Cost guide
Car tyre cost: what tyres cost over a year of ownership
The tyre cost of owning a car is the price of fitted replacement tyres, spread over how long they last at your mileage. 73 Auto estimates it for a specific car without asking for a tyre size: it works out the car's likely factory tyre sizes, prices a like-for-like fitted replacement from UK tyre retailers, and estimates front and rear tyre life separately from the car's weight, power and drive layout and from how far and how you drive.
Published 2026-09-28 · Publisher: 73 Auto
How the tyre estimate is built
- The tyres the car came with. Front and rear sizes, load and speed rating, and run-flats where fitted. Where the exact wheel option can't be identified, every plausible factory option is weighed and the result is shown as a range.
- A fitted price. Tyre plus fitting, balancing, valve and disposal, at a like-for-like quality level (premium tyres for premium and performance cars, mid-range otherwise, never the cheapest budget tyre), from dated prices at UK tyre retailers.
- How long they last. Front and rear separately, from the tyre type, the car's weight, power and drive layout, your annual mileage and driving style. Tyres that would age out before they wear out are replaced on age.
- This car's MOT. Tyre advisories on the latest MOT count as a near-term replacement.
The result is the expected cost over your ownership period, not a prediction that tyres will be replaced on a particular date.
Estimate tyre costs for a specific car
Enter a UK registration and your annual mileage. If you know your tyre size or price, you can enter it. Your first check is free and shows the vehicle summary and its headline ownership cost. The category-by-category breakdown is part of a paid check.
UK number plate or 17-character VIN
Why tyre costs vary so much between cars
Wheel size and tyre type set the price of each tyre; weight, power and which wheels are driven set how fast they wear; and your mileage sets how often that happens. A heavy, powerful car on large wheels can need new tyres far more often, at a far higher price per tyre, than a small hatchback. Electric cars are often heavy for their size, which the wear estimate takes into account.
For UK prices of every common tyre size, and the factory sizes of popular models, see tyre sizes and prices.
What the tyre figure is based on
| Input | Where it comes from | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Make and model | DVLA vehicle record and DVSA MOT history | Official data |
| Tyre advisories | The car’s latest DVSA MOT | Official data |
| Factory tyre sizes | 73 Auto fitment reference data (an editorial compilation of factory fitments) | 73 Auto estimate |
| Fitted tyre prices | Dated published prices from UK tyre retailers whose terms permit it | 73 Auto estimate |
| Mileage and driving style | What you enter, or standard UK assumptions | Your input |
Full detail on every source is on the data sources page, and how each category is calculated is on the methodology page.
Common questions
Can I use my own tyre size or price?
Yes. A tyre size, a price or an annual tyre cost you enter takes priority over the estimate.
Why do the worked examples all show the same tyre cost?
The examples were calculated before the current tyre model, when every car carried the same flat tyre allowance of £135 a year. That is why 73 Auto publishes no tyre-cost statistics from them; a new report for any car uses the method described above.
See tyres in a full worked example
A mid-priced worked example of each fuel type, showing tyres alongside every other cost.
| Vehicle | Fuel | Per year | Per month | Per mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MINI Mini 2018 | Petrol | £5,078 | £423 | £0.69 |
| Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD 2022 | Electricity | £5,177 | £431 | £0.70 |
| Toyota RAV4 2017 | Diesel | £5,691 | £474 | £0.77 |
| Toyota Corolla 2019 | Hybrid Electric | £5,983 | £499 | £0.81 |
About these examples. All 53 were calculated under one standard scenario: 7,400 miles a year, 3-year ownership, finance purchase. They describe the specific vehicles 73 Auto has analysed, not every car of that type in the UK. They were calculated on 21 Jul 2026. Since then, 73 Auto has rebuilt its fuel prices and VED rules, tyres, servicing, repairs and maintenance, depreciation and insurance models, so a new report for the same car today can give different figures from its example.
Limitations
Tyre prices change and local fitting charges vary. Punctures and damage are included only as an average allowance, so an unlucky year will cost more. The estimate is for budgeting and comparing cars, not a quote. See the methodology for every cost category.
How 73 Auto works this out
Every category is explained in the methodology, and the data sources page lists which inputs are official data and which are 73 Auto estimates. How pages are written and kept up to date is set out in the editorial policy; to report a factual error, see corrections.