DVSA issues “part worns: what operators need to know” advice

On 7 December 2022, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) published an information article entitled: “part worns: what operators need to know”. The obvious suggestion ‘don’t buy them’ aside, what advice is the DVSA offering when it comes to part worn tyres?

Further illustrating DVSA’s emphasis on the enforcement of existing regulation as opposed to educating the public away from part-worns, the article begins by defining part-worns like this: “Part-worn tyres are in use every day. If you buy a second-hand vehicle and do not replace the tyres with a new set immediately you are, in effect, buying part-worn tyres.” But, of course, any tyre that changes hands part-way through its wear-life is a part worn.

Citing Tyre Industry Federation estimates, the article continues: “around 5 million, or 10 per cent of all tyres purchased in the UK are in the part-worn category,” emphasising that “New tyres are manufactured to a very high standard and are designed to be safe down to the legal tread limit” and adding:

“Tyres removed from vehicles and re-sold with minimal tread wear are not immediately unsafe.”

‘Serious risks’ associated with part worns

While the DVSA document concedes that “there could be serious risks” with part worns, it also qualifies its words by linking those risks with a potential “underlying issue”.

From here, the focus shifts to regulation: “If you buy part-worn tyres, you should expect that they have been properly inspected and tested before sale.”

And that’s where, as we reported in November’s magazine, the role of DVSA’s Market Surveillance Unit (MSU) comes in. The MSU considers vehicles, products and components in the UK automotive sector to monitor compliance with the relevant regulations including environmental and safety standards.

Here’s what DVSA say operators should look out for when assessing part worn tyres:

• That the structural integrity isn’t compromised. They should be free of cuts longer than 25 millimetres or 10 per cent of the section width of the tyre (whichever is the greater), measured in any direction, on the outside of the tyre and not be deep enough to reach the ply or cord.
• That the original grooves are clearly visible in their entirety and must be to a depth of at least 2mm across the full breadth of the tread and around the entire circumference.
• That there are no lumps or bulges either internally or externally caused by the separation or partial failure of its structure.
• None of the ply or cord should be exposed internally or externally.
• Tyres must also have passed an inflation test before sale. When inflated to the highest pressure at which it is designed to operate, the tyre must not exhibit any of the external defects any penetration damage has been repaired to British Standard BS AU 159.
• All part-worn tyres which have not been re-treaded must clearly show the relevant ‘E’ mark, with “PART-WORN” in uppercase letters at least 4mm high permanently and legibly applied to the tyre.

Joint work with Trading Standards and Environmental Health

In order to enforce the above rules, DVSA carries out joint operations with Trading Standards in Great Britain and the Environmental Health Service in Northern Ireland. These focused on the supply of tyres at point of sale. MSU also investigates the sale of part-worn tyres purchased from online retailers.

Here’s what they found:

• All the part-worn tyres bought during investigations have complied with the minimum tread depth requirement with 96 per cent having a tread depth exceeding 4mm.

However, not everything was so rosey:

85 per cent were not correctly marked and were therefore non-compliant. And 11 per cent of tyres bought during the exercises were more than 10 years old. Other concerning examples include:

• a cut in the primary tread area, deep enough to expose the metal cords
• an incorrectly fitted tyre – outside sidewall of tyre fitted to inside of wheel rim
• an abnormal bulge in one of the side walls
• a repair in a permitted area with a “string” type plug – this type of repair does not conform to British Standard (BS AU standards) as it does not form a permanent seal and may not be secure
• And, in one case, three hard objects penetrating the tyre

These realisations resulted in the following conclusions:

“If we continue to be able to buy unsafe tyres or there are continued breaches of the marking regulations, we will investigat[e] thoroughly and take action against the businesses concerned.

“We want to reassure operators that we are monitoring the sale of part worn tyres to help keep vehicles on our roads safe and compliant.

“Tyres bought should meet the legal requirements and MSU will continue to monitor suppliers to ensure they meet rules and regulations.

“….If you believe a manufacturer or supplier is illegally supplying part-worn tyres you should contact your local Trading Standards office.”