Use the manufacturer’s recommended pressures for the vehicle and its load. The maximum pressure marked on a tyre is not your car’s inflation instruction.
Read the right instruction
The handbook and vehicle label give pressures for tyre size and load. Check front and rear values: they may differ. Measure under the specified conditions, generally cold, with suitable equipment. For heavy loading, follow the corresponding instruction. Do not arbitrarily deflate a warm tyre to a value specified for cold tyres.
Inspect tread and sidewalls
Look at wear indicators, cuts, deformation and embedded objects. Uneven wear deserves professional inspection rather than inflation alone. A bulge or recurring pressure loss is not resolved by continuing until the next holiday. Check tyre compatibility and the condition of any spare wheel or repair kit too.
Respond to an alert
A pressure warning requires a check; resetting it simply to remove the warning does not solve the problem. If the vehicle pulls, vibrates or feels unstable, stop safely and ask for advice. Electronic aids do not make a damaged tyre usable. For mountain winter travel, also check required markings and equipment.
Measure wear and understand its limits
The regulatory minimum tread depth for a car tyre is 1.6 mm. Indicators help identify that threshold, but do not diagnose a bulge, cut or ageing. Check several points on the tread. Uneven wear requires professional assessment.
Reference: Arrêté du 18 juillet 2019 relatif aux pneumatiques — article 5 ↗
Before leaving with a loaded vehicle
Read the pressures for the exact tyre size and planned load. Check the spare wheel if provided and learn how the repair kit works. A pressure sensor does not remove the need for checks: it may warn after a loss or require resetting according to the handbook.
Create a vehicle-specific record
Record tyre size, planned load and front/rear instructions from the handbook or label. Keep measurements separate from recommended values: a measurement is not a recommendation. Add the date, any observed defect and the next check. The record helps follow pressure loss or recurring differences, but cannot certify a tyre as safe without examination.
You are leaving with luggage after several weeks without a check.
Read the load-specific values in the handbook or on the label. Measure under recommended conditions and inspect the tyres; have recurring pressure loss checked.
What to avoid. Repeated inflation does not address the cause of pressure loss.
Practical checks
- Read the vehicle pressure label
- Check cold under the handbook’s conditions
- Inspect tread and sidewalls
- Have repeated pressure loss investigated
Common questions
Does a pressure warning replace a manual check?
No. It can warn of a problem, but does not replace inspection and checking recommended values.
Should all tyres have the same pressure?
Not necessarily. The manufacturer specifies front, rear and fully loaded values for your vehicle.
Official references
This English translation concerns rules and services in France. It does not make them applicable in another country. Local signs, official instructions, vehicle manuals and contracts may specify your situation. Linked references and service pages are in French.
Prepare your next step
The portal’s tools and administrative service pages are in French. Use them while stationary and refer to the official service for your own case.
Open the matching tool or resource (French)