Tyres FAQ's

Our tyre prices include fitting in the cost.

At Halfords, we offer same-day tyre fitting at dozens of our Autocentres nationwide, many of which are open seven days a week. So, whatever your reason for needing new tyres may be, we’ll get them fitted in no time.

We can also offer a range of mobile tyre fitting and vehicle services with Halfords Mobile Expert. We offer free mobile tyre fitting across all our appointments and will come and meet you at home, the office, or any other convenient location.

At Halfords, we offer 2 and 4 wheel alignment services. Most modern cars require 4 wheel alignment, particularly if your car is rear or four wheel drive. However, if you’re unsure, you should check with your chosen garage.

To book alongside your tyre fitting, look out for the pop up once you have confirmed your tyre slot, or visit our wheel alignment page.

Proceed through the booking steps and choose your new timeslot*

*By adding additional services to your basket, you will be required to choose a new timeslot to ensure our technicians have sufficient time to carry out your services together.

There are many aspects to consider when choosing the best tyres for your car, but here a few pointers:

• Fuel efficiency – the higher the grade, the lower the fuel consumption.
• Wet grip – the higher the grade, the shorter braking distances are in rainy weather.
• Noise – the fewer bars, the quieter the tyre. Only tyres with two bars or less will meet future legislation.

For further advice, please check out our guide on how to choose the best tyres for your vehicle.

Not necessarily, however some vehicle manufacturers recommend specific ‘OE homologated’ tyres which have been specifically designed for the vehicle and its unique characteristics.

It’s legal to use different branded tyres on your car, however, driving with different tyre tread patterns can alter the performance and safety of a vehicle, and in some instances can cause damage to other vehicle components

You should check your tyre pressure and tread every few weeks to ensure your tyres are sufficiently inflated and still safe to drive on.

Correct tyre pressure and tread is important for several key reasons:

• Illegal – driving with under inflated tyres/low tread depth is illegal and can result in costly fines.
• Safety - poor tyre pressure/tread depth can lead to the higher risk of over/understeering, increased braking distances and aquaplaning.
• Cost reduction - tyres with incorrect pressure will have a reduced life span and increase fuel consumption.

For more information, take a look at our guides on how to check and inflate car tyres and tread depth and safety.

1.6mm. It is recommended that you should change your tyres once down to below 3mm.

Independent research by the Motoring Industry Research Association (MIRA) has shown that tyres with 3mm of tread have an average 25% better performance than those at 1.6mm. This represents an extra 8 metres of stopping distance in wet conditions!

Your tread helps to prevent aquaplaning and maintain grip on the road. Once the tread wears, this will mean that the vehicle could end up skidding on wet surfaces.

Your tyre's tread is designed to keep the tyre in contact with the road. So, as your tyre wears, its ability to grip the road decreases, meaning longer stopping distances and a higher risk of aquaplaning.

Driving with worn tyres is not only a serious safety risk, but a costly one too. In the UK, the fine for bald tyres is £2,500 plus three points on your licence per tyre, so it's important to check them monthly for any signs of damage or wear.

You can use a Halfords tyre pressure kit and find the correct tyre pressure within your car manual or printed on the sill inside the driver’s door.

To ensure you get an even reading of your tyre pressure, you need to ensure that your vehicle is on a flat surface and that your tyres are cold as this will produce more accurate results.

The first thing to look out for when it comes to car tyres are the numbers stamped on the side of each tyre. These numbers show vital information about the tyres, but it isn’t always clear what they mean. For instance, you may see something like this printed on the tyre: 235/60 R 18 V XL. The first number (in this case 235) is the tyre’s diameter in millimetres.

The second number is the tyre’s height, as a percentage of the width (in this case, 60). If the second number is 50 or less, then the tyre can be considered ‘low profile’.

The next number has an R in front, which refers to the rim diameter. In this example, the tyre’s rim is 18 inches in diameter.

The last two sets of letters refer to the maximum load and maximum speed that the tyre is rated for. Here, the tyre can take extra load (XL) and can travel up to 240 km/h (V rating)

Most tyre manufacturers would recommend you change all 4 tyres but, if this is not possible, they will at least change the tyres across the same axle. However, if you have a 4x4 vehicle , then it is recommended that you change all 4 at the same time, as the differing tread-depths could cause damage to differentials and 4 wheel drive systems

Having different tread-depth or types of tyres on the same axle of your car could provide an unequal level of rolling resistance and grip, which will affect how it steers, grips and stops.

For example, if you put a new tyre on your front left wheel but keep an older tyre with a different tread pattern on your front right wheel, this will cause an imbalance of grip and rolling resistance.

In certain situations, it may be advisable to fit a new tyre as opposed to repairing the current one. For example:

• The tread depth is illegal (less than 1.6mm across the central 75% of the tyre)
• There is an irreparable puncture (e.g. damage to the side wall or shoulder of the tyre)
• There is evidence of deterioration or damage (like exposed cords or bead damage)
• A poor-quality repair has been carried out on the tyre previously.

Tyres will always be thoroughly checked before a repair is carried out.

There are three main causes of tyre problems - overloading, driving at speed and incorrect tyre pressure. Follow your car manufacturer's loading recommendations, watch your speed, and get your tyre pressure checked to make sure your tyres remain in good condition.

Yes, when you add your tyres to the basket the option to purchase Tyre Warranty will pop up as a recommended extra. If you select this option it will automatically be added to your basket.

You should aim to replace your tyres when the tread falls below 3mm, but certainly 2mm. The legal limit for a tyre in the UK is 1.6mm but braking performance, particularly in wet weather is drastically increased the lower the tread is. You should also check the age of the tyre for deterioration and any visible damage such as cuts, or exposed cords. We offer a free tyre check so we can check all of this for you.

In certain situations, it may be advisable to fit a new tyre as opposed to repairing the current one. For example, if the tread depth is illegal (less than 1.6mm across the central 75% of the tyre), if there is evidence of deterioration or damage (like exposed cords or bead damage) or if a poor- quality repair has been carried out on the tyre previously. Tyres will always be thoroughly checked before a repair is carried out.

Our online tyre prices are cheaper than in our garages because online tyres are ordered in advance of fitment. This allows us time to source your tyres at the most competitive price; enabling us to pass these savings onto our customers.

When tyres are purchased directly in our garages, we can't guarantee availability from the cheapest source, especially if they're required urgently to keep you mobile.

Additional charges may apply to online tyres for same-day or next-day orders or if your chosen garage has low availability. In all cases, online prices will never be more than our garage prices, so you know you’re always getting the best price.

Our pricing team review our tyre prices against our competitors up to three times a week, so you can be confident that you’re always getting the best tyre prices with Halfords. In addition to providing great value, we also offer same day tyre fitting by our highly qualified technicians and recycle 99% of used tyres.

Our online slot pricing is based on the capacity of our garages. If there is another nearby garage to your entered postcode that has better technician availability, they will usually offer a lower slot price. This allows our garages to work more efficiently, providing both value and convenience to our customers.

We charge customers £3.00 per tyre purchased to responsibly dispose of their old tyres.

We charge £3.00 per tyre disposed. This includes VAT. For example, 2 tyres = £6.00 charge. 4 tyres = £12.00 charge.

We partner with a leading tyre collector and processor in the UK. They process and repurpose tyres to recycle and reuse them in a variety of products. These include artificial turf infill, playground rubber mulch, carpet underlay and road surfaces.

We have always charged for this disposal service. We have now updated the way we break down the total price to show the cost of disposal to our customers.

Yes. If you decide you do not want to pay the fee, you will need take your old tyres with you and repurpose or suitably dispose of them, for example at a Household recycling centre. Please note that councils may charge a fee of circa £3 per tyre. We automatically add the fee for online bookings. When our fitter is changing your tyres, please let them know you want to keep your tyres and we will process a refund of the fee.