Buying Tips/FAQs
Regardless of whether you’re considering buying tyres online for the first time or whether you’re a regular online tyre purchaser, it’s important to make the most of your online experience and optimise your chance of getting the product and service you want at the price you want.
This page attempts to provide you with some help in this process by answering some of the most common FAQs relating to online tyre retailing and to providing some useful buying tips to make sure you get the best possible deal.
If you have a question that’s not covered here, please feel free to e-mail us and, if it’s relevant we’ll feature it on this page.
Is it really cheaper to buy tyres online than through traditional tyre outlets?
In most cases, yes - and there is plenty of published market research to prove it.
For instance a market report carried out by tyre pricing research specialists Encircle Marketing in 2009 compared prices over a three month period from May-July 2009 and found that the average price per tyre from pure internet retailers was £69 compared with £89 from national fast fit chains – a difference of over 20%
Furthermore, the report found that if one focuses purely on premium brands in order to account for the differences in brand mix between the various retailers, the value offered by Internet specialists was even clearer. For S and T rated tyres the average internet retailer price was £54 compared with £84 with the national chains, a difference of 35%. For H rated tyres the average internet price was £77 compared with £99 (22% difference), for V rated tyres £71.60 compared to £101 (28%) and for W,Y and Z rated tyres £112 compared to £147 (24%).
Which? Magazine has also carried out an in-depth Tyres Review, which concluded that both independent/regional tyre dealers and online retailers were cheaper than national chains. The report, however also found that online retailers offered a wider range of tyres than local or regional tyre dealers thus offering customers the best of both worlds.
How do different types of retail outlet perform on price?
According to Encircle Marketing, who audit the prices of the top 23 car/ 4x4 tyre sizes on a variety of websites internet retailers offer the lowest prices. The average tyre price of £68 compares favourably with the next cheapest channel, local independents (£73) and was massively cheaper than the average price offered by national fast fit chains (£89). Other average prices were regional independents (£76), car dealers (£79) and autocentres (£82).
Although surveys of this kind are always open to debate, our view is that Encircle’s estimates are an accurate portrayal of the kind of price differentials that can be achieved by buying online
Why are national chains often more expensive?
The main reason is that the established national fast-fit networks have much higher overheads than internet retailers. They often have prime business locations to maintain, depot employees to pay, stock levels to maintain etc.
The issue of overheads is explained by Eamonn Holmes on the homepage of our partner retailer, Etyres.
The leading chains will argue that you get what you pay for – national networks, comfortable and accessible depots, highly trained staff, a wider range of services, higher stock levels, good opening hours and the security of buying off a nationally recognised brand name. Leading specialist internet retailers will argue that they provide this too.
In the final analysis, it’s for you, the customer to decide what kind of service you’re most comfortable with.
National chains need to maintain their price levels and have therefore traditionally tried to distance their regular business from Internet sales. However, as the online market grows the main chains have begun to show some signs of changing and recognising the Internet with activities such as special offers via online discount vouchers. The Group that own National Tyres have got round the problem by operating a separate online business (Tyreshopper), whose prices are in line with those of other internet retailers. However, for the national fast fit chains the key aim generally remains to get the customer into the store to buy tyres in the traditional manner.
Why are most online retailers less well known that the High Street Chains?
The online retail market for tyres has developed over the course of the last ten years or so and began with a number of pioneering new companies who recognised the potential of the Internet. They developed their businesses in different ways –some by developing their own network of mobile vans and others by developing networks of fitting partners and supplying via the tyre wholesale network. Several of these companies are still in existence and are among the leading players in the market. They are highly developed and serious enterprises but their public profile is less visible than the national chains because they do not, by and large, have retail depots of their own. Their business model is different, but no less valid. Since their development other young companies are following the lead of the pioneers and developing rapidly.
Some traditional retailers have also entered the online market in recent years and a few of them have gained a leading position in the market by developing internet retail concepts alongside their traditional retail businesses. However, they have tended to keep the two sides of their business separate by creating new brands for their online businesses. Other groups of independent regional tyre have clubbed together under the guise of new online brands to provide the national coverage that is needed for successful online sales.
Other leading national retailers have stayed clear of online sales. Most now have websites, which allow you to book online but don’t take your money until you are in the depot. In general, many traditional retailers pay lip service to the online business – they’re involved in it because they need to be and because the market is growing. However, in general, it is not in their interest for the online market to grow too quickly a) because there is more competition in the online sector b) they are dominant in the traditional retail market with well known retail brands c) traditional style retail sales are more profitable for them than online sales.
How can I make sure I am buying off someone I can trust?
These days Internet retailing in the tyre sector has become very sophisticated and, despite the fact that many online retail brands are not yet household names, the market is dominated by highly developed, reputable businesses.
This was borne out by a survey carried out by Which? In October 2007, where over 2000 Which? Panel members were questioned about their online tyre buying experiences. At the time 95% of respondents who had bought tyres online professed themselves to be either very or fairly satisfied with the service they had received.
Of course, one of the key disadvantages (as well as advantages) of the Internet is that it is very easy to set up a mail order online store. There are, however several checks you can make to reduce the risk of problems.
- Check the scope of the fitting network of the online store you’re planning to use. Most serious players in the online sector have now developed national (or near national) fitting networks.
- Check the prominence of the retailer on the search engines including prominence on pay-per-click functions. PPC is not cheap and a significant PPC showing is a sign that the retailer is making an investment in the market
- Be careful with mail order only stores
- If in doubt stick to one of the leading internet retailers
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Who are the leading online retailers?
This, of course, is open to debate but most experts would agree that Blackcircles, Etyres, Mytyres, Tyreshopper and Value Tyres are among the leading companies offering online tyre sales. The first three companies are specialist online retailers and were among the pioneers in the sector. The other two companies developed more recently as the online arms of more traditional tyre dealers.
However, the market is growing and there are many other active online retailers – many of which are mentioned elsewhere on this page
What type of company will be carrying out the fitting of my tyres if I buy online?
This varies considerably as each retailer has different network of fitting stations.
Many specialist online retailers have developed fitting networks based on independent garages and small dealers. Blackcircles, Mytyres, Ctyres, Tyretraders and Tyrexpress are all examples of this kind of set-up.
Tyreshopper is part of the Group that owns National Tyres & Autocare so their fitting network is dominated by NationalTyre depots.
Value Tyres is now one of the leading online retailers. Fitting is carried out by the company’s network of fitting partners, consisting both of retail depots and mobile tyre fitters.
Etyres and Event-Tyres are specialist mobile fitting companies with tyres being fitted by the companies’ own fleets of mobile vans.
Major national chains such as Kwik-Fit, National, ATS and Hi-Q use their own retail networks.
Best Buy Tyres and Tyreplus are both networks made up of groups of regional independent tyre retailers.
Protyre is operated by the national wholesaler Micheldever Tyres.
A number of online retailers provide a mail order service only – Camskill, Tyresite, Tyresonline.net and Tyreandgo are examples of this. If you do buy from a mail order retailer make sure you have found someone who will fit your tyres for you. Many local tyre dealers will refuse to fit tyres sold by others both for liability and competition reasons.
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When I’m comparing prices, how can I be sure I’m comparing like for like?
This is often not immediately clear and is one of the areas that Tyre Price Advisor aims to make more transparent.
There are a number of things you can do to check you are comparing like for like.
- Make sure the tyre description is exactly the same including tyre model, size, speed and load rating
- Check whether the site allows you to pay online or whether you will be required to pay at a tyre depot.
- Is the service backed up by a technical hotline?
- Check the fitting arrangements (mail order, mobile fitting, depot fitting)
- Check delivery time/availability
- Make sure valve, balance, fitting and disposal are included
- Check whether any special offers or additional discounts apply
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Why is it so difficult to compare prices of tyres?
It will probably not have escaped your notice that retail tyre prices vary widely.
There are many reasons for this. Firstly tyre prices (particularly online prices) change daily as they are subject to changes in wholesale prices, exchange rate fluctuations etc.
Prices can also vary on a regional basis due to the activities and flexibility of regional independents. Indeed prices can often be flexible locally.
In general it should be stated that price transparency on a national basis is not considered by most tyre dealers to be in their interests, as a lack of transparency helps them maintain higher price levels.
A word of praise should therefore be expressed to those retailers who have joined together with Tyres-Online and Tyre Price Advisor to provide this service. Their participation emphasises their confidence in the strength of their own concepts and their belief in the intrinsic value of the services they offer.
If I use TPA can I be sure I’m getting the best price?
Let’s be honest, there’s always someone, somewhere who’s prepared to offer a deal and will undercut anyone, whatever the price.
What we aim to do is to compare a wide section of the market and to lift the veil on what you’re getting for your money. We hope our service will help you get a better deal.
What else should I be aware of the make sure I’m getting the best deal?
These days retailers are using the Internet in a much more sophisticated manner.
Market research suggests there is evidence of retailers leading with special offer products with the aim of switch-selling. Try to avoid this situation by checking the tyre you ordered is in stock, particularly if you are expected to pay at the depot rather than online.
Similarly, if you ordered only one or two tyres, check the wear on the others in order to avoid being sold additional tyres when you turn up at the depot.
Be prepared for tyre dealerships trying to sell you extra services such as tracking.
And finally, if you use a mail order specialist – check the price of fitting and all extras including valve, balance and tyre disposal.