Part-worn tyres v new tyres

When motorists visit one of our ETB Autocentres for some tyre advice, conversation usually turns to price within a few seconds and how much it replacements will cost.

With so many customers feeling the pinch and budgets being squeezed like never before, we fully understand why this is the case and we will always find a solution that fits with your wallet.

Talk often turns to part worn tyres as a plausible solution and we are then asked for our perspective. Part worn tyres might seem like a bargain, but from our many years of experience, they really do represent a false economy and we’d urge you to think again.

Paying less initially might feel like good value for money, but it almost always ends up costing you more in the long run.

If you are a safety conscious driver, a new set of car tyres will provide you with the best driving experience and moreover, they will last for so much longer.

Like anything in life, you pay for what you get and when you opt for a premium tyre, you’re guaranteeing superior performance in the wet and dry – and a product that takes you further.

Take Bridgestone as an example. They even offer a guarantee (covering their Turanza 6 and Turanza All Season 6 products) of 20,000 miles on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and 15,000 miles on electric vehicles over two years. This is some commitment and can be worth its weight in gold.

You will also feel safer with superior stopping distances in both the wet and dry, in a win-win situation. It’s worth remembering that a tyre is a high-tech piece of equipment consisting of 30 different components, which must all be in good condition to ensure the best possible driving experience and to keep you safe.

Part worn tyre cost
Car owners might well be tempted by the prospect of cheaper tyres, and the part-worn tyre cost is much cheaper compared to brand new car tyres on face value. Especially since the cost of living has risen so sharply and the cost of running a car is increasing.

But while part-worn tyres might look very similar to a brand new premium tyre, the reality can be something entirely different.
Where do part-worn tyres come from?

Thereby lies the problem! In many instances, nobody knows.
Many part-worn tyres are taken from cars either no longer in use or have been in an accident. The product might look acceptable to the naked eye, but there is often damage within the rubber that can’t be seen.

Are part worn tyres worth it?
5 things to consider:

• Part worn or used tyres are cheaper than new, premium tyres.
• But, the cost per mm of useable tyre tread is less on a new tyre. Don’t consider the purchase price alone.
• The average cost per mm of useable tread of a part worn tyre is £6.33 per mm, compared to £5.32 per mm for a new tyre, according to tyre safety charity: TyreSafe.
• Part worn and used tyres have much less tread than a new tyre, so you will need to replace them faster. 
• New tyres are normally sold with around 8mm of tread depth, whereas part-worn tyres may have as little of 2mm of tread. With a legal minimum tread depth of 1.6mm in the UK, the cost per mm of useable tread of part-worn tyres can be considerably more than that of a new tyre.

What do TyreSafe say about part worn tyres?
As arguably the primary safety feature on your vehicle, TyreSafe strongly recommends buying new tyres, not part-worn or ‘used’ tyres and commissioned a report into part worn tyres in 2020.
Their results make for eye-opening reading: What Are Part-Worn Tyres And Are They Safe? | TyreSafe
Are part worn tyres legal?

It is legal to sell part worn tyres in the UK but tyre dealers must meet a number of requirements before doing so.
These requirements include:

• The tyre must pass an inflation test
• It must have at least 2mm of tread depth around its entire circumference
• Repairs must have been carried out in accordance with the relevant British Standard
• The tyre must be permanently marked ‘part worn’.

Reasons not to buy part worn or used tyres

• You will not have any known history about a part-worn tyre (mileage or previous damage)
• It may be impossible to determine if any internal tyre damage exists
• No way of checking if the part worn tyre was involved in a previous accident, imported, or from a scrap yard.

Part worn tyre statistics
Some recent statistics from the road safety charity TyreSafe  states that:

• 94% of part-worn tyres inspected by TyreSafe were being sold illegally.
• Of the 278 part-worn retailers investigated, 93% (261) were non-compliant
• Over 63% of part-worn tyres were unsafe to return to the road
• 22% of the tyres inspected were ten years or older
• 18% had been repaired incorrectly
• The oldest tyre found during investigations was 29-years-old
• 159 people were killed or seriously injured as a result of defective tyre related accidents (UK annual average)

Are used tyres a false economy?
In almost every experience that we’ve had across our network of centres, the answer is yes. Even if you buy part worn tyres which are originally a premium brand, you will still save more money by purchasing a tyre from new. Also, it is important to note that car insurance companies may not pay out if you have purchased tyres that are part worn. In a study conducted by Auto Express, they found that there were 6 million unsafe part worn tyres on UK roads.

Reasons to buy premium tyres

• Premium tyres are safer, with a great deal of engineering going into each tyre.
• Construction of rubber materials are superior and developed over a longer period of time.
• Trusted, well known brand, Bridgestone tyres come with a buy and try guarantee as well as a warranty.
• Improved stopping distances
• Longer lasting
• Superior rolling resistance to save on fuel
• Quieter
• Environmentally friendlier
• More responsive wet braking
• Better dry handling
• Run flat technology (RFT) on certain tyres, which allows you to keep driving after a puncture

Bridgestone Turanza 6

For a tyre that hammers home the point we’re trying to make, have a think about the Bridgestone Turanza 6.
It has safety at the heart of its design, providing outstanding performance in all conditions,  while also offering superior mileage and improved fuel / energy efficiency.
The Turanza 6 prioritises safety as the ultimate goal and also benefits from Bridgestone’s Tyre Mileage Guarantee, which no part-worn alternative could get close to matching.
The Bridgestone Turanza 6 is now available at ETB Autocentres in a wide coverage for both passenger cars and on-road SUVs, whether they are internal combustion engine, hybrids or electric vehicles.