Which Tyres Last the Longest? Tyres With Longevity (2024)

Which Tyres Last the Longest? Tyres With Longevity

The general principle surrounding tyre wear is that high-end, high specification tyres will usually last longer than a budget range which is mostly true, but if your tyre has a puncture and cannot be repaired then a premium tyre can have its life cut short just as quickly as one which originally cost half the price.

Tyre wear is not just to do with the brand you start with; there are lots of other factors which can affect wear and which could mean your economical budget tyre might end up lasting as long or even longer than a superior, big-name sporty brand, just because of your mileage or how you drive your car. Now we'll explore which tyres last the longes and why.

The factors which can affect the life of a tyre

There are lots of different elements which are individual to each motorist and which can ultimately affect how long your tyres last irrespective of the make you start out with and these include:-

• Your average mileage

• The type of driving - it is city motoring with lots of gear and directional changes or long distance motorway journeys

• How you drive - is your driving steady or consistent or do you drive fast and corner sharply?

• Is your car garaged or is it regularly parked in direct sunlight – UV rays can damage the polymers in tyre rubber causing deterioration over time

• Do you check your tyres regularly for tread depth and uneven wear or splits and bulges?

• Do you rotate the tyres at set intervals or only wait until you have a puncture or a tyre needs changing due to low tread or other damage?

• Is the vehicle’s tracking and suspension monitored and checked regularly?

• Does the car have any mechanical faults such as suspension issues which can cause uneven tyre wear?

• Do you check the inflation level of the tyres frequently? Over or under inflation can cause blowouts or uneven wear respectively and is more likely to shorten the life of your tyres

• The make or brand of tyre and the price range

Every tyre starts life brand-new with a tyre tread depth of 8mm but make, range and cost are only one factor amongst many, which can dictate tyre longevity. A lot of it is down to how you drive and look after your vehicle.

The million-dollar question, do premium tyres last longer than budget, cheaper makes?

Most garages and tyre outlets will encourage you to buy the best tyre you can afford but aren’t they just trying to increase their sales? Well, perhaps not.

The money and investment the big name tyre companies pour into their tyre research, technology and manufacture are eye-watering – make no mistake about it, this is a very high value, complex multi-million pound business. Chemists and engineers work in-house to perfect the rubber compound working on tread patterns and the inside of the tyres which bind the whole thing together. Pirelli, Michelin and Goodyear have extensive, state of the art development centres with indoor testing tracks which can replicate all the driving conditions you can think of. These manufacturers also employ skilled and highly qualified drivers to test drive new tyres, so all this might make you think again if you baulk at the price for one of their new tyres.

Any of these tyre manufacturers will tell you that all this investment, research and technology is well worth the additional cost – pay a budget price and get a far more basic tyre which lacks any of this development infrastructure, rigorous testing and scientific input. High-quality tyres can save money on fuel and also save lives. Michelin spends £450 million every year developing materials, tread patterns and structures that focus on the twin drivers of safety and fuel efficiency, tested in a huge gamut of conditions and throughout the whole lifecycle of the tyre. This is what you are paying for when you pay top dollar for a new tyre.

Is there anything else relevant to tyre longevity when it comes to purchasing a new tyre?

It sounds obvious but make sure you are buying the correct size. This is an easy mistake to make particularly if you have just bought a used car and don’t know its history. There may even be tyres of the wrong size on the vehicle. The size of the tyre is written on the sidewall. Also, make sure you choose tyres which are appropriate for the type of driving you are doing as this can make a difference to wear and longevity.

Buying good quality tyres at a discounted rate

Most people would agree that, unless you get unlucky and have a puncture or a split, putting better quality tyres on your car is a good thing. The problem is that a new tyre is often required right at the wrong moment and frequently without warning. This is why so many motorists will opt for the cheapest deal they can find rather than pushing for a more high quality and expensive tyre which a budget just might not stretch to at that particular moment in time.

One of the best ways to put better quality tyres on your car is to take a more proactive approach to tyre maintenance and management of your vehicle and stay ahead of the curve. Everyone gets caught out from time to time with annoying punctures but a system of tyre checking and review will make it far easier and cheaper to keep better quality tyres on your car.

• Check your tyres weekly when you fill up with fuel, this will alert you to low tread or uneven tread or cracks, bulges or splits. Changing a tyre before you have a blow out or a puncture will allow you the time to shop around for price and hunt out good deals and discounts

• Try to get into the habit of changing your tyres before the tread becomes very low. UK motorists are notorious for driving around on low but legal tread. Sometimes it can actually save money if you change your tyres at around 3mm tread depth to coincide with an offer or promotion being run by your local tyre outfitter. Those prices might not be available when your tyres hit the legal limit of 1.6mm and you are forced to change them

• Keep an eye on pricing and when retailers are offering discounts on premium makes, change all the tyres on your car or just change a pair of tyres. It can seem counterintuitive to discard tyres which still have perfectly usable tread on them, but you could experience a far better drive and increased road safety and fuel economy if you put a better quality tyre on the car, at a time when there is a good offer on the price

Take your tyres more seriously

Virtually any tyre retailer or manufacturer will tell you that you should put the best quality tyres you can on your car – these are, after all, the only thing between you and the road. But there is a real resistance amongst motorists to do this partly because they just feel that many outlets are just talking up a sale. So, is their position just all about profit?

The road safety charity, TyreSafe, has a slightly interesting perspective on this debate. TyreSafe supports the purchase of budget tyres but this is as opposed to purchasing part-worn tyres which is legal in the UK and which TyreSafe are quite opposed to. TyreSafe states that a typical part-worn tyre will have around 3mm of tread depth whereas a new budget tyre, even a cheaper brand, will have 8mm of tread depth so the safety argument is a no brainer. So this is not quite the same thing as entering the debate over budget tyre versus high-end – TyreSafe is dealing with quite a different issue. Tyresafe maintains that part-worn tyres offer poor value for money and despite the plethora of UK regulations which surround their sale, are often sold in contravention of rather than compliance with current legislation and can be unsafe.

So which tyres last the longest and how can you choose the tyres with the best longevity for your car?

• Make sure you buy the right size of tyre

• Buy the best tyre you can afford even if it does mean planning ahead and discarding cheaper more worn tyres, but which still have perfectly usable tread in favour of a superior tyre which is available at a discounted rate

• Buy the same make of tyre your car was originally fitted with if you want to change this then look at independent tyre tests and seek out authentic and genuine unbiased reviews

• Take advantage of competitive online pricing and have your purchase fitted to your car by an independent and mobile tyre fitter

• Proactively caring for your car’s tyres with a regular programme of review and checking - this will help your tyres last longer however much you have spent on them

• Drive safely and sensibly