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Tyres > Help > Tyres Help > The legalities around TPMS
In recent years, there has been an increase in regulations regarding TPMS. With legislation introduced for this relating to MOTs and mandatory installation on new cars.
Below you will find the most common questions relating to this.
Is TPMS light on an MOT failure?
TPMS checks were added to the MOT test checklist in January 2015 and is carried out on the tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) for M1 vehicles first used on or after 1 January 2012.
If the tyre pressure monitoring system is malfunctioning or obviously not working – this counts as a ‘major’ fault on the MOT checks.
The MOT guidelines state “the TPMS warning lamp can operate in many ways depending on the vehicle type. You must only reject vehicles if it’s clear that the lamp indicates a system malfunction and not simply indicating that one or more of the tyre pressures is low.”
Is it illegal to drive without TPMS?
It is not illegal to drive without TPMS. However, if your vehicle is fitted with TPMS, it must be working correctly. If the TPMS warning light is illuminated on the dashboard, you could receive a penalty charge notice (PCN) or fail your MOT test, as mentioned above.
Are TPMS sensors required by law?
In the UK, TPMS is mandatory for all new models of passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, and trucks registered after January 2012.
Despite this being an initial EU regulation, the UK has retained this in their own domestic laws following their exit from the EU. More on this can be found at the EU Retained Law public dashboard.
As such, if your vehicle was manufactured after January 2012 it is required to have TPMS installed with your tyres.