A car that pulls to one side on a flat, straight road usually has a tyre or alignment issue. Start with the cheap, simple checks, pressures and an obviously worn or low tyre, then look at wheel alignment, which is the most common cause, especially after hitting a pothole or kerb. Sorting it protects your tyres as well as your steering.
Check the simple things first
Before assuming the worst, rule out the easy causes:
- Tyre pressures – a low tyre on one side can pull the car. Set them correctly, see tyre pressure.
- An uneven or damaged tyre – a worn or different tyre on one side can cause a pull.
- A slow puncture – a tyre quietly losing air, see slow puncture.
Alignment: the most likely cause
If pressures and tyres are fine and the car still pulls, wheel alignment is the usual culprit. The angles the wheels sit at have shifted, commonly after a pothole or kerb knock, so the car no longer tracks straight. Misalignment also wears tyres unevenly, so it's worth fixing promptly, both to correct the pull and to protect your tread.
Road camber vs a real pull
One thing to rule out: roads are often built to drain to the left, so a slight drift towards the kerb can be normal camber rather than a fault. Test on a flat, straight, level stretch with your hands light on the wheel. If the car pulls firmly and consistently to one side on level ground, that's a real pull worth investigating, not just camber.
Brakes and other causes
If the car only pulls when you brake, the cause is usually the brakes, a sticking caliper, rather than the tyres or alignment. A pull that comes with vibration may involve a balance or wheel problem too, see steering vibration. Worn suspension components can also let the alignment drift over time.
We can help
We can check pressures, inspect your tyres for uneven wear and replace any that are causing a pull, at your home or work across the UK, and advise if you need an alignment. Book a check.
