Quick answer: For a car that sits unused most of the week, buy a quality touring or all-season tyre from fresh stock and check the DOT date code — a low-use car almost always ages its tyres out before it wears them out. Store the car under cover, keep pressures at (or slightly above) placard, and plan to replace on age, typically well before the tread runs low.

Why a rarely-driven car is hard on tyres

It sounds backwards, but a car that barely moves can chew through the life of a tyre faster than a daily driver — not the tread, the tyre itself. Tyres are made of rubber compounds and steel belts that degrade with time, heat, oxygen and ultraviolet light whether the wheels turn or not. A commuter clocking 20,000 km a year usually wears the tread down to the legal limit in three to five years, retiring the tyre before age becomes an issue. A weekend car or second vehicle doing 3,000–5,000 km a year still has almost-new tread at eight years old — by which point the rubber may be cracking, hardening and losing grip.

So the goal for a low-use car is different. You are not chasing maximum tread life or the lowest cost per kilometre. You are chasing ageing resistance, all-round versatility for whatever weather the car gets driven in, and buying smart so you don’t pay for kilometres you’ll never use.

Do you age tyres out before you wear them out?

Almost certainly, yes. Bridgestone Australia advises that tyres be inspected by a qualified expert at least once a year from five years of age, and removed once they reach ten years old regardless of appearance, mileage or actual wear. Many carmakers and the wider industry take a more conservative view and suggest considering replacement from around five to six years, especially in Australia’s climate.

The mechanism matters. As a tyre ages, the bond between the rubber and the internal steel belts weakens. Under load, that can let cracks form — sometimes internally and invisibly — and in the worst case allow the belts to separate. That is why a shiny, deep-tread tyre can still be unsafe at ten years old. If your car sits, the DOT date on the sidewall becomes more important than the tread gauge. See our guides to reading the DOT date code, whether tyres expire, and replacing tyres over five years old.

What actually kills tyres on a parked car?

Ageing and UV/ozone cracking

Australia’s sun is brutal on rubber. Parked outside, exposed to UV and heat, tyres develop fine surface cracks (often called dry rot or perishing) that deepen over time. A car left in a sunny driveway for years is the classic case. Parking under cover — a carport, garage or even a shade sail — is the single cheapest way to extend tyre life on a low-use car. More detail in UV damage and dry rot and sidewall cracking.

Flat spots

When a car sits for long periods, the weight resting on one patch of each tyre can create a flat spot. Falken Australia describes three kinds: temporary flat spots (after days to weeks) that disappear once the tyre warms to operating temperature; semi-permanent ones (a month or more of standing) that need the tyre warmed then stored properly; and permanent ones caused by mechanical damage like a locked brake, which cannot be fixed. Falken notes that raising pressure by as little as 3 psi can reduce flat-spotting during storage. Our full guide covers flat spots on tyres and storing a car long-term without flat-spotting the tyres.

Slow pressure loss

All tyres lose a little air over time. A car nobody drives for weeks can quietly drop below its placard pressure, which worsens flat-spotting and can damage the sidewall if the car is then driven. Check pressures before every drive on a low-use car — see placard pressure vs sidewall maximum.

What type of tyre suits a low-use car?

Because the car may sit for days and then be driven in any conditions — a cold, wet Sunday morning as easily as a warm afternoon — versatility and ageing resistance beat outright longevity. Two categories make the most sense:

Tyre type	Why it suits a car that sits	Trade-off
Premium touring (e.g. Michelin Primacy, Bridgestone Turanza, Continental)	Higher-grade compounds tend to resist hardening and cracking better as they age; quiet and comfortable for occasional use	Higher up-front price you won’t fully “use up”
All-season / 3PMSF (e.g. Michelin CrossClimate, Goodyear Vector)	Grip in cold and wet without warming up first — ideal for a car that gets driven infrequently and unpredictably	Slightly more noise/wear than a pure summer touring tyre (irrelevant at low km)

A quality mid-tier tyre (Kumho, Hankook, Yokohama) is a perfectly sensible choice too — because you will retire the tyre on age, spending premium money on a tyre that ages out with 80% of its tread left can be poor value. The key is not the price tier so much as buying fresh, undamaged stock and storing it out of the sun.

Buy fresh: check the date before you pay

Tyres age from the date they were manufactured, not the date you fit them. For a low-use car this is critical: if you fit a tyre that has already sat in a warehouse for two or three years, you have lost that much of its safe service life before the first drive. Ask the fitter to check the DOT week/year code (the last four digits) and decline anything more than about a year old. Even mounted but undriven, that tyre is ageing.

How much should you spend?

Run the sums on age, not kilometres. If you drive 4,000 km a year and will replace on a roughly ten-year age limit, a $400 tyre works out to about $0.01 per kilometre — but you’re really paying for calendar life, not tread. That’s why many owners of second cars, classics and weekenders land on a good mid-tier tyre rather than the flagship premium. If budget is tight, our guide to the best tyres under $150 a corner is a useful companion, and premium vs budget tyres and tyre tiers explained put the choice in context.

Five habits that add years to a low-use car’s tyres

• Park under cover — out of direct sun is the biggest single win in Australia.
• Keep pressures up — check before each drive; consider +3–4 psi if the car will sit for a month or more.
• Move it occasionally — even a short drive every couple of weeks warms the tyres and shifts the contact patch.
• For long storage — use jack stands to take the weight off the tyres, or store the car on boards, not bare concrete.
• Watch the calendar, not just the tread — inspect from five years, replace by around ten regardless of tread depth (and note the 1.5 mm legal minimum still applies).

Bottom line: A car that sits most of the week doesn’t need the longest-wearing tyre — it needs one that resists ageing and cracking, grips in any weather it’s asked to drive in, and is bought fresh and stored in the shade. For most people that’s a quality touring or all-season tyre from a Tier 1 or good mid-tier brand, replaced on age rather than tread.

Frequently asked questions

How long do tyres last on a car that’s barely driven?

Usually you’ll replace them on age, not wear. Inspect from five years and plan to replace by around ten years regardless of how much tread is left, per Bridgestone Australia’s guidance. Sun exposure, heat and storage conditions can bring that forward.

Will flat spots from sitting damage my tyres permanently?

Not usually. Flat spots from short-to-medium storage are temporary or semi-permanent and typically settle once the tyre warms up on a drive. Only mechanical causes, like a seized brake, create permanent flat spots. Raising pressure a few psi before long storage helps prevent them.

Should I buy premium tyres for a car I hardly drive?

Not necessarily. Because you’ll retire the tyre on age with most of its tread unused, a good mid-tier tyre can be better value than a flagship premium. Prioritise fresh stock, ageing resistance and covered parking over the highest price tier.

Do I still need a roadworthy-legal tyre if the car rarely moves?

Yes. Whenever the car is driven on a road it must meet the rules, including the 1.5 mm minimum tread depth and being free of dangerous cracking or damage. Age-related perishing can fail an inspection even with deep tread.

Prices, product availability and manufacturer guidance change over time and vary by vehicle. Confirm the right tyre and current pricing with an Australian tyre retailer, and follow your vehicle placard and owner’s manual. Figures here are a general guide as at 2026.