Are your tyres safe? New app uses AI to check tread depth, age and more

A new mobile phone app can utilise artificial intelligence to scan your car’s tyres and tell you whether they are safe or not to drive on.

The AA’s new Vixa app will give your car a virtual health check, with a specialised tyre checking tool that’s able to use AI technology to analyse photos you upload and provide a tyre health report.

This will evaluate the likes of the tyre’s tread depth, age and any signs of wear and tear. If it’s deemed unsafe for the road, Vixa will inform you of recommended nearby garages, as well as rough pricing to replace it.

The app can also work in tandem with an on-board diagnostics unit (OBD) – essentially a plug-in device that can read and alter data from your car’s built-in computer – to remotely monitor the health of your vehicle’s engine and battery.

The AA says the Vixa app is compatible with most petrol vehicles manufactured since 2001, and most diesel cars made after 2006. All features, bar battery alerts, are available on hybrid cars, while the AA tells us that it’s “working on a solution for EVs”.

When asked what information would be most useful to access remotely, around half of 11,000 people surveyed by the AA said their top priority was getting a prior notification for impending faults and warning lights – something Vixa can help with thanks to the OBD’s ability to read car data. 

With this in mind, the AA plans to charge a subscription of £3.99 per month for the Vixa app for AA members. Those who aren’t AA members can sign up for £5.99 per month.

CEO of the AA’s innovation arm, X, Tom Fawcett, described Vixa as “a new era of car care that uses connected car insights while putting drivers in control”.

The Vixa app is available to download now on iOS and Android devices. You can find out whether your car is compatible via the official vixa.co.uk website.

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