How to check your tyre pressure
There are some very simple steps you can follow when learning how to check your tyre pressure and most petrol stations have the tools you need.
Before you go anywhere near your tyre, you’re going to need to know what pressure it’s supposed to be at. You can find this out very easily online, or by checking in the user manual.
These pressure readings will be given for cold tyres, so be aware if you’ve been driving a while your readings may be a little different as pressure naturally increases as your tyres heat up.
Unless you’ve got your own pressure gauge, you’re going to need to head to your nearest fuelling station to do check the pressure in your tyres, then simply follow these steps:
- Pull up next to their tyre servicing system.
- Take off the dust caps so you’ll be free to attach the air hose once you've turned it on. Make sure to keep them safe, they’re small and can easily get lost.
- Head to the air pressure machine, type in the correct pressure for your tyres and feed it your coins. Most machines won’t charge more than around 50p for air. If the tires you’re checking need different pressures, you can easily change the setting on the machine later.
- Go round each tyre and attach the air hose to the valve. The hose will take a reading of the tyre pressure and get to work.
- Once its reached the pressure you’ve specified, you’ll hear a noise telling you it’s done and you can move on to the next tire.
- When all four have the correct pressure, you can put the air hose back and replace the dust covers on to the tyre valves. The caps don’t actually keep the air in the tyres, that’s the valve’s job; the caps simply help keep the valve free of dirt and moisture.
Now you know how to check your tyre pressure. For more basic vehicle maintenance tips, take a look at our advice for checking oil pressure and water levels.