Every year, a staggering 400 million tyres are replaced prematurely, long before they reach the legal tread depth limit. However, a new EU regulation is set to revolutionize tyre safety, ensuring they remain reliable right down to 1.6mm.

Traditionally, the advice has been to replace tyres based on their age and condition, rather than letting them wear down to the minimum legal tread depth. But this advice might soon be outdated. The new EU rule mandates that worn tyres must meet the same wet braking standards as their brand-new counterparts.

Coming into effect this month, this regulation means that drivers can now be confident in their tyres' performance and safety even when the tread depth reaches 1.6mm. Michelin's study revealed that half of all tyres are discarded before their tread drops below 3mm. With the new rule, motorists can expect longer tyre life and fewer replacements.

In Europe, this could reduce the annual demand for new tyres by 128 million units, cutting CO2 emissions by 6.6 million tonnes. This equates to a saving of approximately €7 billion for European motorists each year.

Globally, Michelin estimates that 400 million tyres are prematurely discarded, resulting in an excess of 35 million tonnes of CO2 – equivalent to New York City's emissions over six months.

Currently, European authorities measure the stopping distance for vehicles with new tyres from 80km/h to 20km/h on a road with 1mm of surface water. The revised rules will ensure these standards are maintained throughout the tyre's lifespan, discouraging unnecessary replacements.

Whether these stringent performance standards will hike up the cost of new tyres remains uncertain. Another unknown is how the UK will adapt these regulations, but any tyres sold with EU labels will offer the longevity benefits, provided their four-digit date code confirms recent production.