Method for estimating the position of the centre of a tyre for vehicle wheels, comprising: a) acquiring, according to a side view, an image of the tyre with a sidewall laid on a supporting portion lying on a plane, b) defining, in the acquired image, a number n of analysis directions α 1, α 2,..α i,.. α n intersecting at one selected central point (Pc), with n and i integers, n>1 and 1 ≤ i ≤ n; c) for each analysis direction α i: c1) defining, in the acquired image, a number m of potential axes of symmetry s i1, s i2,.. s ij,.. s im, perpendicular to the analysis direction α i, where m and j are integers, with m>1 and 1 ≤ j ≤ m, and c2) calculating a level of symmetry of the image with respect to each of said potential axes of symmetry s i1, s i2,.. s ij,.. s im, wherein said level of symmetry is indicative of the probability that the centre of the tyre is on the respective potential axis of symmetry s i1, s i2,.. s ij,.. s im; c3) determining a probability distribution P αi indicative of a variation of said level of symmetry along said analysis direction α i; d) determining the position of the centre of the tyre on the basis of a cumulative probability distribution P merged obtained through a combination of the probability distributions P αi calculated for said analysis directions α 1, α 2,..α i,.. α n. a) acquiring, according to a side view, an image of the tyre with a sidewall laid on a supporting portion lying on a plane, b) defining, in the acquired image, a number n of analysis directions α 1, α 2,..α i,.. α n intersecting at one selected central point (Pc), with n and i integers, n>1 and 1 ≤ i ≤ n; c) for each analysis direction α i: c1) defining, in the acquired image, a number m of potential axes of symmetry s i1, s i2,.. s ij,.. s im, perpendicular to the analysis direction α i, where m and j are integers, with m>1 and 1 ≤ j ≤ m, and c2) calculating a level of symmetry of the image with respect to each of said potential axes of symmetry s i1, s i2,.. s ij,.. s im, wherein said level of symmetry is indicative of the probability that the centre of the tyre is on the respective potential axis of symmetry s i1, s i2,.. s ij,.. s im; c3) determining a probability distribution P αi indicative of a variation of said level of symmetry along said analysis direction α i; c1) defining, in the acquired image, a number m of potential axes of symmetry s i1, s i2,.. s ij,.. s im, perpendicular to the analysis direction α i, where m and j are integers, with m>1 and 1 ≤ j ≤ m, and c2) calculating a level of symmetry of the image with respect to each of said potential axes of symmetry s i1, s i2,.. s ij,.. s im, wherein said level of symmetry is indicative of the probability that the centre of the tyre is on the respective potential axis of symmetry s i1, s i2,.. s ij,.. s im; c3) determining a probability distribution P αi indicative of a variation of said level of symmetry along said analysis direction α i; d) determining the position of the centre of the tyre on the basis of a cumulative probability distribution P merged obtained through a combination of the probability distributions P αi calculated for said analysis directions α 1, α 2,..α i,.. α n.