Drivers with certain tyres warned they will need to drive '3mph slower'

Drivers and motorists have been warned over a major safety gap found in tyres with durability concerns. Cheaper tyres have been flagged as performing worse in wet conditions amid the unpredictable British weather, as spring continues.

Drivers have been warned of a “significant” safety gap found between premium, mid-range and budget tyres on vehicles. The safety concern was raised following independent tests commissioned by Point S which examined the tyre types across a range of safety criterias.

On the wet braking test, mid-range tyres took on average 7.65ft extra braking distance to completely stop from a speed of 49.7mph. Budget tyres required an extra stopping distance of 14.67ft and mid-range tyres required a 1.86mph reduction in speed.

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Budget tyres however, needed 3.11mph speed reductions. Fabien Bouquet, international CEO at Point S, said: “In today’s challenging economic climate, where inflation is causing price rises, it is natural that drivers are more cost-conscious when it comes to maintaining their vehicles.

“We are increasingly asked by our end customers to justify the price differences between tyre ranges, so we commissioned these tests with TÜV SÜD Product Service to get a truly independent and objective view on this issue.”

Bouquet added that testing confirmed premium tyres as “categorically” performing better across all safety-critical test criteria. Responding to the warning, a driver wrote: "I think it's the same with well known brands, Some would perform better than others.

"Something I would be interested in is to see test results of the ageing effect on tyres, Some cars that do low mileage might still have the same tyres on for 8 years or more and it would be good to see how this effects their performance as the rubber hardens with age."

"One of the main causes of tyre degradation is the Ozone in the atmosphere, and sunlight. Modern tyres have additives in the rubber mix to reduce this effect (usually indicated by marbling of the sidewalls. But I would not risk using a tyre after it was 5 or 6 years old, regardless of low mileage," another typed.