Tyre pressure: how to find and check yours

Where to find your tyre pressure

• A sticker on the driver's door pillar (open the door and look at the frame).
• Inside the fuel filler flap.
• In the owner's handbook, under wheels and tyres.

The figures depend on the tyre size and the load, so the sticker often has a table. Do not use the "max pressure" moulded on the tyre sidewall. That is the tyre's limit, not the right pressure for your car.

Common pressures in psi and bar

For any other value, use the psi to bar converter or the bar to psi converter.

How to check and inflate your tyres

1. Check them cold, before you drive or after the car has stood for a few hours. Warm tyres read higher.
2. Remove the valve cap and press a gauge firmly onto the valve.
3. Compare the reading with your car's figure, and add or release air.
4. Check all four tyres, and the spare if you have one.
5. Replace the valve caps. They keep dirt out of the valve.

Forecourt air machines are convenient but their gauges are not always accurate. A cheap digital gauge of your own gives more consistent readings.

Why the right pressure matters

• Safety: under-inflated tyres grip and brake less well, and can overheat and fail at speed.
• Wear: low pressure wears the shoulders, and high pressure wears the centre, shortening the tyre's life.
• Fuel: under-inflated tyres increase rolling resistance and fuel use.

Tyre pressure warning lights

Cars sold new since November 2014 have a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS). If the warning light comes on, check and correct the pressures. On many cars you must then reset the system. A TPMS warning light that stays on is an MOT fail. See our MOT checklist and the guide to legal tread depth.

Sources

• The Highway Code, annex 6: vehicle maintenance
• GOV.UK: MOT inspection manual, tyres and TPMS

Checked against official sources on 15 October 2026. Rules and prices change, so confirm anything important on GOV.UK. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.