Is no spare tyre a real deal-breaker?
When I first bought my car I was going through the boot and saw that it didn’t have a spare tyre but didn’t think much of it...Recently, my brother and Dad were looking at my car and went to see my spare tyre – the same one I don’t have. And despite having all the tools and equipment in the depths of the boot of my Volkswagen Polo Beats to replace a tyre, the most important part of that exercise was missing.
Some online research led me to realise I wasn’t alone in my missing tyre scenario, with Volkswagen opting out of giving customers a spare wheel for the Polo Beats model of their cars, in favour of a subwoofer, which is moulded into the shape of a wheel and fits neatly in the space of where a spare should be.
The fact that this is a Beats edition of the Volkswagen Polo (Yes, Beats as in Beats by Dre audio fame) opted for a good sound system shouldn’t come as a surprise. This discovery left me thinking – is it that important to have a spare tyre in your car?
Throughout my driving history, and certainly, while I was still getting around in my 2005 Hyundai Getz, I was always told that you should have one, and how to get one. But in 2022 with the convenience of roadside assistance services, it has never crossed my mind that it would be a problem if my current car is lacking one.
Volkswagen isn’t the only motoring company to forego a spare tyre in some of their cars. Renault did the numbers and decided it was cheaper for the company to offer free roadside assistance for five years than it was to give customers buying certain models a spare or space saver tyre. It too fitting a subwoofer to the spare tyre housing in models such as the Megane.
Of course, it isn’t illegal to not have a spare in your car, but the benefits are obvious. If you know how to even change a spare tyre, then carrying one will help you get out of any tricky situation should you find yourself in the event of a puncture or blowout on the side of the road. Especially in less populated and regional areas.
If your car happens to not have a spare included, it’s best you make sure you are covered with roadside assistance, as you’re going to need to call someone to help you get out of this tricky situation.
This trend of modern cars no longer coming with either a full-size or space-saver tyre looks like it’s going to continue well into the future. It saves companies a tonne by not fitting them in the first place.
While most spares can spend their entire life hidden in the boot, with our roads in all various conditions these days, the event of a driver needing a tyre change might be on the rise.
Another important factor carmakers consider is the regulatory pressure to squeeze more kilometres out of every tank of fuel. Ditching the weight of a spare tyre can reduce the car's overall weight, helping increase fuel economy and giving drivers the most out of their new vehicle.
The real question for you when buying your next car is, do you value the peace of mind and convenience of a spare tyre or do you really want that subwoofer instead?
If you do end up with a car that does not offer a spare, make sure that you have roadside assistance available to you and that you've mastered how to use that goo included in the puncture repair and inflator kit. You never know when you might need it.
Related: What should I do if I get a flat tyre?
Related: Five things we like (and don’t like) about run-flat tyres
Related: The story of Bibendum a.k.a. The Michelin Man
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