Short answer: it depends which system your car has. If your car reads out a pressure for each individual wheel, it has direct TPMS and there is a battery-powered sensor inside each wheel, so a new set needs sensors. If it only has a reset button and no per-wheel figures, it has indirect TPMS, there is nothing inside the wheel, and you have nothing to buy. On any car first registered on or after 1 January 2012, a TPMS warning that stays lit is a major MOT defect.
This is the question we get most often on a second set of winter wheels, and the answer genuinely changes car to car. Two cars sitting side by side, same year, same size wheel, and one needs four sensors while the other needs none.
So before you buy anything, work out which system you have. It takes about thirty seconds.
Direct or indirect: how to tell in thirty seconds
Go into the driver display or infotainment and find the tyre pressure page.
| What you see | System | What a new set needs |
|---|---|---|
| A pressure figure for each corner, in psi or bar | Direct | Four sensors, fitted and programmed |
| A single warning lamp and a reset or re-initialise button, no figures | Indirect | Nothing. Reset it once the wheels are on |
| A diagram showing which tyre is low, but no numbers | Usually indirect | Check the handbook before ordering |
| Nothing at all, car older than 2012 | Often none fitted | Nothing |
Indirect systems work off the ABS wheel speed sensors you already have. A tyre losing pressure gets slightly smaller, so it turns slightly faster than the others, and the car spots the difference. Clever, cheap, and it means the wheel itself is just a wheel. Plenty of VW Group, Ford and Vauxhall models use it.
Direct systems put a sensor on the inside of each rim, usually built into the valve. That is the one that costs money when you change wheels, and it is common on Tesla, Range Rover, Jaguar, and most of the premium German range.
The three ways to handle a direct system
1. Move your existing sensors across
Cheapest option if you are replacing your wheels outright rather than running two sets. The fitter breaks the tyre bead on the old wheels, transfers the four sensors into the new ones, and the car never knows anything changed. No programming needed, because the IDs the car already learned are the same.
Worth asking the age of the sensors first. The battery is sealed in and lasts somewhere around five to ten years, so transferring eight-year-old sensors into a brand new set of wheels is false economy. If they are near the end, fit new ones while the tyre is already off the rim.
2. A second set of sensors
This is the one you want if you are running summer and winter sets, because swapping wheels then becomes a twenty minute job on your own drive instead of a trip to the fitter twice a year.
The sensors are programmed to the car once. Most cars then relearn whichever set is fitted automatically after a short drive. Some need a relearn procedure with a tool, which any tyre shop will have.
3. Programmable aftermarket sensors
Universal sensors that a fitter clones to your original IDs or programmes fresh. They cost less than main dealer parts and work fine. The only thing to watch is that the fitter has a tool that covers your make, so ring ahead rather than turning up.
Whichever route you take, the sensor is fitted while the tyre is off the rim, so get it done at the same time as the tyres go on. Doing it afterwards means paying to break the beads again.
Is a TPMS light an MOT failure?
On a car first used on or after 1 January 2012, yes. A tyre pressure monitoring system that is inoperative or showing a fault is a major defect, and a major defect is a fail.
Two things people get wrong here. First, the light being on because a tyre is genuinely soft is not a system fault, that is the system working. Pump it up and it goes out. Second, removing the bulb or taping over the cluster does not help, because the tester is checking that the system functions, not just that the lamp is dark.
Cars registered before 2012 have no TPMS requirement at the MOT at all, even if the car happens to have the system fitted.
Does a sensor stop the wheel fitting?
No. A direct sensor sits inside the barrel at the valve hole and has no effect on fitment, offset or clearance. Any wheel we sell takes a standard sensor.
One detail on very low profile setups: a few older clamp-in sensors have a fairly tall body, and on a deep concave wheel a fitter may want an angled valve instead. Your tyre shop will know on sight.
What this means for a winter set
If your car is indirect, a second set of wheels for winter is about as simple as it gets. Bolt them on, hold the reset, drive away.
If it is direct, budget for four sensors on the second set and then enjoy swapping them yourself for the next decade. That is the whole argument for a second set rather than getting tyres changed twice a year, and we went through the maths of it in whether a second set of wheels for winter is worth it here.
Smaller is the right call for a winter wheel, for sidewall as much as cost. The reasoning is in why alloy wheels keep buckling on Irish and UK roads.
Wheels that suit a second set
- 20x9" Golf R Estoril Style, Gloss Black — from £160
- 20x9" TTRS Rotor Style, Satin Gunmetal — from £160
- 22x9.5" Autobiography Turbine Style, Black Machined — from £215
Every wheel is sold individually as well as in sets, so if you only need one, see the single wheel replacement range.
Questions we get asked
Do aftermarket alloy wheels come with TPMS sensors?
Not as standard. Alloy wheels are supplied without sensors, because the sensor has to match your vehicle. If your car has direct TPMS you either transfer your existing sensors across or buy a set for the new wheels, and either way it is done while the tyre is off the rim.
Will my tyre pressure light stay on with new wheels?
Only if your car has direct TPMS and there are no sensors in the new wheels. With an indirect system there is nothing inside the wheel, so once you reset it after fitting, the light goes out and stays out.
Is a TPMS warning light an MOT failure?
Yes on any car first used on or after 1 January 2012, where an inoperative or faulty tyre pressure monitoring system is a major defect. A light caused by a genuinely low tyre is not a system fault, that is the system doing its job.
Can I transfer my old TPMS sensors into new alloy wheels?
Usually yes, and it is the cheapest route when you are replacing wheels outright. The car keeps the same sensor IDs so no programming is needed. Check their age first, because the sealed battery lasts roughly five to ten years and it is not worth putting worn out sensors into new wheels.
How long do TPMS sensor batteries last?
Broadly five to ten years. The battery is sealed inside the sensor and cannot be replaced, so a flat one means a new sensor.
Do I need TPMS sensors for a second set of winter wheels?
Only with a direct system. Fitting a second set of sensors is what makes a winter wheel set worthwhile, because you can then swap the wheels at home rather than paying a fitter to change tyres twice a year.
Not sure which system your car has? Send the make, model and year to sales@omiwheels.com or WhatsApp +44 7753 828059 and we will tell you whether you need sensors before you order. We ship from Northern Ireland, so there are no customs charges or import VAT into Ireland or mainland Europe.