Tell me about tyres

[theae]

Can someone enlighten me on the confusing world of tyres?

The most recent MOT and car service said that the front tyres will need replacing soon and I have been looking around at options locally.

Having a browse of National Tyres, Formula One Autocentre, Halfords etc I get a range of options from £60 ones with no company name to £130+ Pirellis - but which ones do I choose? Will I get a better safer drive if I go for the expensive ones or is it not really worth it?

Car is a standard MPV and we do around 4-5000 miles a year; car is used once or twice a week for local short trips; most of the mileage is longer journeys for holidays/ visiting relations etc,

Any insight appreciated!

Start with what's on the wheels now - how much would they be?
As I understand it, it is better to replace them in pairs, ie front two back two.

Just get mid range, Hankooks for example.

Look at the EU tyre labelling (you'll see it on whatever website)
It shows cabin noise in db, wet grip and fuel efficiency. For me grip is most important, look for an A and take it from there.

There’s four bits of rubber keeping you and anyone with you in the car safe. So it’s generally worth going above the cheapest option and looking for good safety ratings.

But, most expensive isn’t always best. And sometimes you’re paying for stuff you don’t care about. For example I pay more for quieter tyres because noisy ones drive DH insane. If you wouldn’t notice you can save money there. Likewise if you don’t drive much in snow and won’t be bothered changing between winter and summer tyres you need a good all rounder. If you switch every six months or so you can buy suited for specific weather conditions.

Given your mileage I’d go all rounder, mid range without bells or whistles. If you’re specific about the vehicle I’ll take a look at what might be a reasonable option.

I've always gone for mid range tyres. Cheap ones won't last very long.

As above, hankooks are mid range and pretty good. I have had them on all my cars, even my brand new car came with them on.

Where I live (not UK) the max speed limit is 35mph. Most garages ask "do you take your car away to motorways" - if no, £60 tyres. If yes, £100 tyres. (Prices given for average family cars, I'm sure fancy cars would cost a lot more!)

Thank you for all the responses - I feel I know much more about what to look for now. I felt much more confident talking to the man at the tyre place!

In the end I went mid-range, as advised, and opted for the Avon AS7 - there were several at the same kind of price and I selected Avon primarily because I come from Wiltshire and so used to drive past the Avon tyres factory regularly

You certainly did well to avoid budgets. Hopefully the new pair went on the rear and the rear wheels were moved to the front.