Tesla Drivers Burn Through Tyres Fast says KwikFit
Electric cars might be more expensive to buy than a petrol equivalent but we’re consistently told they offer more affordable running costs during ownership.
From incredibly cheap home charging, less expensive servicing bills due to having fewer mechanical parts to maintain compared to petrol and diesel cars, and exemption from low emission zone charges – like ULEZ – means motorists pay much less day-to-day.
But for Tesla owners, one higher cost than any other car has been exposed – the bill to replace tyres. This is because they need replacing more often, according to a report by KwikFit.
Research by the car servicing and repair company reveals which cars and vans need new rubber most frequently, and the Tesla Model 3 tops the table across the UK. And this can get expensive quickly, as Tesla tyres cost anything from £78 to £220, the vehicle servicing specialist said.
It comes as various studies have tried to suggest that EVs produce more tyre emissions than conventional combustion cars – but is that really the case?
The data from KwikFit, which claims to fit more tyres to the nation’s cars than any other company, was collated from the two million plus British car owners who take their vehicles to its centres each year.
Analysing 12 months of its own data, it found that different cars need new tyres more often in different parts of the UK, indicating that driving conditions in some locations are tougher on tyres than others.
However, the Tesla Model 3 tops the list in significantly more locations than any other. In fact it is the vehicle that burns through rubber in twice as many areas as the Citroen Berlingo van in second place.
Looking at which models were disproportionately more likely to be brought in for tyre changes than the average car in every area of Britain, the company’s analysts calculated an index figure for each model.
Citroen, Mercedes and BMW models were listed at the top of the order below Tesla as those needing tyres replacing at an above average rate.
The Tesla Model 3 topped the table in 54 areas across Britain, landing it clearly in first place for toughest tyre wear.
These ranged from Aberdeenshire to Devon, with the highest score in the KwikFit Maintenance Index in Enfield, where it has an index figure of 9.4. Additionally, across London, it tops the chart in 14 out of the capital’s 32 boroughs and is in the top three places in a further seven.
The Citroen Berlingo comes top in 24 areas, including Argyll and Bute and Wiltshire. Its highest index figure of 9.2 was seen in Medway. Yet, despite being top of the table in 24 areas of the UK, the model doesn’t appear in the top three in any of the London boroughs.
In third place is another Tesla, the world’s best-selling car of 2023, the Model Y SUV. This was brought in for new rubber most frequently in 16 areas.
Fourth place went to the Mercedes CLA (nine areas) while the top six were rounded out by the the BMW 4 Series and the Volvo XC40 both with seven areas.
When all the models from each manufacturer are combined, it can be seen that five marques account for the vehicles most disproportionately needing new tyres in four fifths of the country (80 per cent of areas).
Tesla and Citroen remain in first and second place in this combined table, but BMW takes the third position with a range of model families contributing to its score, namely the 2 and 4 series, as well as the X1, X3 and X5.
Tesla however has explained to This is Money that above average changing of Model 3 tyres likely ties in with the Model 3 delivery period; Tesla started delivering the Model 3 in volume in the UK in 2021 – within the three to five year period typical for tyre replacement recommendations.
The US brand also pointed out that tyre changes are the only regular maintenance owners need to do because Tesla doesn’t require or ask for annual servicing for its cars, with the Honest John Satisfaction Index survey ranking Tesla the best-rated reliable car brand for 2025.
