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Retailer pages disagree about tyre age limits. Here is what the RTA, police and federal standards have actually said, when they said it, and where. Each rule was last verified on 23 October 2026.
Count from the week and year in the four-digit date code. Badly worn or cut tyres also fail.
Source: RTA carries field inspection of vehicle tyres in Dubai (Dubai Media Office, 6 Oct 2020) · verified 23 October 2026
Read the guide on this ruleThat includes a spare that has never touched the road. Retreads were given a two-year life.
Source: Safety norms for tyres to be tightened in UAE (Gulf News; 2012 scheme) · verified 23 October 2026
Read the guide on this ruleApplies to worn, damaged and expired tyres. Police still quote these figures in 2026; the article number under the 2025 traffic law is unconfirmed.
Source: UAE cracks down on vehicles with unsafe tyres (Gulf News, Jul 2024) · verified 23 October 2026
Read the guide on this rule2.4 mm for medium vehicles, 3.2 mm for buses and heavy trucks, 0.8 mm for motorbikes.
Source: What the law says on tyres (Gulf News; 2012 rules) · verified 23 October 2026
Read the guide on this ruleRetreads must come from approved firms, and retread imports are banned.
Source: What the law says on tyres (Gulf News; 2012 rules) · verified 23 October 2026
Read the guide on this ruleStated by the RTA during its 2020 tyre inspection campaign.
Source: RTA carries field inspection of vehicle tyres in Dubai (Dubai Media Office, 6 Oct 2020) · verified 23 October 2026
Read the guide on this ruleClaims that circulate on shop websites, forums and videos, checked against the sources.
| Claim you'll hear | What the sources say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| “Abu Dhabi rejects tyres at 3 years.” | Unconfirmed Only a retailer blog says this, with no source. Abu Dhabi Police statements we found refer to expired tyres and the same Dh500 fine, with no 3-year limit. | Abu Dhabi: Dh500 fine for tyres past their expiry date (Gulf News, Jul 2022)Jul 2022 · checked 23 October 2026 |
| “Shops can't sell tyres more than 2 years old.” | Not a UAE rule we can find No UAE regulation is cited by the pages that say it. The 24-month rule that turns up in searches is Qatar's, from 2011. | New norms for sale and import of tyres (Gulf Times, 2011, Qatar)2011 · checked 23 October 2026 |
| “New tyres must be under 150 days old.” | Advice, not a rule The figure comes from a mechanic quoted in a 2018 Gulf News feature. No authority is named. Asking for fresh stock is sensible, but it isn't law. | New car tyres should be less than 150 days old (Gulf News, 2018)2018 · checked 23 October 2026 |
| “An unused spare doesn't expire.” | False ESMA's 2012 scheme said tyres expire five years after manufacture, used or unused. | Safety norms for tyres to be tightened in UAE (Gulf News; 2012 scheme)2012 scheme · checked 23 October 2026 |
| “Tyres are fine for 6 to 10 years.” | Not for the UAE test You will see 6- and 10-year figures in general tyre-care advice, but the RTA test fails tyres more than five years past manufacture. | RTA carries field inspection of vehicle tyres in Dubai (Dubai Media Office, 6 Oct 2020)Oct 2020 · checked 23 October 2026 |
| “Plenty of tread means the tyre is legal.” | False Age and condition count too. An expired, cracked or cut tyre fails even with deep tread. | RTA carries field inspection of vehicle tyres in Dubai (Dubai Media Office, 6 Oct 2020)Oct 2020 · checked 23 October 2026 |
Where the UAE's 5-year tyre rule comes from (RTA 2020, ESMA 2012), what it means for your car's test and spare, and which 2- and 3-year claims are myths.
Find the DOT code on your tyre's sidewall, read the last four digits as week and year, and work out how long it has before the UAE's 5-year limit.
The UAE fine for worn, damaged or expired tyres, how many drivers were fined in 2024 by emirate, and what the 2025 traffic law did and didn't confirm.
A five-minute UAE tyre check: the 1.6 mm legal tread minimum, wear bars, sidewall bulges, cracks and cuts, uneven wear, and when to stop driving on it.
The UAE banned selling used car tyres in 2012 and limits retreads to buses and trucks. What the rules say, how old they are, and why used tyres still sell.
General information, not legal advice. The tyre fine is still quoted as Dh500, 4 black points and 7 days in 2026, but which article of the 2025 federal traffic law sets it is unconfirmed. Check with your local police or the Ministry of Interior if you need the legal basis. Independent guide. Not affiliated with any government authority, tyre brand or retailer. We don't sell tyres.