Saffron Walden · 50 miles · 24/7
Part worn tyres, fitted properly
Part worns get a bad name, and plenty of them earn it, because a lot of what gets sold is illegal. Sold properly, they’re a sensible answer for a car with a year left in it. Here’s the difference.
5.0 from 66 Google reviews from real customers across 50 miles of Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Suffolk
This guy literally saved my life. My wheel went close to Duxford and they came within 30 minutes on a Sunday around 6pm and fixed it on the spot for a very good price. Like, who does that? Thanks to them I didn’t have to pay a fortune for a recovery.
What an amazing service — really fast, efficient and friendly. Puncture sorted in under an hour after my first message. Highly recommended local business.
Called up and he was here within the hour. Two tyres done on the drive. Top bloke and amazing service.
Great service — got a puncture and he was able to fit a premium tyre for my car the same day.
No trouble too small. Came out as soon as possible and fitted in the dark. Great service.
His prices were fair, and the quality of service was excellent.
Saved the day, in all honesty, and really good professional service.
He’s an absolute credit to himself and his family.
What makes a part worn tyre legal
The rules are specific. A part worn tyre offered for sale in the UK must have at least 2mm of tread depth across the whole tread, no cord or ply exposed, no lumps, bulges or unrepaired penetrations, and the original speed and load markings still legible. It must also be permanently and legibly marked “PART WORN” in letters at least 4mm high.
Trading Standards surveys have repeatedly found that a large share of part worns on sale fail at least one of those tests. Every tyre we sell is inspected against them and marked, and if it doesn’t pass it doesn’t go on your car.
When a part worn is the right call, and when it’s not
The right call: a car near the end of its life, an MOT to get through, a low-mileage second car, a trailer, or a temporary fix while you save for a full set. Paying £160 a corner for a car worth £900 makes no sense and we’ll not pretend otherwise.
The wrong call: high mileage, motorway commuting, anything heavy or fast, or a car you plan to keep. A part worn with 4mm left gives you perhaps a third of the life of a new tyre, so the cost per mile is often worse. And you can’t know how it was treated before: whether it was run underinflated, kerbed hard or stored badly in the sun.
We would rather tell you that honestly and sell you a mid-range new tyre than take the quick sale.
What we check before one goes on your car
Tread depth across the full width, not just at one point. Inside and outside of the carcass for chafing that shows it has been run flat. Sidewalls for cracking, bulges and kerb damage. Previous repairs, and whether they were done to BS AU 159. The date code, because an old tyre with lots of tread is still an old tyre. Bead condition, since that’s what seals it to the rim.
Then it’s fitted, balanced and torqued exactly like a new one. The fitting standard doesn’t drop just because the tyre is second-hand.
Where we do this
Saffron Walden and 50 miles around it, covering Cambridge, Bishop's Stortford, Haverhill, Great Dunmow, Stansted, Royston, Harlow, Braintree, Newmarket, Chelmsford and every village between them. See the full coverage area.
Straight answers
Part worn tyres, fitted properly: your questions
Are part worn tyres legal in the UK?
Yes, provided they meet the rules. A legal part worn tyre must have at least 2mm of tread, no exposed cord, no unrepaired damage, and must be permanently marked “PART WORN” in letters at least 4mm high. Saffron Walden Tyres 24/7 inspects and marks every part worn tyre it sells. They are a sensible option on a car nearing the end of its life, and a poor one on a car doing motorway miles.
What is the legal tyre tread depth in the UK?
The legal minimum in the UK is 1.6mm, measured across the central three-quarters of the tread and around the whole circumference of the tyre. Below that you face a fine of up to £2,500 and three penalty points per tyre, so a car with four illegal tyres is a £10,000 offence and a licence gone. A 20p coin is the quick check: if the outer band of the coin is visible in the groove, the tyre needs looking at.
Do you balance the wheel after fitting a tyre?
Yes, every time, and it’s included in the price. The van carries a wheel balancer, so the wheel is balanced properly on site rather than refitted and left to vibrate. An unbalanced wheel causes a shake through the steering at 50 to 70mph, wears the tyre unevenly and puts load through the suspension. If you already have a vibration, wheel balancing on its own starts at £15 per wheel.
How much does mobile tyre fitting cost in Saffron Walden?
A puncture repair starts at £35, and a new tyre supplied and fitted starts at £75, depending on the size and brand you go for. Saffron Walden Tyres 24/7 adds no separate call-out fee anywhere inside its 50-mile area. You get the full price on the phone before the van leaves, and that’s what you pay when the job is done.
Open right now
Flat tyre? Let’s get you moving.
One call, one price, and a van on its way. Any hour, any day, anywhere inside 50 miles of Saffron Walden.
No call-out fee · Price agreed before we set off · Card payment at the vehicle