Help with a flat tyre once you are safely off the motorway: we find the cause, then repair the tyre if it is safe to, or replace it.
If a tyre fails on a motorway, leave at the next exit or pull into a service area if the car can still be driven safely. If you have to stop, use the hard shoulder or an emergency area, get everyone out by the left-hand doors, wait behind the barrier and do not try a repair yourself. If you are stuck in a live lane, stay in the car with your seat belt on and call 999. We never work on the carriageway of a motorway or main road, on a hard shoulder, in a smart motorway emergency area or on a slip road.
Between J5 and J7, and between J23 and J27, the motorway runs with no hard shoulder and emergency areas only. Emergency areas have an SOS phone that connects to National Highways.
National Highways runs this road. Its contact centre is on 0300 123 5000; in an emergency, call 999.
The road's junction list and the full Highway Code steps are on its main page, under Related pages below.
A flat tyre is not always a simple puncture. The cause can be a nail or screw, a damaged valve, a leak where the tyre meets the rim, or a bent wheel. Once the car is off the main road and parked somewhere safe and legal, do not drive it any further on the flat: a short distance can ruin the sidewall and turn a repairable puncture into a replacement.
The fitter finds the cause, then repairs the tyre if the damage allows it. If not, we tell you and quote a replacement.
When the car is parked somewhere safe and legal, such as a side street near the exit or a car park where the owner allows it, we can come to it. Tell us which junction you left at and where the car is now.
| Road | M25 London Orbital |
|---|---|
| Operator | National Highways |
| Service areas | Clacket Lane services, Cobham services, South Mimms services, Thurrock services |
At its nearest measured point, the M25 is about 8 miles in a straight line from our only base at Brent Cross, NW2. We give you an arrival time when you call.
A flat tyre can come from a puncture, a damaged valve, a tyre pushed off its bead by a kerb or a split in the sidewall. The first job is to stop somewhere safe and not drive any further on it than you must.
Driving on a flat, even slowly, damages the tyre and can bend or crack the wheel. A short distance is often enough to turn a repairable puncture into a tyre that has to be replaced.
Get to the nearest place where it is safe to stop, switch the hazard lights on and stop there.
A tyre pressure warning light means the system has detected a drop in pressure in one or more tyres. Check all four by eye and with a gauge before driving further.
A light that flashes when the car starts and then stays on usually points to a fault in the system itself rather than a tyre.
Call or WhatsApp with where the car is, the registration and the tyre size from the sidewall. Say whether there is a usable spare.
You hear what the job involves and the options for your car. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
The fitter comes to your home, your workplace or a safe place to park, raises the car on a jack and does the job beside it.
Before the fitter leaves, the wheel is checked for security and the tyre pressure is set to the maker's figure.
“Good communication, excellent work and takes the initiative. Happy to go the extra mile, highly recommended if you're in a tyre-related bit of bother!”
“Good and reliable service in all conditions.”
There is no fixed figure that suits every car, so the price is built from a few things and told to you before you decide.
The price is given on the call. The price is the same at any hour. Asking for a price does not commit you to anything.
When you compare prices, compare like with like: the same brand and pattern, the same load index and speed rating, and whether balancing and a new valve are part of the job.
A run-flat tyre has a reinforced sidewall that carries the car for a limited distance with little or no air. Because the car can feel normal, the tyre pressure warning light may be the only sign that something is wrong.
Tyre makers commonly quote up to 50 miles at no more than 50 mph after pressure loss, but the handbook has the final word.
Use that range to reach a safe place such as home or a car park, not to finish a long journey.
Run-flat and standard tyres should not be mixed on the same car.
Switching all four to standard tyres is possible on some cars, but it leaves you unable to drive on after a puncture, so check the handbook first.
Look near the size on the sidewall for markings such as RFT, SSR, ROF, ZP or RSC in a circle.
Cars on run-flats often have no spare wheel at all, so check under the boot floor and in the handbook.
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School-run flat tyre: what to do
A flat tyre on the school run throws the whole day. Here's the safe way to handle it without changing a wheel in the road with kids in the car.
What to keep in the car for a tyre emergency
Most cars carry the wrong things for a puncture. Here is the short list that helps at the roadside, and what to check you have now.
Stay safe, keep off the flat tyre and tell us where the car is. Tell us what has happened and the make and model of the vehicle.
