Customers share their spending and savings insights in CR's special survey.
By Jeff S. Bartlett
Car tires are becoming progressively more costly, and selecting the appropriate ones for both your vehicle and financial situation can be quite difficult.
In 2020, our members paid a typical amount of $167 for new tires. By 2022, this had increased to $194. Our most recent survey conducted in 2023 with data from 16,899 members about their purchases within the last year showed an even higher median price at $223. The expense for installing each tire has also gone up since 2020—from $25 initially to $31 currently. (Refer to our complete report) tire retailer ratings .)
"Shoppers buying new tires must take into account various aspects related to performance and cost," explains Ryan Pszczolkowski, who manages the tire program at Consumer Reports. "It's important to plan ahead for replacing your tires before you're under pressure—this includes picking the perfect replacement, finding a reliable seller, and searching for available rebates or deals." He adds that maintaining your tires correctly can increase their lifespan, which reduces how much you'll spend on replacements over time. (For more information, check out the tire selector discovered using our tire evaluations And assist in pairing the tires we've evaluated with your vehicle.
The survey offered insights into purchasing patterns, consumer preferences, retail interactions, and strategies for saving money. In this section, we'll delve into the main findings related to purchases and offer recommendations based on input from our seasoned tire specialists, who buy thousands of tires annually.
What Drives Tire Purchases
A majority of purchasers (61%) opted for replacing their tire sets once the existing ones became worn out. However, an important segment, accounting for 17%, acquired new tire sets due to encountering issues such as flats, noise, vibrations, or tread separation, along with experiencing early or uneven wear, which applied to 14% of them. These insights offer several key takeaways.
Preferably, tires should last for multiple years. To boost the chances of getting full value for your money, review the treadwear projections in our rankings. These estimations, derived from extensive analysis, pertain specifically to all-season and all-season performance tires and stem from our thorough testing procedures. treadwear test In this test, we continuously roll tires for 24 hours, covering more than 1,000 miles each day. Both car and truck tires are tested until they reach 16,000 miles of use. The wear patterns observed help us forecast their expected lifespan.
To maximize the life of your tires, we suggest inspecting and tweaking their pressure every month. Tires naturally lose some pressure as days pass, and changes in external temperature affect how dense the air inside them becomes, which then influences tire pressure. Specifically, lower temperatures cause a drop in pressure, so it’s crucial to stay consistent during colder periods. Maintaining correct inflation ensures even tread wear and enhances overall safety.
Another important upkeep task is rotating the tires approximately every 5,000 to 7,500 miles. Doing this ensures even wear across the tires, offsetting additional wear on the front tires and adjusting for slight misalignments in the vehicle’s suspension system.
CR members generally maintain a proper tire rotation routine. Thirty-three percent indicate they rotate their tires every 5,000 miles, while twenty percent get them rotated during each oil change. Thirteen percent adhere strictly to the recommendations found in the vehicle's owner’s manual. However, numerous individuals lack this discipline, which explains why fourteen percent experienced issues necessitating premature tire replacements. Nine percent admit to never rotating their tires at all. Similar to maintaining one’s physical well-being, regular preventive care extends the life of your tires and helps avoid unnecessary expenses over time.
Shopping Priorities
When selecting new tires, CR members rank handling (73 percent) as most crucial, followed closely by wet grip (also at 73 percent), then tread wear (66 percent), and finally ride comfort (57 percent). Even amid challenging economic conditions, these consumers emphasized performance attributes more than cost, with only 38 percent deeming price highly significant based on the survey responses.
Ultimately price is just one element of value. With tires, value can be understood by looking beyond price to the Overall Score, which reflects the performance and accounts for the predicted treadlife. Often we find that it is worth spending extra on a higher-rated tire. Just make sure you take good care of your tires to truly get your money’s worth.
Michelin clearly stands out as the most popular tire choice amongst Consumer Reports members. This isn’t surprising since Michelin leads in numerous categories we evaluate. Although their tires generally come at a higher price compared to those from several well-known brands, this extra expense is frequently warranted based on their superior track performance and predicted longevity. Moreover, Michelin received notably high marks for customer contentment across all four tire classifications surveyed. Nonetheless, upon reviewing our comprehensive tire rankings, one will discover multiple highly effective options worthy of consideration. tire brand satisfaction .)
Ways to Cut Costs on Tires
Overall, members expressed contentment with tire retailers. In a 2023 survey, more than half (53%) of the participants reported being entirely satisfied with their tire buying journey when factoring in all aspects, whereas 35% indicated high satisfaction levels.
Top retailers frequently offer attractive tire deals along with excellent installation services. To secure the best deal, it’s wise to begin your search before urgently needing new tires due to various benefits this approach provides.
This method gives you the opportunity to compare prices at your favorite stores and also lets you take advantage of rebates offered by tire manufacturers. Such rebates are quite frequent when purchasing a set of four tires, and they're typically advertised on both the tire company’s website and those of their retail partners. Should there not currently be a rebate available, consider waiting till the start of the following month since these offers tend to appear regularly.
An additional factor to consider when being flexible with timing is that your nearby store might lack the particular model and dimension you're looking for. This could be due to the extensive range of sizes that every model comes in.
Once you're prepared to make a purchase, consider haggling over the cost with staff at your nearby shop. Some sellers might offer price matching if you locate a cheaper rate somewhere else. According to most participants in surveys (86 percent), they didn’t attempt negotiation; however, out of those who did, an impressive 63 percent managed to secure a more favorable deal. On average, these clever buyers saved around $37 per tire as a result. So, it could be beneficial to give it a shot.
Make certain to inquire about complimentary benefits. A significant majority of customers (83%) who bought or had their tires fitted at a retail outlet obtained at least one free benefit or service. Of those recipients, roughly half were offered free tire rotations (46%) or balance adjustments (44%). Nearly an equal number enjoyed free installation services (39%), whereas approximately a third benefited from complimentary tire inspections or flat repair assistance. Such additional offerings foster customer loyalty and provide genuine cost savings. We particularly appreciate the offer for free tire rotations since this could shave off over $100 annually and promotes proper care of your tires—provided you continue patronizing the same establishment.
What About Road-Hazard Protection?
A road hazard warranty—which usually offers a pro-rated replacement for tires damaged prior to reaching their standard tread life—is yet another widely available benefit. Nearly 50% of Consumer Reports (CR) members who possessed such warranties obtained them gratis from the tire manufacturers. In cases where vehicles do not come with this coverage, retailers might provide it as a complimentary bonus. Alternatively, customers have the option to include it akin to purchasing an extended warranty when buying the tires.
For individuals who bought a road hazard/service contract warranty, the typical expense for a quartet of tires amounted to $62 for all-terrain types, $53 for all-season varieties, $50 for all-weather options, $48 for ultra-high-performance summer models, and $46 for snow/winter designs. On average, customers paid $53 extra for such coverage, with costs ranging between $45 for BFGoodrich products up to $63 for Continental offerings.
Only about a quarter (24 percent) of road-hazard/service contract warranties had actually been used when members were surveyed.
“Road-hazard protection is often worth the peace of mind,” says Gordon Gingras, automotive engineer at Consumer Reports. “This is especially true on expensive tires, tires with short sidewalls that are prone to damage, and if you have a history of getting flat tires ."
Bottom Line
Begin your search for new tires by selecting models that excel in key safety features important to you, like excellent wet-braking performance, strong winter traction, and effective resistance against hydroplaning (where water forms a layer between the tire and roadway). Afterward, concentrate on finding options with durable treads within your chosen category and securing a fair price through a reliable seller. Often, significant reductions are offered via the official sites of both tire manufacturers and retailers, typically provided as savings when purchasing an entire set. Additionally, always keep in mind that attempting to negotiate prices might prove beneficial too.
More on Tires
• Top Choice Tires: The Leading Car, SUV, and Truck Tires
• Best Tire Brands
• Best Tire Values
• Best Car Tires
• Best SUV/Truck Tires
• Best All-Season Tires
• Best Winter/Snow Tires
• Highest and Lowest Rated Tire Dealers
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