When should you replace your tyres? Tread depth, age and damage

In the Netherlands a car tyre needs at least 1.6 mm of tread in the main grooves, all the way round the tyre. The rule is in article 5.2.27 of the Regeling voertuigen (the Dutch vehicle regulations), which the RDW, the Dutch vehicle authority, works out in its APK handbook. At the APK (MOT), the compulsory periodic vehicle inspection in the Netherlands, less than 1.6 mm is a fail. At 1.6 to 2.5 mm the inspector notes an advisory point on the report. How the inspector measures and what else is checked is explained in our article on tyre tread depth and the APK.

The legal limit is a lower limit, not advice. A tyre with little tread clears less water. On a wet road the braking distance gets longer and the car aquaplanes sooner. That is why the ANWB uses higher limits: if the tread depth of a summer tyre is 2 mm or less, the ANWB says it is high time to arrange replacement. For winter tyres the ANWB advises thinking about replacement when the tread is down to around 4 mm, because a winter tyre gets its grip in snow from its deep grooves. We advise not waiting until the legal limit.

Tread depth limits for car tyres in the Netherlands. Sources: RDW APK handbook and ANWB, consulted 6 November 2026.

You measure tread depth with a tread depth gauge in the main grooves, at several points on each tyre. A gauge costs a few euros and often comes with a tyre pressure gauge. If you do not have one, the ANWB coin test gives a good indication. This is how you do it:

1. Park the car on level ground and turn the steering wheel a little, so that you can reach the tread of the front tyres.
2. Put the gauge in a main groove and read off the depth. The main grooves are the wide grooves that run all the way round the tyre.
3. Measure on the left, in the middle and on the right of the tread. A big difference points to the wrong tyre pressure or an alignment that is out.
4. Repeat this on all four tyres. Front and rear tyres wear at different rates.
5. Coin test: put a 1 euro coin (summer tyre) or a 2 euro coin (winter tyre) in the groove. If part of the outer rim of the coin shows above the groove, the ANWB says it is time to replace the tyre.
6. Look at the tread wear indicators. In the grooves there are small raised blocks of rubber (TWI, tread wear indicator). When the tread is level with those blocks, the tyre is at the legal limit.

If you are not sure what you are seeing, have the tyres checked at our garage. Call us with your registration number and we tell you the price and when we can do it. A mechanic measures the tread on all four tyres with a calibrated gauge and tells you what he finds. It takes a few minutes.

According to the ANWB, a car tyre is due for replacement after 8 to 10 years because of ageing, even if it still has plenty of tread. Tyre manufacturer Continental advises replacing tyres older than 10 years. Rubber dries out and hardens. The tyre then holds less grip, especially on a wet road, and develops small cracks in the sidewall and between the tread blocks. There is no legal maximum age: the APK has no requirement on age, only on tread and damage.

Winter tyres have a shorter life. As a rule of thumb, the ANWB advises not using winter tyres older than 6 years. The soft winter compound hardens sooner and then loses the very property you bought the tyre for: grip in the cold and in snow.

You read the age from the DOT code on the sidewall. That is a string of letters and numbers that starts with DOT. The last four digits give the week and year of production. If it says 4521, for example, the tyre was made in week 45 of 2021. If you cannot find the code, look on the inner side of the tyre, because manufacturers often put the full code on one side only. A code with three digits at the end dates from before 2000. Replace a tyre like that straight away.

Age advice for car tyres. Sources: ANWB and Continental, consulted 6 November 2026.

A bulge in the sidewall, visible cords or a cut down to the cords means replacing the tyre straight away, whatever the tread depth. With this kind of damage the structure of the tyre is broken and it can blow out without warning, usually at speed or in a bend. These are the types of damage we see in the workshop and what they mean:

How the mechanic checks this: he turns the wheel on the lift and looks and feels all the way round both sidewalls and the tread. That is how he also finds a bulge on the inner side of the tyre, which you cannot see from the outside.

Uneven wear tells you why a tyre has worn out sooner than expected. If you replace the tyre without removing the cause, the new tyre wears in the same way. Tyre manufacturer Michelin describes the patterns like this:

Wear patterns and their causes according to Michelin, consulted 6 November 2026.

If one of our mechanics sees a pattern like this, he tells you before you choose new tyres. We only advise wheel alignment when there is a reason for it, such as this kind of wear or a car that pulls to one side. Read more in wheel alignment after new tyres: when you need it and when you do not.

As a rough average the ANWB mentions 40,000 kilometres, but the spread is wide. In the ANWB winter tyre test of September 2025, a cheap tyre lasted 34,000 kilometres and a premium tyre up to 75,000 kilometres. Driving style, tyre pressure, the weight of the car and the type of road decide the rest. According to Michelin, a heavy electric car with a lot of torque wears its tyres up to 20 percent faster. Read more in tyres for an electric car.

So do not go by the mileage, but by the tyre itself. Check the tread every few months and at every seasonal change, and the tyre pressure every month. A tyre at the right pressure wears evenly and lasts longest.

The best option is to replace all four tyres at the same time, with the same type and brand. If that is not possible, replace them per axle, because Dutch law requires the tyres on one axle to have the same size marking. If you replace two tyres, Michelin advises fitting the new tyres on the rear axle, even on a front-wheel-drive car. Tyres with more tread at the rear keep the back of the car stable on a wet road. If the best tyres are at the front, the rear can break away sooner when you brake in a bend.

So if your front tyres are worn, we move the good rear tyres to the front and fit the new tyres at the rear. That is little extra work during fitting. We balance the wheels at every fitting. The ANWB advises retightening the wheel bolts after about 100 kilometres.

When choosing new tyres, check the right size, the load index and the speed rating. How to read them is explained in our article tyre size explained.

At every service, APK and tyre change we check the tread, age and pressure of all four tyres. The mechanic measures the tread at three points per tyre, reads the DOT code, looks for damage and wear patterns and notes it all on the job sheet. If a tyre is due for replacement, we tell you, with the measurements. You decide whether and when to replace it. If a tyre is between 1.6 and 2.5 mm, we tell you that too, so that you do not have to come back before the next APK.

If you choose new tyres, we look up the sizes approved for your car using your registration number (in Dutch: kenteken) and let you choose between a budget tyre, a mid-range tyre and a premium tyre. We tell you which one suits your mileage and your car. In its all-season tyre test of June 2026, the ANWB found that one of the most expensive tyres in the test came out with the lowest cost per kilometre. Cheap to buy is not the same as cheap to run. Everything about how we work, including for electric cars, vans and motorhomes up to 3,500 kg, is on the page tyre replacement in Rotterdam.

Yes. By law you may drive until the tread in the main grooves is down to 1.6 mm. At 2 mm or less on a summer tyre, the ANWB says it is high time to arrange replacement. At the APK you get an advisory point on the report at 1.6 to 2.5 mm.

No. Dutch law and the APK set no requirement on the age of a tyre, only on tread and damage. The ANWB advises replacement after 8 to 10 years, and for winter tyres after 6 years as a rule of thumb. Continental advises replacing tyres older than 10 years.

No. The legal minimum of 1.6 mm applies to every car tyre in the Netherlands. The ANWB does advise thinking about new winter tyres at around 4 mm, because below that a winter tyre loses much of its grip in snow.

No. It is the best option for road holding. If you replace two, do it per axle and fit the new tyres at the rear, as Michelin advises. The tyres on one axle must have the same size marking.

Yes, as long as the new tyre has the same size as the tyre next to it on the same axle. A big difference in tread depth on one axle is something you notice in the handling. If the other tyre is already well worn, replacing per axle is the wiser choice.

Yes. The law only requires the same size marking on one axle, not the same brand. We do advise the same type and brand per axle, because different tyres brake and steer differently on a wet road.

According to the ANWB, a new car tyre has around 6.5 to 8.0 mm of tread. A winter tyre is usually at the top of that range. So you use about 5 to 6 mm before the tyre reaches the legal limit.

Yes, but please call +31 10 479 00 00 with your registration number first and we tell you the price and when we can do it. We are open Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 17.30 and on Saturday from 9.00 to 15.00. A mechanic then measures the tread, looks at the age and checks the tyre pressure.

• RDW: APK-handboek personenauto’s: Banden, article 5.2.27 Regeling voertuigen (in Dutch)
• ANWB: Banden vervangen: wanneer is het tijd? (in Dutch)
• ANWB: Profieldiepte banden controleren, the coin test (in Dutch)
• ANWB: Winterbanden kopen, the 6-year rule of thumb (in Dutch)
• Continental: Tire age: how old is too old?
• Michelin: Mixing tires: new tires on the rear axle