TPMS in the UK and EU

Tyre-pressure monitoring has been required on new passenger cars in the EU (and therefore the UK type-approval world) for years. Direct systems use a sensor in each wheel. Indirect systems infer a low tyre from ABS wheel-speed differences and usually cannot tell you a number.

The lamp threshold on direct systems is typically about 25% below recommended cold pressure. A car that “never needs air because the light is off” can still sit 0.3 bar low for months.

After you inflate, some cars need a reset on the cluster. If the lamp stays on after a correct fill, you have a dead sensor, a failed relearn, or a tyre that is still leaking.

Sensor batteries often last five to ten years. A 2014 car in 2026 may have four dead sensors even if the tyres are new. That is an electronics job. It does not change the placard.

Use TPMS as a leak alarm. Use a gauge as the instrument.