The system must be recalibrated each time the tire pressure is adjusted
Jun 25, 2026Safety on the road / Mobility StoriesSince November 2014, all newly registered passenger cars in the EU must be equipped with tire pressure monitoring systems. According to estimates by the Federal Association of Tire Retailers and Tire Repair Shops, more than 70 percent of passenger cars in Germany now have these systems installed. As of July 2024, this requirement will also apply to trucks, buses, and heavy trailers. Once calibrated, TPMS automatically monitors tire pressure and alerts the driver via a dashboard display if the pressure deviates from the set value.
So does the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) in vehicles make regular tire pressure checks unnecessary? It’s not quite that simple, say the experts at DEKRA: Anyone who thinks they no longer need to take care of their tires is mistaken. “In general, tire pressure monitoring systems work accurately and reliably, but they have a system-related tolerance before a warning is triggered,” explains tire expert Christian Koch. This tolerance makes sense, he says, because otherwise the system would display a warning very frequently due to unavoidable, temperature-related pressure fluctuations in the tires. The prescribed warning threshold is 20 percent of the inflation pressure when the tire is warm.
Furthermore, with so-called “indirect” systems, the specific tire pressure of each individual tire cannot be read directly. For these reasons, the expert recommends regularly checking tire pressure even when a TPMS is installed. This check should ideally be done in conjunction with inspecting the tires for embedded objects such as nails or screws, checking the wear pattern, and looking for other damage.
It is important to note that the system must be recalibrated whenever the tire pressure is adjusted—for example, due to increased load or passenger capacity during vacation trips. Tire pressure should always be measured when the tires are cold—that is, before starting the trip. Regardless of this, it is recommended to check the tires at least every four weeks.