Your Questions Answered: Are new Chinese brands worth taking seriously?

I need new tyres for my car, but I’m on a budget. I just wondered how come the same tyre to fit my car from some tyre shops are priced at triple the cost of others. Are they really three times better a tyre? - Sophie

Answer: Hi Sophie, tyres are generally one of the few consumables on a car you shouldn’t cheap out on.

Lower quality, lower price tyres don’t tend to grip as well as more premium tyres, and often provide poorer ride quality and sometimes don’t wear as well. You get what you pay for, up to a point.

The point for bargain basement tyres might be when you’re slowly sliding off a roundabout in the wet. You really don’t want that moment to be when you realised you should have got better tyres.

It gives peace of mind having the best grip possible. This doesn’t mean you should only buy the most expensive high-performance tyres available, but at least do some research as to what other users think of tyre brands and models.

There are some newer brands that nobody had ever heard of 10 years ago that are gaining a good reputation for grip and longevity, while remaining relatively low cost.

How you use your car might also influence how much to spend on a fresh set of tyres – if it’s just a train station car or one you drive at low speeds around town, a cheaper set of tyres is probably okay.

But if you’re motorway commuting, for example, or take interstate driving holidays, a more expensive, better-quality tyre is something well worth considering.

Also, make sure that you are comparing apples with apples – make sure that not only the tyre size is the right one on the quotes you get, but also the load rating and speed rating match those on the car’s tyre information placard.

I am window shopping for a new run-about car to replace a Toyota Yaris. The Yaris has been reliable and gets the job done. But I like the look, features and great value of some of the new Chinese brands. Are they worth taking seriously, are they as good as a Toyota, and are they going to stick around in this market? - Dylan

Hey Dylan, this is a great question. Predicting which of many brands (not just the Chinese ones) are a sure thing to stay Australia is impossible in today’s market.

Who knew in 2010 that Holden would be gone in 10 years? Who ever thought Citroen wouldn’t just keep soldiering on even if at trickle in the market, as it had for decades (it went in 2024)?

So in such uncertain times generally, no-one really knows which of the ‘new’ brands are going to stay. Despite even more Chinese brands arriving soon, some are already well established here.

It’s easy to forget that GWM has been selling cars in Australia since 2009. It doesn’t look like it’s packing up shop anytime soon. MG has been here since 2017.

Others like Chery have had two bites at the cherry (pardon the pun), having been sold here between 2011 and 2015 before returning in 2023 as a factory-backed operation and expending quickly (its Tiggo 4 has become the fourth-most popular model sold in Australia).

BYD has just become the second-best-selling brand in May. These brands are finding their feet, selling lots of cars and provided that is sustained through good product and aftersales, they will likely stay.

We also know the product quality has improved incredibly quickly for the most part and value for money is pretty self-evident. It’s an interesting time to be buying a new car for long-term ownership.

I live in inner Sydney and the place is speed hump central. The roads are like an obstacle course. Every bump has a different angle. Just as you think you’ve found your rhythm and can judge the speed you need to wash off, the next one is either a mere blip or it’s so sharp and high you almost send it. Even worse is the speed humps you discover at night on a poorly lit section of road that have worn off their reflective paint. They are a not-so-fun surprise when you find them at the last second. Do these speed humps wear out suspension, tyres and brakes more quickly? - Sam

Well Sam, I hear you. Speed humps are a blessing and a curse. As a pedestrian, you might have a better chance of not being pancaked by the next speeding driver, who has hopefully been slowed down by the speed humps.

It helps cars coming out of driveways or intersections with poor sightlines not so easily get cleaned up by another car in a hurry. That much is obvious, but I think the bigger problem is, as you mention, that no two speed humps are the same, so being consistent with them isn’t easy.

Yes, it is likely speed humps will wear suspension, brakes and tyres (and use more fuel) more than if they didn’t exist, but it’s impossible to measure. If you’re regularly driving in an urban environment, there are driveways, corners, potholes, uneven road surfaces and even stop-start traffic that will also add wear to these components.

If you’re really getting the hump over speed humps, you could try to detour where practical via arterial roads that don’t have them instead.

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