WE ALL KNOW THAT TYRES are a substantial expense, and there is a strong temptation to buy on price. But is there really any difference between budget brands and the (usually) much more expensive premium brands? Or is it all just marketing hype?
Sadly for budget tyre buyers, independent tests commissioned by the world’s largest multi-brand automotive services and tyre sales franchise, Point S, have demonstrated a significant gap in safety and performance between premium, mid-range and budget tyres.
The tests, which were conducted by independent technical testing organisation, TÜV SÜD Product Service, examined the five premium tyre brands against three mid-range and three budget tyre brands across a range of safety-critical criteria on a high demand 18-inch tyre, the 225/40R18 92Y.
The results demonstrate the markedly superior performance of premium tyres over their mid-range and budget rivals, particularly in wet conditions. On the wet braking test, mid-range tyres took on average 2.33m extra braking distance to bring the test vehicle to a complete stop from 80km/h. The budget tyres, meanwhile, required 4.47m – the length of a large SUV or a fully grown female giraffe – extra braking distance compared to the premium models.
The five premium tyres also performed better in TÜV SÜD Product Service’s road grip and handling tests. The mid-range tyres required a 3km/h reduction in speed to match the handling of the average premium tyre on wet roads, while the budget tyres needed a 5km/h reduction.
Leveraging its position as the world’s largest independent tyre dealer network, Point S commissioned the testing to give its members the most up-to-date, evidence-based advice on tyre safety, enabling them to offer customers the right tyre rather than the cheapest. The move comes amid widespread industry debate over the financial viability of premium tyres.
Point S International CEO, Fabien Bouquet, said, “In today’s challenging economic climate, where inflation is causing price rises, it is natural that drivers are more cost-conscious when it comes to maintaining their vehicles.”
“We are increasingly asked by our end customers to justify the price differences between tyre ranges, so we commissioned these tests with TÜV SÜD Product Service to get a truly independent and objective view on this issue. What the testing has confirmed is that premium tyres categorically perform better across all safety-critical test criteria. The question we should be asking ourselves as an industry, therefore, is: can you really put a price on safety?”
(Test commissioned by Point S, and took place in October 2023 using a VW Golf VIII GTD. Five premium brand tyres, three mid-range tyres and three budget tyres were tested under the report number 713311093-PR)