Tesla Toughest on Tyres in Britain
| Thursday 27th March 2025 9:00am
- EV marque tops tyre replacement table in nearly a third of Britain – double that of any other manufacturer
- Citroen, Mercedes and BMW models among those needing tyres replacing at an above average rate
- Interactive map reveals models with most tyre changes in every British location
Exclusive analysis by the UK’s leading automotive servicing and repair company has revealed the cars which are most likely to wear tyres quickly and need more frequent changes.
The data from Kwik Fit, which fits more tyres to the nation’s cars than any other company, reveals which car models are disproportionately likely to need new tyres in every area of Britain. The analysis shows that this varies from area to area, indicating that driving conditions in certain parts of the country seem tougher on some models than others. However, one car tops the list in significantly more locations than any other vehicle – the Tesla Model 3.
More than two million British car owners take their vehicles to Kwik Fit centres each year, including electric (EVs) and hybrids as well as petrol and diesel models. The company’s analysts looked at which models were disproportionately more likely to be brought in for tyre changes than the average car in every area of Great Britain and calculated the index figure for each model.1 From its Maintenance Index 2025, Kwik Fit has ranked the models by the number of locations in which they were most likely to have had tyre changes.2
The Kwik Fit ranking is led by the Tesla Model 3, which topped the table in 54 areas across Britain. This is more than twice as many as the model family in second place, the Citroen Berlingo, which comes top in 24 locations. In third place is another Tesla, the Model Y (16 areas), followed by the Mercedes CLA (9 areas). The top six is completed by the BMW 4 series and the Volvo XC40 (both with 7).
Tough on tyres - the car model families most in need of new tyres in each area of Britain
| Ranking | Model | Number of areas where the model topped the list for tyre changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla Model 3 | 54 |
| 2 | Citroen Berlingo | 24 |
| 3 | Tesla Model Y | 16 |
| 4 | Mercedes CLA | 9 |
| 5 | Volvo XC40 | 7 |
| 6 | BMW 4 Series | 7 |
| 7 | BMW 2 Series | 5 |
| 8 | Jaguar XE | 4 |
| 9 | Kia Niro | 3 |
| 10 | Skoda Karoq | 3 |
(NB - Where models were highest for tyre changes in an equal number of areas, table ranking is based on the number of additional areas where model was in second place.)
The 54 locations where the Tesla Model 3 tops the table cover a wide variety of areas, ranging from Aberdeenshire to Devon. It sees its highest score in the Kwik Fit Maintenance Index in Enfield, where it has an index figure of 9.4. In fact, across London it tops the chart in 14 out of the capital’s 32 boroughs and is in top three places in a further seven.
The Citroen Berlingo comes top in areas from Argyll and Bute to Wiltshire, with its highest index figure of 9.2 being seen in Medway. Intriguingly, despite being top of the table in 24 areas of the UK, the model doesn’t appear in the top three in any of the London boroughs.
When all the models from each manufacturer are combined, it can be seen that five marques account for the vehicles most disproportionately needing new tyres in four fifths of the country (80% of areas3). Tesla and Citroen remain in first and second place in this combined table, but BMW takes the third position with a range of model families contributing to its score, namely the 2 and 4 series, as well as the X1, X3 and X5.
The top five manufacturers, across all their models
| Ranking | Manufacturer | Number of areas where manufacturer topped the list for tyre changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla | 70 |
| 2 | Citroen | 24 |
| 3 | BMW | 15 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 14 |
| 5 | Volvo | 13 |
While the top five marques account for 80% of areas, the data reveals some models requiring a disproportionate number of new tyres in one specific area. For instance, the Suzuki Alto tops the table in Dundee, while the Welsh county borough of Torfaen sees the Vauxhall Adam at the top of the list. In contrast, the MG ZS appears to find the mean streets of Barking and Dagenham tough on its tyres. None of these models top the table anywhere else in the country.
The Kwik Fit Maintenance Index is available online as an interactive map. Users can select any area in Great Britain and find the top three car models most disproportionately requiring new tyres in that area. (Each model is shown with an index figure for that area. An index of 1.0 represents a model having tyres replaced in proportion to the total number of those vehicles registered in a particular area. An index figure of 2.0 indicates that the model is twice as likely to be brought into Kwik Fit for new tyres compared with the relative number of those vehicles in the area.)
Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit, said: “We have more than 600 Kwik Fit centres across the country and see more than two million of the UK’s cars each year, covering EVs and hybrids as well as petrol and diesel models. As a result we have a huge sample of data on tyre changes and other repairs on every make and model for our expert team to analyse. This, along with being independent of any one manufacturer, provides our analysts with a clearer and more comprehensive picture of the current condition of the UK car parc than almost anyone else in the motor industry.
“Of course, while the Maintenance Index has highlighted those models which are most likely to have had new tyres fitted, our advice is consistent across all vehicles when it comes to tyre care. Keeping tyres at the correct pressure and regularly checking wheel alignment will both help prolong the life of the tyres and also ensure they hold the road effectively. Drivers neglect tyre care at their peril, it’s always vital to remember that regardless of all the other safety features on a car, they all rely on the tyres performing as expected.”
Kwik Fit offers the widest range of car tyres in the UK, from budget through to premium brands, and has one of the largest networks of EV trained auto technicians in the country. Drivers can find the right tyres for their vehicle or the details of their nearest centre at kwik-fit.com.
Kwik Fit’s Maintenance Index 2025 for tyre changes can be found here. More details on the index can be found here.
For the latest news and updates from Kwik Fit, customers can follow the company on Twitter at @kwik_fit.
- ends -Note to editors
1. Areas defined as upper tier local authority (UTLA) areas, eg counties, metropolitan districts, London boroughs.
2. For each local area across Great Britain, Kwik Fit’s data analysis team identified the total number of cars registered in that area as at Q3 2023 and what proportion comprised each make and model. The analysts then compared this with the numbers of each make and model of car from that area visiting Kwik Fit centres for tyres during Feb 2024 – Jan 2025 across the country, filtering out rare makes and models. This comparison enabled the team to calculate which models have a greater than proportionate chance of needing new tyres and allocate an index score.
The car make and model were then ranked on the basis of the number of areas in which that model topped the local area index.
3. 80% of the total number of UTLA areas
About Kwik Fit
Established in 1971, the Kwik Fit Group is one of the largest independent automotive parts, repair and replacement specialists in the world. Kwik Fit has over 600 service centres across the UK, as well as a nationwide fleet of mobile tyre fitting vehicles, and specialises in tyres, brakes, exhausts, MOT and servicing. Details of its range of products and services can be found at kwik-fit.com
