mile rather than per tyre. A part worn tyre with 4mm left has roughly half the usable life of a new one — so if it costs more than half the price of the new equivalent, it is not the cheaper option.
How we handle them
Every tyre comes off the rim
A tyre can look perfect from the outside and be ruined on the inside — run flat for half a mile and the inner lining breaks up where nobody can see it. That is the failure that puts a car into a hedge, and the only way to find it is to take the tyre off the wheel and look.
So that is what happens to every part worn tyre before it is offered to anybody: off the rim, inspected inside and out, inflated and pressure tested, tread depth measured across the full width rather than at the one point that flatters it, and marked as the regulations require.
Anything that fails goes for recycling rather than onto a customer’s car. That is the part that costs money and the part nobody sees, which is exactly why it is worth saying.
Where you can have them fitted
Both, and it costs you nothing to choose whichever is less disruptive.
At the tyre shop
72 Broad Street, Chesham. Drive in and we fit while you wait — the counter is open 09:00 to 18:00, seven days.
At your vehicle
Home, work or the roadside, fitted and balanced where the vehicle stands. The mobile service runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
FAQs
Part worn tyres — the questions we get asked
If your question is not here, ring and ask. We would rather explain it properly than have you guessing.
Are part worn tyres legal in the UK?
Yes, provided they meet the requirements in the Motor Vehicle Tyres (Safety) Regulations 1994. They must have at least 2mm of tread across the whole width, keep their original size and rating markings, be free of dangerous damage, carry no unsafe repairs, be marked PART WORN in letters at least 4mm high, and have passed an inflation test. A part worn tyre sold without meeting those conditions is being sold illegally.
How much tread does a part worn tyre have to have?
At least 2mm, across the full breadth of the tread and around the whole circumference. For comparison, the legal minimum for a tyre already in use on a car is 1.6mm, and most manufacturers suggest thinking about replacement at around 3mm.
How do I know a part worn tyre has been checked properly?
The clearest sign is the marking: it must say PART WORN in upper case letters at least 4mm high. Beyond that, ask whether the tyre was taken off the rim and inspected inside as well as out, and whether it was inflated and pressure tested. If a seller cannot answer that, buy elsewhere.
Is a part worn tyre always cheaper than a new one?
Not always, once you work it out per mile. A part worn tyre with 4mm left has roughly half the usable life of a new one, so if it costs more than half the price of a new equivalent it is not the better deal. We will tell you when that is the case rather than sell you the tyre anyway.
Can you fit a part worn tyre at my home or at the roadside?
Yes. Part worn tyres can be fitted by the mobile service in the same way as new ones, at home, at work or at the roadside. If you are stranded and it is safe to do so, ring us and we will tell you honestly what we can bring and how soon.
Do you sell new tyres as well?
Yes. New tyres are supplied and fitted for cars, vans and 4x4s, either at the Chesham shop or wherever your vehicle is. Plenty of customers end up buying new once the numbers are laid out side by side, and that is a perfectly good outcome.
Need a tyre sorting?
Call, send a WhatsApp message, or request a quote with your registration. We'll tell you what we can do and when.
- Address
- 72 Broad Street, Chesham, HP5 3DX
- Opening hours
- 24 hours a day, 365 days a year