Found a nail or screw in your tyre? Don't pull it out. While it's in place it may be partly sealing the hole and slowing any air loss. The right move is to check the tyre pressure, avoid hard driving, and get it inspected, ideally where the car is parked rather than after a long drive to a garage.
A nail in the tread is one of the most common callouts we get, and the good news is that most are repairable if you act sensibly. Here's exactly what to do, whether you'll need a new tyre, what it's likely to cost, and the mistakes that turn a cheap fix into a write-off.
Step by step
The single most important thing is to slow down and not make it worse. A nail that's holding pressure today can usually wait a short while for a proper inspection.
- Leave the nail in. Removing it can turn a slow leak into a fast one and may make a repairable puncture unrepairable.
- Check the pressure. If it's holding near the normal figure, the tyre is likely sealing around the nail for now. If it's dropping fast, treat it as a flat.
- Don't drive far. Driving on a deflating tyre destroys the internal structure, see why driving on a flat is dangerous.
- Note where it is. If the nail is in the central tread it's promising; if it's near the edge or sidewall, less so.
- Get it inspected. A fitter removes the tyre from the wheel and checks it from the inside, the only way to repair it safely.
That last point matters. A genuine repair can only be signed off after the tyre is taken off the rim and inspected internally, which is the method set out in the British Standard for tyre repair (BS AU 159) that reputable fitters follow.
Will it need a new tyre?
Often not. If the nail is in the central three-quarters of the tread and the hole is under 6mm, it's usually repairable to standard at a fraction of the cost of a new tyre. The repair zone is strictly defined, which is why a fitter's inspection is the deciding factor, not a guess from outside.
It's a replacement if any of these apply:
- The nail is in the sidewall or shoulder, outside the safe repair area.
- There are multiple punctures close together.
- The tyre has been driven flat and the casing is damaged.
- The tread is near the legal limit anyway, making a repair false economy.
As tyre-safety charity TyreSafe notes, a poorly judged repair is a safety risk, so when in doubt it's replaced.
What not to do
A few well-meaning mistakes are what cost people a whole tyre. Avoid these:
- Don't yank the nail out "to see how bad it is", as you may release the air and lose the repair.
- Don't rely on a cheap external plug or gunge kit as a permanent fix, they're a get-you-home measure at best.
- Don't keep driving on a tyre that's losing pressure, the heat build-up wrecks the internal structure.
- Don't ignore it because it "seems fine", a slow leak from a nail will catch you out later, often at the worst moment.
How much will it cost?
A standard puncture repair is one of the cheapest jobs in motoring and a small fraction of the price of a new tyre. You only pay for a replacement if the damage falls outside the safe repair area or the tyre is worn out anyway. Because the gap between a repair and a new tyre is so large, it's always worth having it inspected before assuming the worst, see our guide to puncture repair costs for the full picture.
We'll come to the car
There's no need to risk a drive to the garage on a punctured tyre. Our mobile puncture repair service reaches you across the UK and sorts it on the spot, a repair if it's safe, a replacement if it isn't, with the old tyre taken away. Book a fitter and stay put.
