Where can I buy tyre insurance?

Everyone suffers a blowout or puncture at some point in their motoring life, so why not insure yourself against the inevitable?

It might sound like you can buy an insurance policy for everything these days but if you take a moment to give it some thought, a policy to cover damage to your tyres might make good sense. With the state of the UK’s roads arguably worse than it has ever been the chances of collecting a puncture or two is greater than ever, so how can tyre insurance help?

What does tyre insurance cover?

If you take out an insurance policy for your tyres, generally speaking it will cover them against accidental damage - such as a puncture arising from a pothole or debris in the road - vandalism or a sudden failure, all circumstances where you would normally have to pay out of your own pocket for a replacement.

What is not covered is general wear and tear; like home contents insurance, it will only pay out if there is a sudden event that leads to damage or failure, not a gradual failure caused by use. For that reason many of the policies will also have specific exclusions on the age and condition of the vehicle and its tyres when you take out the policy; many insist on the vehicle being under 10 years old or younger and covered fewer than 70,000 miles and that you have purchased the vehicle within a short time period of the policy start date. The tyres must also have a decent amount of tread on them to start with - a minimum of 2.5mm or more is common.

Where can I get tyre insurance?

The most common place you can find tyre insurance is from specialist motor insurance companies such as ALA*, MotorEasy*, Car2Cover.co.uk and Directgap.co.uk that frequently offer related motoring policies such as GAP insurance too. Some manufacturers offer tyre insurance direct if you buy a new or used vehicle from them, while some independent dealerships also have their own tyre insurance policies they can offer. It also possible to obtain tyre insurance from some high-street tyre retailers such as KwikFit*, although cover is only available if it is taken out when you purchase tyres from that firm.

How much does tyre insurance cost?

Many factors will determine the final figure but a tyre insurance premium will be largely dictated by how much an individual tyre costs to replace. In general the larger a tyre is the more it costs to purchase, while high performance and run-flat tyres also tend to be more costly than a standard tyre of the same size. The following quotes were obtained for a standard summer tyre with a £300 claim limit per tyre - a lower maximum claim limit should result in a lower overall premium too.

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