Lack of spare wheel leading to more AA callouts

With the vast majority of new cars not having a spare wheel as standard, new research from the AA suggests that one-in-four drivers (82%) would prefer to have a spare wheel in their boot rather than a tyre inflation kit.

Last year, pothole-related damage accounted for almost half a billion pounds in vehicle repairs, with a large portion of that spend going on tyres.

The AA says that if drivers chose the option to add a spare where available this would help to reduce the number of occasions where drivers find themselves stranded at the side of the road after finding the tyre inflation kit that sits where the spare wheel used to be, has failed to seal the offending tyre, resulting in them calling for help.

Half of the survey’s respondents – 49% of some 11,959 AA members surveyed – said that they would be willing to pay to have a spare wheel kit placed in their luggage area and would welcome the peace of mind that comes with the purchase.

Similarly, more than a third (35%) said that they would hesitate to buy a car if it did not come with a spare and the same proportion of respondents would not feel confident using a tyre inflation kit.

Last year, more than half of the vehicles that the AA attended with punctured tyres, did not carry a spare wheel, and even though AA patrols were able to carry out a temporary repair to some of these tyres at the roadside, many required an immediate visit to the garage.

Chris Wood, AA Patrol of the Year, said: “The condition of Britain’s potholed roads is leading to lots of damaged tyres.

“In previous times, if a vehicle suffered a punctured tyre, our patrols would simply fit the spare wheel and wave the member on their way.

“More recently, since manufacturers opted to fit an inflation kit instead of a spare wheel, it can take our patrols a couple of hours to resolve the same issue.”

He added: “Most of the members we attend say that they’d much prefer the peace of mind of having a spare wheel in the boot, even if they had to pay extra for it."