If you have a seldom used vehicle or do low annual mileage, you may find that replacing your tyres due to wear isn’t often a concern. However, it’s worth noting that tyre rubber degrades over time. If you do less than 8000 miles per year your tyres could become unsafe from age before they wear out. Signs to look out for are cracking on the tyres surface and distortion of the tread and tyre carcass. Lack of use can exacerbate the ageing process, as can exposure in coastal areas. Tyres on caravans and trailers often suffer from such ageing as they get very little wear throughout the year.
Degraded tyres are at a higher risk of tyre failure so it’s a serious issue. Reports suggest that tyres that have been used should be replaced after 10 years regardless of tread wear. This falls to 6 years for tyres kept unused in storage. You can find the age of the tyre recorded on the sidewall. Look for the DOT code, the last 4 digits give the week and year of manufacture. (e.g. DOT XXXXXX0212 would signify the second week of 2012)