Your car tyres should always be in the best condition to ensure you can drive safely in all types of weather. Whilst your car insurance can protect you against loss or damage to your car, it may not cover the cost of damage to your tyres.

Car insurance usually doesn’t cover damage to your tyres caused by braking, punctures, cuts or bursts. This means that the general wear and tear of tyres cannot be claimed for on your insurance and you can’t make a claim if the tyre is punctured, cut or bursts. Since tyres are not usually covered on your car insurance, it is essential that you keep them in good condition.

Tyres provide traction and friction on the road, which prevents your car from slipping or losing control whilst driving. The surface of the tyre is covered in a pattern or ‘tread’ to increase the surface area and increase the traction between your car wheels and the road. If you’re driving in wet or icy conditions this increased traction could be vital when it comes to controlling the car.

A new tyre has a tread of 8mm depth and you should change your car tyres when the tread is worn to below 2mm, or when you notice damage to the tyre surface. If you suffer a flat tyre, your car tyre will also need replacing if it can’t be repaired. By law, car tyres must have a tread of at least 1.6mm depth across three quarters of the tread width, around the full circumference of the tyre. If you take your car for an MOT, for example and the tread is less than this, your car will fail its MOT. In fact, according to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, defective tyres and wheels was the reason for a fifth of all MOT failures in 2007.

You can check your tyres are in good condition by regularly looking them over. Just walk around the car and look at the surface of the tyres. You can check that there are no sharp objects in the tyre itself and also measure the tread to ensure it’s not worn down by overuse. You’ll only need to look at your tyres once a month or so before you begin to notice small changes in how your tyres look. You can then take action to protect your tyres just as your car insurance protects the rest of your car.

About John Lewis Insurance:

Since Greenbee launched four years ago, we’ve provided insurance with the same high standards of service and value for money that you’d expect from John Lewis, so we’ve decided to change our name to John Lewis Insurance. As we evolve, we’ll continue to offer our customers exceptional products and service.

We believe that everything we do should be straightforward, great value and come with an extra level of service that’s always reassuring. Which is why our Home Insurance includes accidental damage as standard. And faithful friends will be pleased to know that our Pet Insurance includes older dogs.

We all know that it makes a lot of sense to buy the important things from someone you trust. In fact, you’ll find that all the products and services offered from John Lewis Insurance are exactly what you would expect from the John Lewis Partnership.

Author Bio: John Lewis Insurance offers a range of insurance services selected by the John Lewis Partnership. These include home, life, travel, wedding, event, pet and car cover products.

Category: Automotive
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