Why do Tesla’s not have spare tires?

Some of the most prestigious cars currently available are built by Tesla. They have a lot of innovative, sophisticated, and even creative features, such as Sentry Mode.

Nevertheless, they lack certain elements conventional vehicles have. One of those facets? A spare tire. That’s right — Tesla lacks a decades-old feature that cars have had. Practicality, weight, absence of use, free roadside assistance, and inefficient labor are some reasons for this decision.

In any event, Tesla has a clear justification for not having a vehicle staple in their models, and interestingly, the lack of spare tire does not seem to bother owners, nor do they seem to need it if a flat tire arises. In addition, the decision by Tesla has proven realistic and efficient enough that the trend tends to be adopted by other car manufacturers.

Spare Tires Are Rarely Used

The reality is that we do not use spare tires as much as we once did. For this very reason, many automakers decided to follow Tesla’s lead. The spare tire and the equipment used accompany the vehicle to the junkyard roughly 85 percent of the time when the life cycle of a vehicle has ended without ever being used. With that in mind, Tesla determined that for just 15% of its drivers, it wasn’t worth including a spare tire.

Tesla figured this was an unworthy investment. Software called TPMS is on most modern cars instead of a spare tire, which helps drivers to know when tire pressure is low with ample time to drive to a tire repair shop, minimizing the commonality of flat tires. However, many drivers are not too happy with driver-assist programs such as TPMS.

In addition, Tesla equips the tires of its vehicles with permanently adhering noise-reducing, sound-dampening foam to the inside of their tread surface. This decreases cavity resonance and road noise, but smaller tire shops lack the required training and supplies to properly patch or repair Tesla tires as a drawback. Bear in mind that up to 20% of the raw material and labor costs for tires are spent in spare tires, which makes the process very expensive.

Additionally, replacement tires take up space that could be used for more space such as the cabin or engine. After all, the effective use of cargo space is part of the Tesla Model 3’s appeal. Finally, the spare tire’s sheer weight literally drags the car down, meaning a vehicle can speed down the road much more easily without a spare tire.

$230 Is The Standard Repair Price

Tesla tires are expensive to fix as well, starting at $230. This is partially due to the aforementioned foam in the tires that ends up stopping smaller tire shops from making the repairs.

For $230 each, most Costco warehouses will repair Tesla tires, with a $70 discount if all four tires are bought. However, beware of the $20 per tire additional labor fee.

Tesla’s mobile service, which costs $230 per tire plus $55 for labor on each tire, is another option. Tesla’s mobile service is also more likely to fix the tire on the spot and patch it with less delay, but they do not have the alignment equipment, so they only do balancing.

A Spare Tire Kit Is Offered At An Exorbitant Price

If drivers choose to have a spare tire kit, then there’s one available. It just comes at a price that is really exorbitant. The Tesla Store has a tire repair and inflator package built for temporary road tire replacements, but it costs between $280 and $370 for the Model S / X / 3 Tire Repair Kit.

The good news is that this tire repair kit is specifically built for the Tesla Model 3 and is compatible with all of the Tesla factory wheel size choices, including the Model Y 31-inch. It ensures that the size of the tire and factory wheels are matched, as well as that the large brake is clear. In a space-saving storage case that is only six inches wide, the repair kit is also designed to not take up much cargo space.

A custom low-profile scissor jack featuring a ratcheting handle mechanism is also included in the kit, giving sufficient leverage at the designated lift points. It is also safer than trying to patch the tire that drivers have tried to do with duct tape.

Tesla Offers Free Road Service

As long as their warranties are active, Tesla owners also have Tesla Roadside Assistance available 24/7, so they can easily get help in one quick phone call. Tesla tires often do not suffer extreme cascade failures when they fail, so when they are called, Roadside Assistance is more likely to be both prepared and effective.

That said, on the rare occasion that a tire experiences a full blowout, Roadside Assistance is also ready. Drivers have thus far spoken positively of the program, noting the Tesla employees’ skill, practicality, professionalism, repair speed, and rapid response.

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