Durability of EV tyres questioned but caution urged over data

Tyres fitted to electric vehicles (EVs) being operated by fleets are not lasting as long as those on petrol and diesel cars, new data from Epyx suggests.

On average, it found that EV tyres lasted 6,350 fewer miles than those fitted to petrol or diesel cars.

The first tyre change for electric cars is taking place at an average of 17,985 miles and 551 days old, compared to 24,641 miles and 585 days for hybrids, and 24,335 and 670 days for petrol and diesel cars.

However, the company’s chief commercial officer, Tim Meadows, did acknowledge that the data should be treated with a “degree of caution”, because of the samples involved.

The data is taken from Epyx’s 1link Service Network platform, which is used by car and van fleets totalling more than four million vehicles to manage and process service, maintenance and repair (SMR).

Previous information released by the company in March also suggested that EV tyres are both bigger and more expensive than petrol or diesel equivalents.

The average replacement tyre fitted to an EV was 18.59 inches and cost £207 while, for petrol and diesel cars, the corresponding figures were 17.40 inches and £130.

Meadows said: “We’ve explained before that our data in this area needs to be approached with a degree of caution because of the samples involved.

“Most EVs operated by fleets tend to be at least the size of a family hatchback with comparatively few smaller vehicles yet available, so the electric cars on our platform tend to skew towards larger models.

“However, even bearing that in mind, both the new data and the figures we have released previously do seem to suggest that EV tyres are wearing faster and are more expensive to replace.

“There is no denying that 6,350 miles and £77 are quite significant gaps, and EV tyres are undoubtedly costing fleets more money in real world terms at the moment.”

The wider question, Meadows said, was whether this was an inherent characteristic of EVs or just a reflection of the types of EVs being operated by fleets.

“There are conflicting arguments being made in the fleet sector at the moment, with some believing that the weight of EVs and the tyres being specified for them will inevitably mean faster wear, while others are saying that the picture is similar to petrol and diesel cars,” he explained.

“We will find out the answer to this question over time as our sample improves. This is a complex area, with not just the vehicles themselves to consider.

“Specialist EV tyres often have characteristics such as different compounds, reduced tread depth and reinforced sidewalls, all of which could ultimately impact on the speed of wear and propensity for damage, before we even look at pricing.

“As the situation becomes clearer over time, we plan to release more information.

“Building a complete picture of how EV and ICE running costs compare is very much an ongoing process for epyx in the coming months and years.”