Which brands offer the best prices and websites when you want new tyres?
Tyres are key to safety on the road and, as we’ve proved in our tests over the years, could be the difference between reaching your destination or not. But they are also a major expense and the temptation to buy based on price can be hard to resist given the rising costs throughout the economy.
To make the most of your money when buying tyres used to involve ringing round multiple outlets, when the response was often ‘what have you been quoted?’ rather than a price. Now the internet does the job for you and comparing prices for the tyres you’ve picked has never been easier, plus you can buy them online and arrange to get them fitted.
As we’ve seen before, though, not all online retailers are equal, because the pressure to secure customers can see them offer extra services, such as local fitting centres and throwing in wheel alignment for free, along with super-keen prices. So which one should you go to when you next need new tyres? We clicked on 10 of the biggest names to find out.
How we tested them
All sites offer the option to select tyre size or enter a car registration to find the correct one.
Our test focused on how quick the search was, how easy it was to filter and find the tyres we were after, and how easy it was to select a fitter.
We searched each site for some of the award-winning options from Auto Express’ tyre tests, and bonus points were awarded to those retailers who had both availability and competitive prices.
Verdict
It’s yet another win for Blackcircles.com, which once again proved to have the most user-friendly site as well as tyre availability. Its prices were also among some of the lowest on test. TyreLeader impressed us for its pricing and simplicity, while MyTyres was the only online retailer to offer all of our tyres.
- Blackcircles.com
- TyreLeader
- MyTyres
Reviews
Blackcircles.com
- Website: blackcircles.com
- Rating: 5 stars
- Type: direct, partner fit, mobile
We’ve been recommending Blackcircles.com for many years and it’s kept its spot at the top once again thanks to its all-round ability. The site is extremely well laid out and user-friendly, while the quick and responsive filtering options help to narrow down your selection.
We especially liked the fact it gives a first-fitment date right at the start of your journey and that tyres come with a lifetime guarantee. It returned five of the six tyres we searched for and offered some of the best prices on test.
Buy tyres from blackcircles.com
TyreLeader
- Website: tyreleader.co.uk
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Type: direct, partner fit, mobile
This site made an impressive debut in 2020 and continues to shine. Prices were some of the best on test and the range of tyres offered was wide, with a handy stock indicator to show availability. It’s a very simple site, but that makes it easy to use, thanks to straightforward and quick filtering.
We also liked the comparison tool, which allows you to compare tyres if you’re unsure what to buy. It’s a great alternative to our test winner if you can’t find the tyres or a suitable local fitter on their website.
Buy tyres from tyreleader.co.uk
MyTyres.co.uk
- Website: mytyres.co.uk
- Rating: 4 stars
- Type: direct, partner fit
Another strong performance for MyTyres, which was the only retailer here to return results for every tyre. Its list of available stock is one of the best around, perhaps unsurprising since it claims to be Europe’s biggest online tyre retailer.
That said, it wasn’t our favourite site to use, with a below-average interface both for usability and design. Searching was a little clunky and the vast amount of information wasn’t clearly displayed. Prices were competitive, but it was unclear if they included fitting or just delivery.
Buy tyres from mytyres.co.uk
Oponeo
- Website: oponeo.co.uk
- Rating: 4 stars
- Type: direct, partner fit
We’ve always scored Oponeo highly, but it doesn’t consistently rank well on search engines, meaning you may not come across the site without going direct. The search function is clear and simple, and filtering is responsive and easy to use.
The colour-coded stock indicator is a welcome addition. It returned five out of six of the tyres we searched for and, while pricing was competitive, it was unclear whether it was inclusive of fitting.
Buy now from openeo.co.uk
eTyres
- Website: etyres.co.uk
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Type: direct, partner fit, mobile
We’ve always scored Oponeo highly, but it doesn’t consistently rank well on search engines, meaning you may not come across the site without going direct. The search function is clear and simple, and filtering is responsive and easy to use.
The colour-coded stock indicator is a welcome addition. It returned five out of six of the tyres we searched for and, while pricing was competitive, it was unclear whether it was inclusive of fitting.
Buy tyres from openeo.co.uk
Asda Tyres
- Website: asdatyres.co.uk
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Type: direct, partner fit
The Asda Tyres website is not too dissimilar to eTyres in that it’s a little overwhelming with colours and graphics that detract from easily searching for your tyres. Filtering could be better, but there are a lot of offers to be had on the site, it just takes a bit of work to get the best out of it.
Like some other rivals here, the site offers earliest fitment dates at the outset, including some in just 24 hours. But it failed to finish higher because availability for the tyres we searched for was limited.
Buy tyres from asdatyres.co.uk
Just Tyres
- Website: justtyres.co.uk
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Type: partner fit
One of two national tyre retailers on test, Just Tyres offers fitment at one of its 40 centres across the UK. The website itself is fairly basic but relatively easy to use, although the search function could be more responsive when filtering options.
There is no stock indicator and availability for the tyres we searched for was the poorest in our test. Prices for those we could find, which included all fitting and a five-year warranty, were on par with the rest.
Buy tyres from justtyres.co.uk
ProTyre
- Website: protyre.co.uk
- Rating: 3 stars
- Type: partner fit
With more than 150 centres around the UK, ProTyre is one of the biggest tyre retailers in the country. The website lets you buy tyres and book into a local garage, with the option for same-day fitting where available.
We like the site, because its layout is useful and easy to follow, but the filtering system when searching for specific tyres is slow compared with rival websites. We were also disappointed to find that availability for the tyres we were searching for was limited.
Buy tyres from protyre.co.uk
Keyword: Best online tyre retailers 2022