Replacing Tyres on a Lease Car

When you lease a car, the condition of the tyres is assessed when the vehicle is returned at the end of the contract. The inspector will assess the condition, wear level and brand of tyre fitted to the vehicle, in accordance with the BVRLA Fair Wear and Tear guide.

However, it's not only at the end of the contract that tyre maintenance is important, but throughout the whole duration of the lease, as driving with tyres below the legal limit or damaged tyres is not only dangerous but illegal. 

If tyres show signs of damage or wear and tear, before the end of the lease it is your responsibility to maintain them and, if required, replace them to make sure they are roadworthy and safe.

If the vehicle is not covered by a maintenance package or a Fuel&Go policy, the cost of replacing tyres is down to you. However, you will also have to cover the costs if tyre failure is down to driver error, theft or vandalism.

A lease car can be returned with different tyres. We understand that as failures and unrepairable punctures do happen, the tyres on the car might need to be replaced to make sure that they are always legal. 

However, when a leased car is returned, the car needs to have premium brand tyres. They don’t need to be the same ones that were on it originally, but they do have to be premium. 

If you want to put ‘cheaper’ tyres on the during the contract, you can, but when it's given back, they have to be replaced with premium tyres.

Tyres wear in use and that is completely normal. However excessive wear or a small accident may result in tyres becoming damaged or worn more than they usually would, and thus may need replacing sooner than you would normally. Here are some things to look out for when inspecting your tyres.

General Wear

New tyres are supplied with an excess of 8mm of tread and as the vehicle is used, heat and friction wear the tread down. Within the pattern of the tread, you’ll see wear indicators or bars across the tyre. When the tread is level to these indicators or bars, they are at the legal limit of 1.75mm and need to be changed.

It's advisable to change the tyres before they get this low, as wear becomes accelerated if the tread gets below 3mm of wear. This is due to the build-up of heat/friction due to decreased grip from smaller tread blocks. 

Camber

There are two types of camber, positive and negative. One is acceptable and one is not.

Negative Camber (Acceptable)

This is where the inside of the tyre is worn smooth, and on some vehicles, the wheel is set up by the manufacturer to promote better handling and stability mid-corner. This is done by having the top of the front wheels tilted inwards, allowing the tyre to have a bigger contact patch whilst cornering. 

Positive Camber (Unacceptable)

You’ll see the outer edge of the tyre is worn and smooth. Looking at the wheel within the arch straight on the top of the tyre further out than the bottom. No car will be set up like this and so it will be due to a failure of some sort, you may even see where the tyre has made contact with the arch. 

Alignment / Tracking

The tread pattern on the tyre will wear rapidly in certain areas of the tyre, with a feathering to the tread blocks instead of wearing smooth like camber wear. This feathering wear is caused by the front wheels pointing in opposite directions and being ‘pushed’ down the road.

Sidewall Failures

Damage to the sidewall of a tyre is important to notice and get the tyre replaced as soon as possible, as failure to the sidewall can result in a blowout at high speed.

Cuts

Any cuts in the sidewall that are longer than 25mm, and any cuts that expose the ply or cord, have to be changed by UK law as they are illegal. 

Impact Damage

Heavier impacts can cause the sidewall of the tyre to fail and bulge. This will ultimately lead to the tyre failing and causing a blowout. 

Wrongly Inflated

Tyres need to be inflated to the correct pressures. You can normally find the correct pressure for your car’s tyres on the inside of the door or fuel filter flap. It’ll also be documented in the manual. Take note of the loading weights and passenger numbers, as they can change. Measurements will be normally given in PSI (Pounds Square Inch) and Bar. 

Under Inflated 

When the tyre is under-inflated the edges will take all the vehicle load. This causes them to wear quicker than the middle.

Over Inflated

When the tyre is over-inflated, the middle of the tyre will wear quicker than the edges.

Heavy Braking Wear

Coming to an emergency stop can wear the tyre especially if the wheel locks up and skids. With the addition of ABS systems on vehicles, this is a rarer type of failure now. 

The guides section of the website covers all aspects of lease car ownership from the early days of what vehicle to choose and is right for you, to more in-depth guides on lease car care, and the popular topics around leasing. 

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.