Many thanks all.
I only cover about 5000 a year and intend to change vehicle in the summer so didn't want to spend a fortune. I've found I can get a set of Avons at a very good price so I'll probably stick with those.
As Thunderbird says, budget tyres aren't always the best choice, as they normally fall into two categories, in order for them to be cheap to buy:
1. The have a very hard compound, which is great for wear and often good for mpg, but give a firm ride, are noisy and comparitively poor in the wet and often dreadful in snowy/icy conditions, as they get really hard when the temperature drops;
2. They have a very soft compound, which means they are quiet, comfortable and grippy (though likely not in cold weather etc), but have a comparitively high wear rate, meaning you end up paying nearly as much (if not more) than better quality tyres over the longer run, because they include better materials that give a decent all-round performance and lifespan.
This is why comparing the whole package, not just price and performance, is worth doing. And as I said before, some tyres are suited to some cars and not others. Fair enough though on this occasion if you're going to get rid of the car in a few months without putting too many miles on the clock. If I recall, Avons tend to be in that second category I mentioned above, though they are a step up from the Chinese ditchfinders in terms of quality.
You may also find that some tyre dealers palm off old tyres they have had difficulty shifting that could've been sitting on a shelf for a long time (not just 3-6 months tops) - they are marked with a code of the year and week number of manufacture, e.g. 2819, i.e. the 28th week of 2019. See TyreReviews for more on all this.
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