Maintaining and replacing your lease car tyres

When you lease a car, it’s your responsibility to maintain and replace the tyres of the lease car.
Tyres help you move forward safely, steer, and brake your car, while absorbing any road bumps and shocks to provide you with a smooth ride so it’s important to keep them in a good condition If your tyres’ tread depth reduces, if you have uneven tyres, or if the tyres get damaged or punctured, you should get the tyres replaced immediately to drive your car safely. Remember, with leasing, you have to look after, maintain and service the car and its tyres while you’re in possession & still responsible for the vehicle. If the lease car’s tyre gets damages, punctured or worn-out, it’s your responsibility to get it repaired or replaced.

Before you return the lease car, you should check the condition of the tyres to check whether they need to be replaced.
When you return the lease car, it goes through a fair wear and tear inspection which includes assessing the state of the tyres (including spare). If the wheel trims and spokes are damaged, you could be charged for it. And If the tyres are below the legal minimum when a funder comes to collect the vehicle at end of contract, they can refuse to collect the leased car and you'll be charged the aborted collection fee. Please note: It's illegal to drive when your car's tyres are below the required legal tread - you can get fined if you're stopped and it can also invalidate your insurance. So before you return the lease car, you should inspect the car thoroughly - including the tyres and the trims to ensure that they’re in an acceptable condition. If the tyres or the trims have sustained any damage, you should get them replaced to avoid any charges. Here’s what’s considered fair wear and tear on a lease car.

Your lease provider may have a policy about which type of tyres they should be – some may require you to have premium tyres fitted, so it’s best to check the provider’s policy first. But most lease providers should allow you to put different brand tyres on the lease car, provided they fit and are suitable for the car.
Driving with part-worn tyres can be dangerous and isn’t advised so usually lease providers will require you to put new tyres on the leased car.

Tyres are usually included in a maintenance package when you lease a car. If you have a maintenance package included in the cost of your lease deal, make sure you check with the lease provider first to avoid paying extra for tyre replacements.
Some providers include unlimited tyre replacements and mobile tyre fitting so it’s always worth checking the maintenance package’s policy. However, if the tyres are damaged because of a driver error or vandalism, the tyres won’t be covered under the maintenance package. Learn more about maintenance packages.

Tyres are usually not covered under manufacturer’s warranty as the warranty cover includes mechanical or electrical faults in the car.
Any normal wear or accidental damage are factors outside the manufacturer's control, so the manufacturer’s warranty will not cover any costs for replacing tyres. The only scenario which could cover tyres under warranty are if there’s a manufacturing fault in the tyres. In such a case, you should get an internal inspection from the centre you bought the tyres.

It’ll depend on the level of cover you’ve got. While basic car insurance may not cover tyres, if you’ve opted for a tyre and alloy insurance, you can use it to cover some of the costs of replacing the tyres and trims.
Most tyre and alloy insurance cover punctures, malicious damages like stolen or damaged tyres, and fixes like rebalancing and replacing the tyre valves, but you should refer to your insurance policy to know exactly what’s covered. Learn more about tyre and alloy insurance.

Winter tyres aren't covered in any the lease or maintenance contract. You can fit winter tyres on a lease car at your own cost provided the tyres meet the spec, size, load rating, speed rating and legal tread depth.
Learn more about tyre sizes.

Before you venture out in your lease car, there are a few laws around tyres in the Road Traffic Act 1988 that you should keep in mind:
1. Tyres must be correctly inflated to the vehicle manufacturer’s specification for the load being carried. The Highway Code suggests referring to the manufacturer’s handbook of the vehicle to check the right specs 2. Tyres should also be free from certain cuts and other defects 3. Your car should have a tread depth of at least 1.6 mm 4. Tyres over 10 years old must not be used on the front axles if you have more than eight passenger seats in your car 5. The date of tyre manufacture marking must always be legible

Now that you know how to replace tyres on your leased car, head to our full guide on tyre sizes.
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