Nail in tyre: what to do now, and can it be repaired?

If you have a nail or screw in your tyre, leave it in, check the pressure, and do not drive on the tyre if it is soft or losing air. Most nails in the middle of the tread can be repaired properly. The hole must be no more than 6mm across once cleaned out, and the tyre must not have been run flat. A nail in the shoulder or sidewall means a new tyre.

Those limits come from British Standard BS AU 159, the standard UK tyre repairs are made to, as summarised by the British Tyre Manufacturers' Association (BTMA). Screws follow exactly the same rules, and so does every wheel: front or rear, nearside or offside.

Nail in tyre: what to do in the first five minutes

1. Leave it where it is. The nail is acting as a plug. Pull it out and the leak usually gets much faster. A fitter removes it with the tyre off the wheel. This is standard trade advice rather than a rule in the repair standard.
2. Note where it sits. Middle of the tread, out near the edge, or in the sidewall? Mark it with chalk or a bit of tape so it is easy to find again.
3. Check the pressure against the figure on the door pillar or fuel flap, and compare it with the other tyres. The Highway Code says tyres must be inflated to the maker's figure and that readings taken cold are the reliable ones.
4. Recheck after 10 to 15 minutes. Steady means a slow leak you can manage; dropping means treat it as a flat.
5. Take two photos: one of the nail, and one of the size writing on the sidewall (for example 205/55 R16 91V). Those give a fitter a first idea on the phone; the final answer only comes once the tyre is off the wheel.

Can a tyre with a nail be repaired?

Usually, yes. Three things have to be true: the nail is inside area T (the repairable middle of the tread), the hole is no more than 6mm across after the fitter has cleaned it out, and the inside of the tyre shows no damage from being run soft. TyreSafe, the UK tyre safety charity, says a professional may be able to remove a nail or screw and repair the hole. It adds that a permanent repair needs the tyre off the wheel for an inspection inside and out.

Whether a nail or screw has left a hole under 6mm is only known once it is out and the hole has been cleaned. A bolt, a coarse screw that has torn the rubber on the way in, or a cut rather than a puncture is more likely to be too big.

How wide is area T, the repairable middle of the tread?

You will see it called the "central three quarters" in a lot of guides, including TyreSafe's. The standard itself is more precise. The BTMA summary of BS AU 159 calls it area T and sets it as a share of the tyre's nominal section width, the first number in the size:

Section width is measured across the bulge of the sidewalls, which is wider than the tread you can see. So area T usually covers most of the tread but not the outermost blocks. The 6mm limit is the same for every width.

Worked example. On a 205/55 R16, area T is about 144mm of the 205mm section width. That leaves about 30mm on each side outside area T, counted from the widest point of the sidewall. A screw in the middle tread ribs is well inside; one in the outermost tread block is borderline, often just outside area T, so the fitter measures it before saying yes.

A nail in the sidewall is never repairable, because that part of the tyre flexes too much for a patch to hold and it falls outside area T. The BTMA sets no limit on the number of repairs inside area T as long as the patches do not overlap. For the wider rules on cuts, multiple holes, older tyres and run-flats, see whether a puncture can be repaired.

What a fitter checks before saying yes

A permanent repair is decided with the tyre off the wheel, not by looking at the tread. The BTMA's guidance is to remove the tyre and inspect it inside and out. In practice the fitter works through these checks:

1. Position. Where the nail sits against area T for your tyre's width.
2. Hole size. The nail comes out, the hole is cleaned out, and the size is judged at its base. A screw thread can leave a hole bigger than the screw looked, so the answer is only certain at this point.
3. The inner liner, for damage from being run soft (see the pressure note above).
4. Earlier repairs. Any old patch is checked, both for spacing and for whether it was done to the standard.
5. Everything else. Tread depth, cuts reaching the casing, bead damage and any separation of the tread or belts. Any of these rules out a repair whatever the nail did.

If the tyre passes, the hole is filled and sealed from the inside with a combined rubber plug and patch. The tyre is then refitted, inflated to the maker's figure and the wheel is balanced. According to the BTMA, a tyre repaired to BS AU 159 can be used at its original speed and load rating. A properly repaired tyre does not have to be driven any differently.

What does not count as a proper repair

The BTMA does not accept four methods as repairs. These are liquid sealants, plugs pushed in from outside with the tyre still on the wheel, an inner tube in a tubeless tyre, and temporary repairs in general. They can get you off the road or home, but they are not repairs to BS AU 159. If any of them has already been used on the tyre, tell the fitter, because it changes what they look for inside.

Can you drive with a nail in your tyre?

A short distance, gently, if the tyre is holding its pressure and the nail is in the tread. Not if the tyre is soft, losing air, or the nail is in the shoulder or sidewall. TyreSafe's guidance for a punctured tyre is low speed and the minimum distance needed to reach a garage or a safe place. In practice that means keeping off motorways and fast dual carriageways, and going straight to wherever it will be fixed rather than carrying on with your day. If the tyre is going down and you have a spare wheel or space-saver, change it only somewhere safe and well away from traffic. Annex 6 of the Highway Code says to change a tyre only if you can do it without putting yourself or others at risk; otherwise call for help. If the tyre goes down on the way, stop. Our guide to driving on a flat tyre explains what even a short run on a flat does to the tyre and the wheel.

How long can a tyre survive with a nail in it?

There is no safe figure, and none of the standards bodies gives one. Some nails seal well enough that the tyre holds pressure for weeks; others work loose on the next pothole. In the trade's experience, the nail can work the hole larger as the tyre flexes, until it is too big to repair. Treat it as urgent: check the pressure every morning until it is fixed, and get it seen the same day if the reading drops.

How fast will a tyre with a nail go down?

Anything from not at all to flat within minutes. It depends on the size of the nail, its angle and whether it is still in. The 10 to 15 minute recheck in the first-steps list tells you which kind you have.

Nail in the tyre but no air loss?

A short nail can sit in a tread block without reaching the inside of the tyre. You cannot tell that from outside, though, and pulling it to find out risks a flat. Have it removed with the tyre off the wheel.

Is a nail in a tyre an MOT failure?

Not by itself. The DVSA MOT inspection manual has no defect for a nail or any other object in a tyre. Testers are even told to make sure that what they feel in a cut is the cords and not a foreign object, and to pass and advise if they are not sure. What does fail is the damage around a nail:

• A cut deep enough to reach the ply or cords is a major defect.
• A lump, bulge or tear, or cords exposed or damaged, is a dangerous defect.
• A tyre that is obviously under-inflated is a minor defect. GOV.UK confirms that only dangerous or major problems fail the test, so a soft tyre gets noted rather than failed.

So a nail in a tyre that holds pressure and has no cut or bulge is not a listed failure, although the tester may well advise on it. The sensible move is to get it repaired before the test anyway. Our guide to common tyre MOT failures covers what testers look for.

Signs you have picked up a nail without seeing it

Nails are a common find. TyreSafe says most slow punctures happen when sharp debris such as nails or broken glass pierces the tyre, so a slow leak is worth checking for one first.

• One tyre keeps reading low while the others stay put.
• The tyre pressure warning light comes on, then clears after you top up.
• A faint hiss when the street is quiet, or a tyre that looks lower after the car has stood overnight.
• A rhythmic tick at low speed, or a slight pull or soft feel on one corner.

Run your hand slowly round the tread (carefully, nails are sharp) or spray soapy water on it and watch for bubbles. If the object is lodged in the metal of the alloy rim rather than the rubber, that is a wheel problem, not a tyre repair. Our guide to slow puncture causes and fixes covers leaks from a damaged or corroded rim and helps you narrow down the rest.

Where you are decides the first move: home, roadside or motorway

That motorway advice comes from National Highways and rule 277 of the Highway Code. We do not work on a live carriageway, hard shoulder or slip road; we fit once the car is off the motorway.

Should you use sealant?

Only to get out of a dangerous spot. Sealant is a temporary fix. TyreSafe says kits are not a definitive solution, and that you should not keep driving on a tyre sealed with one any more than you need to. The BTMA does not accept sealant as a repair at all. If the tyre is holding air with the nail in, you are usually better off leaving the kit in the boot. If you do use one, check the kit says it is safe with tyre pressure sensors, and tell the fitter it has been used. Our tyre repair kit guide covers when a kit is worth using.

How much does it cost to fix a nail in a tyre?

It depends on whether the tyre can be repaired or needs replacing, and on the tyre size. There is no out-of-hours surcharge. A nail found at 11pm on a Sunday costs the same to deal with as one found on a Tuesday morning. A photo of the nail and the tyre size helps us bring the right tyre; the repair-or-replace answer comes once the tyre is off the wheel.

Need someone to come to you?

You do not need to drive on a punctured tyre to reach a garage. Our mobile puncture repair comes to your home, work or a safe roadside spot, typically 30 to 60 minutes after you call, 24 hours a day. The fitter takes the tyre off, inspects it inside and out, and repairs it to BS AU 159 if it qualifies. If it does not, we can have a new tyre fitted at your car on the same visit. A replacement takes 20 to 30 minutes to fit once we are there. If the tyre is already flat and you are stuck, use our 24/7 emergency call-out instead.

To get the right answer on the first call, tell us:

• Where the car is: the postcode, and whether it is on a driveway, a street or in a car park.
• The tyre size from the sidewall, and whether it is a run-flat.
• Where the nail is (a photo by WhatsApp is best) and whether the tyre is holding pressure.
• Whether you have the locking wheel nut key. If it is lost, say so, because we also remove locking wheel nuts.
• Whether sealant or an outside plug has already been used.

Sources

Checked on 2 October 2026. The repair rules, MOT and roadside points in this guide come from these primary and industry sources; the fitter's checks describe how the job is generally done in the trade. The area T figures come from the BTMA's published summary of BS AU 159; the full standard is not free to read, and we could not confirm whether a later edition changed them.

• Minor repairs to passenger car and light van tyres (British Tyre Manufacturers' Association summary of BS AU 159)
• The complete guide to punctures and repairs (TyreSafe)
• Emergency puncture repair kits (TyreSafe)
• MOT inspection manual, section 5: axles, wheels, tyres and suspension (DVSA)
• Getting an MOT: after the test (GOV.UK)
• The Highway Code, Annex 6: vehicle maintenance, safety and security (GOV.UK)
• The Highway Code, rules 274 to 287: breakdowns and incidents (GOV.UK)
• Driving on motorways: breakdowns (National Highways)

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