A record-breaking 2.15 million vehicles failed their MOT in the UK last year due to defective tyres.

This has triggered urgent calls from road safety leaders and policing authorities for tougher regulations and proactive enforcement measures.

Testing times

According to newly released figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), 2,152,849 vehicles failed their MOT on tyre-related grounds in 2023–24.

This represents a significant rise from the 2 million failures recorded the previous year.

It is a continuing upward trend having grown from 1.83 million in 2019–20.

Even more concerning, over 750,000 of those vehicles had previously received tyre advisories—warnings issued at an earlier MOT highlighting emerging defects.

The data, analysed by compliance technology firm Verifleet, suggests a worrying pattern of drivers ignoring these safety alerts and continuing to operate potentially dangerous vehicles.

Pumped up

The findings have sparked a unified response from a coalition of leading road safety organisations—including the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), and the tyre safety charity TyreSafe.

All are calling for immediate reform to UK tyre safety laws, demanding that follow-up action be made mandatory within three months of a tyre advisory being issued.

Commander Kyle Gordon of the NPCC roads policing portfolio described the figures as “truly shocking,” warning that defective tyres are not just a matter of legal compliance but a critical safety issue.

“Defective tyres can turn even the most careful and competent driver into a killer,” Gordon said.

“With an average of five road deaths and 80 serious injuries every day on UK roads, the responsibility lies with every road user to ensure their vehicle is roadworthy.”

Getting a grip

Tyres are a vehicle’s only contact with the road surface, and even minor wear or underinflation can compromise braking distances, grip, and overall stability—especially in wet conditions or emergency situations.

According to Department for Transport (DfT) data, defective tyres directly contribute to more than 150 reported road casualties annually, including several fatalities.

Despite this, tyre safety is formally assessed only once a year during the MOT, with no mandatory checks or follow-up system in place.

When a driver receives an advisory notice—such as low tread or uneven wear—there is no legal obligation to take action unless the tyre deteriorates further to below legal limits.

Rubber revolution

Richard Stowe, director of Verifleet, argues that this hands-off approach is outdated and dangerous.

“If we received a health warning from our GP, we’d expect a follow-up or reminder,” he said.

“Why are we so relaxed when it comes to tyres, when the consequences can be fatal? We have the technology to issue reminders, and we should be using it.”

Verifleet and its partners are advocating for a digital alert system that would prompt drivers to replace tyres flagged in advisories and require proof of replacement where necessary.

Safe systems

Jamie Hassall, Executive Director at PACTS, supports adopting a “Safe System” approach, where design, enforcement, and user behaviour are aligned to reduce harm.

“Given the number of MOT failures linked to a critical safety component, the current system is clearly not working,” Hassall said.

“The government could even fund wider road safety projects using revenue from fines—up to £2,500 per tyre, or £5,000 for commercial vehicles.”

If even a fraction of drivers faced enforcement for unsafe tyres, the Treasury could recoup billions, he noted.

Time to act

Stuart Lovatt, Chair of TyreSafe, said the growing number of MOT tyre failures—and the large share linked to previously ignored warnings—paints “a deeply worrying picture” of UK road safety.

“This is not a minor maintenance issue,” Lovatt said. “It’s a legal and moral responsibility. Tyres are the only point of contact between the vehicle and the road. Ignoring advisories or failing to check your tyres regularly could cost lives.”

The coalition of experts and road safety professionals is now urging the Department for Transport to review tyre safety policy, implement follow-up obligations on advisories, and raise public awareness of the risks.

As Gordon of the NPCC put it: “It’s time to treat tyre safety not as an afterthought, but as a central part of protecting lives on our roads.”