Does my new EV come with a full-size spare tyre?

Very few car companies these days offer a full-size spare wheel to match the road wheels on their new cars – the same size and construction of wheel, the same tyre tread pattern/contact patch.

The new car buyer often learns this the hard way – the first time they puncture a tyre while away from home. This seems to be more commonplace in the new breed of plug-in hybrids and EVs too.

The challenge with EVs is where to put the spare wheel as the battery packs are currently heavy and large, taking up a big portion of the underfloor. So given the choice of big boot space or big battery size car-makers inevitably leave the spare wheel on the factory floor.

There are arguments for and against. If your car rarely travels more than 20km a day, and never travels beyond suburbia, a tyre repair kit or a compact space-saver will suffice. And since most drivers subscribe to a roadside assistance program, you can even ring and ask someone to help you get back on the road.

On the other hand, if your EV is one of those long-range jobs and you frequently tour through the country, waiting for roadside assistance to roll out a tilt-tray truck to bring you and the car back to civilisation can be frustrating. And if you’re a tradie working on construction sites – with plenty of screws and nails lying on the ground – a full-size spare is definitely the better option. Some ‘can-do’ types will jack the car up, fit the spare and be on their way in three to five minutes.

That last point is important, however. Do you have the muscle to jack up the car, loosen the fasteners and lift the wheel into place?

This is the most common ‘spare tyre’ solution in electric cars. Once the canister of sealant in an original-equipment tyre repair kit has been used, it is more expensive to replace it than to repair a punctured tyre.

The kit takes up little room, and weighs less than a spare tyre, but it doesn’t offer the same peace of mind when you’re a long way from home. Some drivers find the tyre repair kit easier and more convenient to use, but the car is bound by speed and time limitations once the tyre has been resealed and reinflated.

An aftermarket tyre repair kit (an aerosol can that works independently of the compressor supplied with the car) is not always reliable and can be messy to use.

Run-flat tyres are often a better option for the consumer than the full-size spare wheel, the compact space-saver or the tyre repair kit, but manufacturers steer clear of run-flats for one particular reason – ride comfort. Many EVs ride on firm springs to counter the added weight of the lithium-ion battery pack, and run-flats exacerbate that hard ride. A typical tyre fitted to an EV must be stronger than normal, quieter than normal, and delivering lower rolling resistance for better efficiency and range. Run-flats are compromised by their nature, and are expensive to purchase.

Ask the salesperson to open the boot, lift the carpet or rubber and check what’s underneath. A full-size spare will be the same wheel/tyre combination as the four wheels and tyres fitted to the front and back axles. A compact space-saver will be a narrow, steel wheel, typically painted black or silver. A tyre repair kit will comprise a canister of sealant and a compressor with a 12V power lead.

You have the choice to buy or look elsewhere…

Related: What should I do if I get a flat tyre?

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Related: What you need to know: Spacesaver spare tyre