- RAC patrols going out to an
increasing number of puncture-related breakdowns as stricken
drivers find they have no spare
Only 3% of new cars on sale in the UK today come with any form of
spare wheel as standard, increasing the number of breakdowns
where drivers need help in the event of a unrepairable flat tyre,
new analysis by driving services company the RAC has found.*
After reviewing equipment lists of more than 300 car models
across 28 brands – everything from the smallest superminis to the
largest 4x4s – the RAC found just eight (2.6%) come with a spare,
with half of these only available on specific variants of the
same model. Perhaps unsurprisingly, with a couple of exceptions,
it is predominantly larger, heaver-duty vehicles that come with a
spare wheel.
The dramatic decline of the spare wheel, has had a stark effect
on RAC breakdown call-out volumes with patrols going out to
nearly 200,000 jobs last year where drivers experienced a
puncture but found they had no spare wheel, up from around
165,000 four years earlier.**
And the situation is not going to change with the advent of
electric vehicles either, with cars needing to use the space that
in some cases was once the home of the humble spare wheel to
accommodate battery packs.
Luckily for drivers, the RAC was the first breakdown assistance
provider to equip all its iconic orange vans with a multi-fit,
five-stud spare wheel, which its patrols can quickly fit to a
stricken vehicle in the event of a puncture. From this week, the
RAC is also now rolling out a new version of the spare featuring
four studs, as car manufacturers are increasingly fitting
four-stud wheels to their models, meaning it can help more
drivers than ever.
Spare wheels have increasingly fallen out of favour with car
manufacturers as tougher legislation demanded that they do all
they can to reduce emissions. With a spare wheel easily adding up
to 20kg to the overall weight of a vehicle, removing them from
the standard list of equipment supplied with a new car has been
an easy change for manufacturers to make to increase fuel
efficiency.
RAC Breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Getting a puncture on a
journey has to be one of the most irritating breakdowns for
drivers, especially if it’s as a result of hitting one of the
plethora of potholes that currently characterise so many of our
roads. In the past, a driver could have reached for the spare
wheel in the boot but this new analysis shows that these are now
pretty much a thing of the past, with a miniscule number of new
cars sold in the UK coming with one as standard.
“It’s understandable therefore that drivers are increasingly
calling on us to help them out of a tight spot, and it’s a trend
we fully expect to continue as electric vehicles are even less
likely to come with a spare. Fortunately, we’re continuing to
innovate to ensure our members get the best service possible
should they breakdown as a result of a puncture, having just
rolled out a four-stud version of our pioneering multi-fit spare
wheel, that’s carried by every single one of our patrols.
“Interestingly, in many cases drivers ordering a new car can
still buy a spare wheel – whether that’s a full-size one or the
more common lightweight ‘space saver’ type – as an optional
extra. This might turn out to be a wise investment if you are one
of the many drivers who unfortunately suffers a puncture.”
The RAC’s annual Report on
Motoring*** released in October found drivers’ anger
with the poor state of Britain’s local roads has reached its
highest point in nine years, making it the top overall concern by
a considerable margin, having displaced the price of fuel as
motorists’ main worry.
Earlier this month, the RAC released
figures that showed its patrols had attended a record
number of breakdowns over the summer where potholes were to blame
– nearly 6,000 separate breakdown jobs between July and
September, the highest number over this period since data was
first recorded in 2006.
Ends
Notes to Editors
* 313 separate car models analysed across all major
manufacturers. Those that come with some form of spare at the
time of research are: Fiat Tipo, Ford Focus (selected models),
Hyundai Sante Fe (PHEV), Land Rover Defender, SEAT Ateca
(selected models), Suzuki Across, Volvo XC90 (not PHEV), Toyota
Land Cruiser. Webpage with details (goes live Monday 20 November)
here: https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/tyres/which-cars-are-sold-with-a-spare-wheel-as-standard/
** RAC breakdown data for 2018 and 2022
** RAC Report on Motoring 2023 – survey completed by a
nationally-representative sample of 2,583 UK drivers
