How Often Should You Check Tyre Pressure?

Keeping your tyres at the right pressure is crucial, for your vehicle's safety systems and to give you comfortable and economical driving. But it’s also a legal requirement and not having the correct car tyre pressure can have serious consequences. As a guide you should check your tyre pressures at least once a month, and before long journeys. Ignoring this advice runs the risk of decreasing your grip and increasing your braking distances. You could also damage your tyres reduce their lifespan and increase your fuel consumption. 

In fact, the Highway Code published by the Department of Transport, explicitly states that a vehicle’s tyres must be inflated correctly. They expect the driver to consult the manufacturer’s specification to identify the correct tyre pressure, taking into account the load being carried. Under inflation can cause tyres to fail with possibly devastating consequences if the vehicle is travelling at speed. So if you have an accident and an investigation shows that your tyres were incorrectly inflated, contributing to the accident, the insurer may challenge the claim. 

Protyre, your local tyre expert, stock a wide range of tyres from reputable tyre manufacturers, offering Premium, Mid-Range and Budget options to suit any customer requirement. We offer same-day fitting across our rapidly-growing network of fast-fit garages. Our experienced and trustworthy technicians provide free and impartial advice to help our customers select the best tyres for their vehicles. We are also pleased to be able to offer a free no obligation tyre check, where one of our highly skilled tyre technicians will provide a free tyre check. Help yourselvef to the free tea and coffee whilst you wait.  

Tyre pressures are measured in PSI - pounds per square inch. That’s the number you’ll find in your car or bike handbook that you punch into the air line on the garage forecourt. Even tyres that are fitted correctly and are in good condition, will lose up to 2 PSI a month.

And while safety comes first, wrongly inflated tyres will also bump up your fuel bill. Bumps in the road will become more evident, with the ride will becoming noticeably less smooth. The same rules apply even to premier tyres, such as Pirelli or Bridgestone, if they’re being used at the wrong pressure.

Since 2014, all new vehicles have been equipped with TPMS. This stands for Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and in most vehicles with TPMS, a dashboard display will illuminate if there’s a problem. If you have a vehicle with TPMS and the sensor isn’t working, or is faulty and it’s due for an MOT, the car will fail the MOT.

Some drivers report that as soon as they switch to winter tyres, the TPMS sensor on the dashboard lights up. While tempted to ignore the warning, most people are aware that this could cause insurance problems. So the sensible thing is to add sensors to the winter tyres. Talk to your local Protyre garage about the most economical way to go about this - our qualified fitters are an excellent source of advice.