2019 fiesta active 1, 7000 miles on the clock. tyre sizes 205/45R17. Low profile type. 
Due to missus trying to mount a pavement at the wrong angle the F/N/S alloy wheel got a sizeable chip taken out of it at the wheel rim. Tyre wall also got a slice taken out at the rim which I assume would be a MOT fail, also possibly weakening the tyre wall. 

Hopefully wheel can be repaired, I've no idea what it would cost but on Ford website a single alloy for my car would be £168.00, repair job would need to be less than half the cost of a new wheel I hope.
The tyre would need to be replaced, so do I get both front tyres replaced at the same time to keep things balanced.
Now we come to tyre costs, my wife & I normally just use the car locally, rarely above 40 mph. Occasionally at 60-70 mph for a 20 mile journey on dual carraigeway. 
I notice some local tyre depots advertising budget tyres around £85 Mark, as well as the top brand names should I go for one of these or a brand name at £105 +.
Were both old farts so we don't go tearing up the roads at speed🧓🙄

Whoops!  If the tyres have a rim protector, you might find it's just cosmetic damage and looks worse than it is.  If it hasn't gone through to the cords, it'll generally pass MOT with an advisory.

Any tyre thread opens a can of worms though.  Some will say any tyre damage instantly requires replacement.  Some will say at least 2 need replacing together.

Personally, with 7k on the other tyre, I'd just buy one of the same brand/model to match it.

Also worth noting that tyre performance isn't really about speed on the road.  It's more about being able to stop quickly & safely on a wet 30mph road when some oblivious fool steps out without looking...  

As indicated above there are many different views on tyres. I would just by one and buy the cheapest.  There’s always a chance of damaging the new tyre and the more you spend the more gutted you are when it’s damaged.    As above , it might not need replacing. If it’s not bulging and it has not gone as deep to reveal the reinforcement threads then it’s not mot failure and is considered safe.   But there are many conflicting views,  eg replace tyres in pairs, buy expensive tyres,  don’t take a chance in case unseen structural damage to tyre. 

And then we can argue about 2nd hand tyres as well…..

Don’t forget to check websites of Asda tyres,   Tyreshopper and black circles. Handy for comparing prices even if you don’t buy from them, to see if your local place seems reasonable

Personally I wouldn't buy a budget tyre if a 'branded' tyre is only £20-£30 more (on a £12,000 ??? car). Worth it for peace of mind and knowing that IF anything goes wrong, you won't be wondering if you should have paid the extra. You may well find that the dearer tyre will last longer (I think they all have wear ratings now).

7000 miles? If you're worried about tyre wear not being balanced, you could swap OSR and OSF when you get the new front tyre. Rear tyres do so much less work than fronts, so OSR will be hardly worn at the moment.

 

Roughly I get about 25k miles from front tyres and 50k from rear. Mine are 175/65/14.  Hard to say if more expensive last longer as a rule.  Amount of grip is a factor.  Softer rubber suggests more grip and faster wear. Longer life can mean they don’t grip as well as the others.  The more you look at all the factors the more of a decision mine field it becomes. 

I've bought s/h tyres from the same place the last 30 years and never had an issue with them. Always get nearly new matched sets not odds and sods. As with my mech i know and trust them. Only ever had issue once my mech spotted a nick on the inner wall less than an inch, went to the tyre guy he changed both fronts without quibble.

If you know who and where your getting work done its all about trust, like a marriage hahahahahahahahahaha

On 6/9/2022 at 12:01 PM, auldreekie said:

2019 fiesta active 1, 7000 miles on the clock. tyre sizes 205/45R17. Low profile type. 
Due to missus trying to mount a pavement at the wrong angle the F/N/S alloy wheel got a sizeable chip taken out of it at the wheel rim. Tyre wall also got a slice taken out at the rim which I assume would be a MOT fail, also possibly weakening the tyre wall. 

Hopefully wheel can be repaired, I've no idea what it would cost but on Ford website a single alloy for my car would be £168.00, repair job would need to be less than half the cost of a new wheel I hope.
The tyre would need to be replaced, so do I get both front tyres replaced at the same time to keep things balanced.
Now we come to tyre costs, my wife & I normally just use the car locally, rarely above 40 mph. Occasionally at 60-70 mph for a 20 mile journey on dual carraigeway. 
I notice some local tyre depots advertising budget tyres around £85 Mark, as well as the top brand names should I go for one of these or a brand name at £105 +.
Were both old farts so we don't go tearing up the roads at speed🧓🙄

As noted above - tyres; how they stop in the wet in an emergency has nothing to do with your age or how fast you drive.

What I strongly suggest you do is buy a single new (or trusted 2nd hand) tyre that matches the other tyre on that axle, which we presume is the same as the damaged tyre.  With only 7k miles, I imagine tread depth/wear difference will be very small, with your driving style, but ask a trusted expert to examine your other three tyres.  Remember there's a large part of the tyre you can't see if you never take your wheels off.

OR look for a matching 2nd-hand wheel which has the same tyre - this is not an unlikely situation if the car is only a 2019 model, and this *may* be more cost effective than a wheel repair.  Cost both.

 

As far as everything else goes with tyres in general, longevity, grip, durability, etc etc, you don't have to guess, or hope, or assume  Many quality magazines and organisations do independent exhaustive testing, every year, so you can easily find out the facts using the internet for good, for once.

Here is someone who not only brings all of those independent tests together into one website, he also does extensive testing himself.

https://www.tyrereviews.com/

My own experience, over many years, brands, conditions and outlay, has always found that with tyres you get what you pay for.

On 6/9/2022 at 4:56 PM, isetta said:

As indicated above there are many different views on tyres. I would just by one and buy the cheapest.  

Sorry but that's the worst piece of tyre advice anyone has given, probably ever.

Let's imagine the OP fits one cheapest tyre, and subsequently has to brake in the wet when someone pulls out on him from a sideroad.  Or a cyclist wobbles in front of him.... or anything else....

Golly - yes this does happen in the real world.

So the decent tyre (fitted by Ford from new we assume) on the Offside will grip significantly better than your cheapest new nylon-rich tyre on the Nearside - due to braking, the front tyres are loaded and the rears are light - the car will start to rotate clockwise, and move into the path of any oncoming traffic.

This is why people who understand physics advise making sure you match tyres on an axle.

When you say 'conflicting views', I think you'll find that the view only conflicts between people who understand physics, and people who think cost is the most important factor.