The existing theoretical tyre models are not perfect; on the other hand, tyres have a significant impact on the safety of vehicle traffic. Therefore, the problem of measurements of tyre deformation when interacting with road surface still must be dealt with. The review of the state of the art in the field of transducers and tyre deformation measurement methods, presented in this article, shows the abundance and diversity of the solutions having been made available so far. Nevertheless, it has been shown, based on the systematic classification adopted, that transducers representing each of the classification groups are characterized by separate properties, which in many cases are hardly compatible with each other. The lack of a transducer that would be free from drawbacks induces attempts to aggregate selected positive features of the solutions that are known in the present state of the art and can be taken as a basis for developing an innovative deformation transducer of new generation. Such a transducer will be presented in the next article.