Tyre warranty in India: what brands cover and how to claim

A tyre warranty in India covers manufacturing defects, not wear and not damage from the road. If a tyre fails because of a fault in its materials or construction, the maker replaces it, but almost never free: you pay for the part of the tread you have already used, and the maker covers the rest. That is called pro-rata settlement. Warranty periods for car tyres from the big brands run from five to six years, and most count from the month the tyre was made, not the day you bought it. Punctures, cuts, bulges from potholes, wrong pressure and misaligned wheels are excluded almost everywhere. Some brands sell or include extra cover for that kind of damage, usually only if you register the tyre.

What a tyre warranty covers

Every major brand’s policy starts from the same idea: the tyre is guaranteed against defects in material or workmanship for a fixed period or until the tread wears down to the tread wear indicators, whichever comes first. A defect means a fault in how the tyre was made, as opposed to damage done to it from outside or wear from use.

The maker decides. Each policy says the tyre will be inspected by the company’s own technical staff and that their finding is final. If they agree the failure is a manufacturing defect, you get a replacement on pro-rata terms. If they decide it was caused by the road, by the car or by how the tyre was used, the claim is rejected.

Car tyre warranty periods by brand

These are the published terms for passenger car tyres, checked on each maker’s site in October 2026. Policies change, so read the current version before you buy.

Brand	Warranty period for manufacturing defects	How settlement works
MRF	6 years from the month of manufacture	Pro-rata on remaining tread, up to 85% of tread depth worn
Apollo	5 years from the week of manufacture	Pro-rata on tread depth, until the 1.6 mm tread wear indicator
CEAT	Set by tyre category on CEAT’s warranty page	Free replacement up to 10% wear, pro-rata from 10% to 80%
JK Tyre	5 years from manufacture, or until worn to the indicators	Free replacement up to 15% wear, chargeable up to 85% wear
Bridgestone	5 years from manufacture or 3 years from purchase, whichever is earlier	Pro-rata on remaining tread above 1.6 mm
Michelin	5 years from purchase (tyres bought from 1 June 2020)	Until the legal minimum tread depth

Notice where the clock starts. For MRF, Apollo and JK Tyre it starts at manufacture, so a tyre that sat in a warehouse for a year reaches the end of its cover a year sooner. Bridgestone uses whichever comes first of five years from manufacture and three from purchase. Michelin counts from the date of purchase. It is one more reason to read the tyre’s date code before it is fitted; the tyre age check turns it into a date. Our MRF vs CEAT comparison shows how much the start date matters between two policies.

How pro-rata settlement works

Pro-rata means the maker pays for the tread you have not used. The formulas differ, and the difference is worth understanding.

CEAT divides the tread worn by the original tread depth. Its own example: a tyre that started with 8 mm and has lost 2 mm is 25% worn, so you pay 25% of the price of the new tyre.

Bridgestone divides the tread worn by the usable tread, which is the original depth minus the 1.6 mm that has to stay on the tyre. Take a tyre that started at 8.0 mm and is down to 4.8 mm. It has lost 3.2 mm of 6.4 mm usable tread, so you would pay half the price. Under CEAT’s method, the same wear would cost you 40%.

Two more details matter. MRF and Apollo both say the price used is the one in force on the day the replacement is made, not what you paid originally. And taxes, mounting, balancing and alignment are normally your cost, not the maker’s; MRF’s policy says so in as many words.

What a tyre warranty does not cover

The exclusion lists are long, but they come down to a handful of causes:

• Road hazards. Punctures, cuts, stone drilling, bruises and impact breaks. MRF says its warranty ends if the tyre meets any of these; Apollo and Michelin list the same kinds of damage. A sidewall bulge from a pothole is an impact break.
• Pressure and load. Damage from running under-inflated or over-inflated, or from carrying loads or driving at speeds above the tyre’s load index and speed rating.
• The car. Uneven or fast wear from misalignment, worn suspension parts or bent wheels.
• Fitting and repairs. Incorrect mounting, unsuitable rims or valves, retreading, and repairs by unauthorised shops.
• Use and storage. Racing and testing, and, in MRF’s policy, damage from leaving a parked car standing in direct sun for long periods.
• Normal wear. No maker guarantees a mileage. MRF states plainly that tyre life depends on too many factors to warrant.

Extra cover for road damage

Some brands go further than defects. CEAT offers a separate warranty for damage that makes a tyre unusable, naming run-flat damage, concussion (impact), rim digging, scoring, non-repairable cuts and fitment damage; the period and the share of tread covered depend on the tyre category. JK Tyre’s JK Assure covers passenger car tyres against non-manufacturing damage for two years from manufacture or up to 50% tread wear, on a pro-rata basis, and registration is compulsory. Bridgestone India publishes a separate unconditional warranty policy alongside its standard one.

These schemes almost always require you to register the tyre, usually through the dealer, within a set time of purchase. Ask at the counter, get the registration done before you leave, and keep the confirmation.

How to make a tyre warranty claim

1. Keep the paperwork. The invoice is the main proof. MRF also asks for the service booklet that records the tyre’s serial number, and without the invoice it counts the warranty from the production date on the tyre. Michelin requires a digital warranty registration for tyres bought after 1 November 2016.
2. Take the tyre in. Claims go through an authorised dealer or the maker’s sales office. You usually have to leave the tyre for inspection.
3. Wait for the inspection. MRF says it normally reports within seven days, by SMS; if you hear nothing, follow up.
4. Collect a rejected tyre promptly. MRF disposes of uncollected rejected tyres after seven days, Apollo after 21 days.
5. Remember who is covered. Warranties apply to the first retail buyer and do not pass to a second owner.

If you disagree with the decision

Ask for the inspection result in writing, with the reason for rejection. If you still believe the failure was a defect, you can raise a complaint with the National Consumer Helpline run by the Department of Consumer Affairs, on its toll-free number 1915 or online, which can take the matter up with the company.

Brand by brand, our brand guides summarise each maker’s ranges and terms, starting with MRF. For when wear rather than a defect is the issue, see our guide to tyre tread depth.