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uk Transport & mobility emergencies

What to do if…
your tyre is losing air slowly and you need to find help

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy UK guide

Short answer

Treat the tyre as unreliable until it has been checked. Get to a safe place, inflate it only to the vehicle’s recommended pressure if that is safe to do, and use the nearest tyre help or breakdown help rather than carrying on normally.

Do not do these things

  • Don’t keep driving at normal speeds if the car feels unstable, pulls to one side, vibrates, makes tyre noise, or the tyre looks visibly low.
  • Don’t use the pressure written on the tyre sidewall as the target pressure; use the vehicle’s recommended pressure from the door frame, fuel flap, or handbook.
  • Don’t pull out a nail, screw, or piece of glass from the tyre.
  • Don’t use a puncture-sealant kit as a permanent fix, and tell the tyre fitter if sealant has been used.
  • Don’t inspect or work on the traffic-side of the car at the roadside.
  • Don’t attempt a tyre repair on a motorway hard shoulder or beside fast-moving traffic.
  • Don’t keep repeatedly reinflating the tyre and starting long trips; a slow leak can get worse.

What to do now

  1. Create a safe pause first.
    If you are driving, ease off smoothly and aim for the nearest safe place, such as a service area, petrol station, car park, lay-by, or the next exit if you are on a motorway.
    • If you are stopped in a live lane on a motorway: keep your seatbelt on, switch hazard lights on, stay in the vehicle, call 999, and ask for the police.
    • If you can stop in an emergency area, lay-by, hard shoulder, or off the carriageway: switch hazards on. If it is safe, exit on the side furthest from traffic and wait well away from the vehicle, behind a barrier where there is one. Use the emergency telephone where provided.
  2. Check how urgent it looks.
    From a safe position, look for a tyre that is visibly sagging, a sidewall bulge, shredding, a cut, a damaged rim, or an obvious nail or screw. If the tyre looks very low, damaged, or unsafe, do not drive it further; move to step 5.
  3. Inflate only if it is safe and only to the vehicle pressure.
    Use a petrol station air pump or your own inflator if you can do this away from traffic. Set the pressure from the vehicle placard, fuel flap, or handbook. If the tyre will not inflate, looks low again quickly, or the tyre pressure warning returns quickly, stop and do not continue driving.
  4. Make only a short, cautious trip to tyre help if the tyre stays inflated.
    Choose the closest suitable tyre shop, garage, or mobile tyre fitter. Avoid motorways and fast roads where possible. Stop again if the car pulls, vibrates, makes tyre noise, feels unstable, or the warning light comes back.
  5. Use the right help route for where you are.
    • On motorways and major A-roads in England: once you are in a safer place, you can call National Highways on 0300 123 5000 for advice and assistance, then contact your breakdown provider if needed.
    • Elsewhere in the UK: contact your breakdown provider, insurer’s breakdown line, a mobile tyre fitter, or a local recovery service. If you are in immediate danger, call 999.
    • Say clearly: “I have a slow puncture or slow tyre leak, I am at [location], the tyre is [front/rear and left/right if known], and I do or do not have a spare.”
  6. Give the tyre place the key facts.
    Tell them how quickly the tyre loses air, whether the warning light came on, whether you inflated it today, whether you used sealant, and whether you saw a nail, screw, cut, bulge, valve issue, or rim damage. Ask them to check the tread, shoulder, sidewall, valve, rim seal, and possible internal damage.

What can wait

  • You do not need to decide right now whether the tyre can be repaired or must be replaced; first get it inspected safely.
  • You do not need to diagnose whether it is a nail, valve, rim seal, sensor, or wheel problem.
  • You do not need to buy multiple tyres immediately unless the fitter shows you unsafe wear, damage, or a matching requirement that applies to your vehicle.

Important reassurance

A slow tyre leak is common, and many causes are straightforward for a tyre fitter to identify. The calm, safe choice is to treat the tyre as unreliable until it has been checked.

Scope note

These are first steps for reducing immediate risk and getting connected to help. Later decisions about repair, replacement, recovery, cost, insurance, or vehicle safety may need a tyre professional, breakdown provider, garage, or insurer.

Important note

This is general information, not legal, mechanical, financial, medical, therapeutic, or other professional advice. If the vehicle feels unsafe to drive or you are in a dangerous location, prioritise safety and professional roadside help.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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