The more you drive your vehicle, the more the tyres begin to wear down. It's a natural part of their life, and eventually becomes the most common reason you'll need to replace them.

Although you should expect wear and tear, keeping an eye on how your tyres are ageing can tell you a lot. In particular, looking at the patterns of wear and noticing anything unusual can let you know if you're doing something wrong or if there's an issue with your vehicle. Of course, it also gives you a good idea of when it's time for new tyres.

Here are some of the tyre wear patterns to look out for and what they mean.

Mostly worn in the centre of the tread

If you notice one or more tyres are more worn in the middle, it's usually because they've been overinflated. This happens because the centre bulges out slightly, so it's in contact with the road more than the outer edges.

To avoid this type of wear and keep your tyres healthy, always inflate them to the correct pressure, and no more.

Mostly worn at the outer edges of the tread

As overinflation leads to centre wearing, so underinflation leads to greater wear at the edges. As you may have guessed, this is because of increased contact between the ground and this part of the tyre.

Don't be overcautious when you're inflating your tyres—the pressure recommendations for your vehicle are there for a reason.

Mostly worn on one side

This type of wear, also called camber wear, should be easy to notice if you look at a tyre from the back or front. It's normally caused by misaligned wheels, which is commonly due to suspension problems. There are, however, various other issues that can lead to camber wear.

If you notice this on any of your tyres, it's best to take your vehicle in to a car service centre for a full service and tyre replacement.

Feathered wear pattern

So called because it resembles a feather, this particular type of wear isn't always easy to see. If you run your hand in both directions along the tread, however, you should be able to feel that it's smooth one way and rough the other.

This is normally another wheel alignment problem, so get your vehicle checked by a professional.

Random patches of severe wear

When there are patches of tyre surface that are particularly worn, but there doesn't seem to be a pattern, it's often because of hard braking or driving over sharp objects that have caused damage. It could also be because of a fault with the vehicle's shock absorption.

You should get your tyres replaced as soon as possible, and it might be worth having the wheel alignment checked over, too.