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Damaged tyre: is it safe to drive on?
Damaged tyre: is it safe to drive on?
Cuts, bulges, kerb and pothole damage checked at the car.
Not every damaged tyre is finished. We come to the car, look at where the damage is, and tell you honestly whether it can be repaired to BS AU 159 or has to be replaced, then do whichever is right.
5.0 on Google·One base at Brent Cross, NW2: the arrival time is given on the call
Is it safe?
Is a damaged tyre safe to drive on?
Often not, but not always. Kerb scrapes, pothole hits, sidewall cuts and bulges all look alarming, and only some of them mean a new tyre. Here is the quick answer; the table further down has the detail.
- A bulge or egg on the sidewall: do not drive on it. The tyre needs replacing.
- A cut that shows cord or fabric: do not drive on it. The tyre needs replacing.
- A light kerb scuff in the rubber only, no bulge: usually safe, but have it checked.
- A nail or screw in the middle of the tread: often repairable, if the tyre has not been driven on flat.
Repair or replace?Is my tyre repairable,
Is my tyre repairable,
or does it need replacing?
Every tyre repair in the UK should follow BS AU 159, the British Standard that says where a car tyre may be repaired and where it may not. We follow it to the letter, which is why we sometimes say no.
| What we find | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A puncture in the central three-quarters of the tread, no wider than 6mm | Repairable | The standard allows a plug-and-patch repair from the inside, once the tyre is off the rim and inspected all round. |
| A puncture in the shoulder or the sidewall | Not repairable | These areas flex with every turn of the wheel. A repair there will not hold, and the standard does not permit one. |
| A hole wider than 6mm, or a long cut in the tread | Not repairable | Too much of the casing is broken for a repair to give back its strength. |
| A bulge or egg on the sidewall | Not repairable | The cords inside have snapped. Only the inner liner is holding the air, and it can let go without warning. |
| A cut or scuff that shows cord or fabric | Not repairable | Once the reinforcement is open to water and grit, the casing is finished. |
| A tyre that has been driven on while flat | Not repairable | The sidewalls and inner liner have been crushed against the rim. The damage is inside, where you cannot see it. |
| A run-flat tyre with a puncture | Not normally | Many run-flat makers do not allow repairs, and a run-flat that has been driven deflated is never repaired. |
| Tread at or below 1.6mm, or cracked and perished rubber | Replace | The tyre has reached the end of its life, whatever caused the damage you noticed. |
| A kerb scuff on the sidewall, rubber only, no cord showing, no bulge | Usually fine to keep | Cosmetic. We check it, note it and tell you what to watch for. |
If in doubt, do not drive on it. A tyre with a cut into the casing, a bulge or exposed cords is illegal to use on the road, and GOV.UK sets out the penalties.
Kerb damage: is a scraped tyre still safe?
Catching a kerb at parking speed usually scuffs the outer sidewall and does no more than that. What we look for is whether the scuff has gone through the rubber to the cords, whether there is a raised bump anywhere round the tyre, and whether the rim behind it has been bent or chipped. A scrape that stays in the rubber is cosmetic. A scrape that shows cord, or a bulge that appears in the days after the hit, means the casing has been damaged and the tyre needs replacing. Our guide on sidewall damage shows the difference.
Pothole damage: tyre, wheel, or both?
A hard pothole strike pinches the tyre between the road and the rim. The tell-tale signs are a bulge on the sidewall, a cut on the inner shoulder you cannot see without turning the wheel, and a wobble or vibration afterwards that points to a buckled wheel. We check all three. If the tyre is finished we replace it; if the rim is bent or cracked we tell you, because a new tyre on a damaged wheel will not hold air. Keep the tyre, photograph the pothole and the damage, and read our guide to making a pothole damage claim against the council or National Highways. Keep the invoice for the work as well, because a claim needs it.
Sidewall cuts and bulges
The sidewall is the thinnest part of the tyre and the part that flexes most, so nothing can be repaired there. A cut that shows fabric, or a bulge of any size, is a replacement every time. Bulges are the one to take seriously today rather than next week: the air is being held by the inner liner alone, and it can give way at speed with no warning at all.
Nails, screws and slow leaks
If the damage is a nail or screw in the middle of the tread, it is most likely a repair rather than a replacement. That is covered on our puncture repair page, where the same BS AU 159 rules apply.
The visit
What happens when we come out to a damaged tyre?
You do not need to know the answer before you call. Tell us what happened and what you can see, and we do the rest at the car.
- 1You describe it. A kerb, a pothole, a cut, a bulge, a slow loss of pressure. A photo on WhatsApp helps us bring the right tyre size in case it is needed.
- 2We inspect it properly. BS AU 159 requires the tyre to come off the rim so the inside can be checked, because a small hole outside can hide a torn liner inside. No guesswork from the outside.
- 3You get a straight verdict. Repairable, and here is why; or not repairable, and here is why, with the price of a replacement in budget or premium before anything is done.
- 4We finish the job. Repair or new tyre, wheel refitted and torqued to the maker's figure, pressure set.
We work from one base at Brent Cross, NW2, so the arrival time depends on the distance and is given on the call. Making an enquiry is free, and the price of a repair, and of a replacement if one turns out to be needed, is agreed before any work.
Where this page ends and the others begin. If the tyre has burst or blown out, there is nothing to decide and you want burst tyre replacement. If you already know the tyre is beyond repair and need the right one fitted urgently, see emergency tyre replacement. If the tyre has simply gone flat and you are not sure why, start with flat tyre help.
Reviews
What drivers say.
"Quick, helpful and very understanding of our situation."
EAEva AshmoreGoogle review
"Very quick and efficient service."
LMLynn MillbournGoogle review
Word for word from Google. Read them all on our reviews page or on Google.
FAQs
Damaged tyres, answered.
The rules behind our verdict: whether a damaged tyre can be repaired is decided by BS AU 159, explained by TyreSafe, which rules out sidewall and shoulder repairs; the legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters (GOV.UK).
Can a damaged tyre be repaired?
It depends on where the damage is and what kind it is. A puncture no wider than 6mm in the central three-quarters of the tread can usually be repaired to BS AU 159, which is a permanent, legal fix done at the car. Damage to the sidewall or shoulder, a bulge, a cut that shows cord, or a tyre that has been driven on while flat cannot be repaired safely, and we will tell you so rather than patch something that will fail. When a replacement is needed, common sizes are often on the van; other sizes are sourced for the job.
What is BS AU 159 and why does it matter?
BS AU 159 is the British Standard for the repair of car tyres. It sets out the area of the tread where a repair is allowed, the largest hole that may be repaired, how the tyre must be inspected inside before any repair, and the cases where a tyre must not be repaired at all, such as sidewall damage or a tyre that has run flat. A repair done outside the standard can fail without warning, so we follow it on every job and explain the verdict.
Is a bulge in the sidewall dangerous?
Yes. A bulge means the cords inside the sidewall have broken, usually from a pothole or kerb strike, and the air is now held only by the thin inner liner. It can burst at any time and is more likely to do so at speed or when the tyre is hot. A bulge cannot be repaired. If you can see one, avoid driving on it and call us to fit a replacement where the car is parked.
Can you repair kerb damage to a tyre?
A light scuff on the sidewall that stays in the rubber does not need repairing and is safe to leave; we check it and tell you what to look out for. A scrape that goes through to the fabric, or a bulge that appears after the kerb hit, is not repairable and means a new tyre. We also check the rim, because a hard kerb strike can bend the wheel lip as well.
Do you replace tyres damaged by potholes, and can I claim the cost back?
Yes. We assess the tyre and the wheel, replace the tyre if it is beyond repair, and give you an invoice for the work. You can claim against the authority responsible for the road, usually the council or National Highways. Photograph the pothole with something for scale, note the location and date, keep the damaged tyre if you can, and send the claim with the invoice.
How soon can you come out to look at a damaged tyre?
It depends on how far the car is from our base at Brent Cross, NW2, and on what is already in the diary, so we give you the arrival time on the call. If you can send a photo of the damage and the tyre size on WhatsApp first, we can try to bring a replacement in your size in case the tyre turns out to be beyond repair.
How do I book a damaged tyre check?
Call or WhatsApp 07473 720871 and tell us what happened, or book online. Making an enquiry is free, and we agree the price of a repair, and of a replacement if one is needed, before any work.
We work from one base at Brent Cross, NW2; the areas we cover are listed below. The arrival time is given on the call.
Kerb, pothole or bulge
Not sure about a damaged tyre?
Not sure about a damaged tyre?
We check it at the car.
Send a photo on WhatsApp or call. We agree the price of a repair or a replacement before any work, and give you the arrival time on the call.