Kwik Fit came bottom of our chart for cost in every category except for the very cheapest tyre, which was just named as ‘Budget’ on the website. It does have some deals if you buy multiple tyres though, including 20 per cent off four of our sample Pirellis. It was also the only site to offer free mobile fitting when you buy two or more tyres. But the site is clunky and slow and some sizes and brands weren’t available. We expected better from a big name.
Tyreleader
- Average cost: £120.85
- Fitting: Mail order only
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Contact: tyreleader.co.uk
Although not the most expensive, Tyreleader wasn’t the cheapest for any of our samples and the site makes it much harder work to buy. There is no registration look-up and it uses confusing wording such as “specificity”.
Struggle through and the prices look keen enough – but they don’t include fitting. And even at a reasonable £15 per wheel, it wasn’t enough to make this site competitive. It couldn’t offer the Pirelli we were after, either.
Halfords
- Average cost: £123.59
- Fitting: Mobile, Autocentres
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Contact: halfords.com
Halfords offers some deals if you buy more than one tyre, but even with these factored in, it wasn’t the cheapest in any category. The site is frustratingly slow and you can’t choose car brand-specific tyres.
Mobile fitting is a reasonable cost, but it is priced according to the time of day. Fitting fees at Halfords Autocentres incur a peak-time tax too, which adds between 50p and £3 to the already high costs.
Verdict
Blackcircles isn’t the cheapest, but it’s easy to use, packed with information and offers the best choice. If you’re buying more than one tyre, then extra deals drop prices too. Second place goes to eTyres, and third to its Asda-branded sister site. Both offer the keenest prices and easy-to-use menus.
To help decide which tyres to buy, check out our reviews of the best car tyres…
