Here's how much time Brits spend changing tyres in their lifetime

New study shows

UK drivers will spend three full days of their lives waiting in garages just to get their tyres changed, according to new research by AA Tyres, the AA’s mobile tyre fitting service. 

The image of Brits leafing through old celebrity magazines in garage waiting rooms might sound like a nineties throwback, but in fact UK drivers who got their tyres changed last year spent an average of an hour and ten minutes in garages doing so. 

Over the course of a lifetime, this means the average UK driver will spend around 76 hours waiting for tyres to be fitted – the equivalent of driving non-stop from London to Dubai.

One in ten (11 per cent) were less fortunate, spending between two and five hours having their tyres replaced. Over 1% – or around 310,000 drivers – spent the equivalent of nearly a working day having new wheels fitted.

An AA-Populus poll of over 16,000 drivers found that two thirds (65%) of drivers went to a garage to get their tyres changed in the last twelve months. Alternatively, around 620,000 drivers used mobile tyre fitting services.

Mark Shankland, Managing Director of AA Tyres, comments: “Brits are increasingly used to getting access to services at the click of a button – from food delivery to instant car hire, companies have continued to spring up to service the instant needs of the Uber generation.

“That’s why the whole process of servicing your car feels so out of step with the way the world is moving. 

“An hour a year to have your tyres changed doesn’t sound like much, but when you add on the time it takes for an annual MOT check and any other miscellaneous services you might need, you’re looking at booking a day off work – or a day of your leisure time – every year purely for vehicle maintenance. That’s before you even consider the time it takes to get to and from the garage.

“Britain’s roads may well be making the situation worse – a third of AA members have suffered damage from potholes in the last two years, which is likely driving up the amount of time Brits are spending on visits to the garage.  

“For the time-poor there are now services to take care of the less riveting aspects of car maintenance, and can do so at your time and convenience – meaning that a routine car service or tyre change doesn’t have to be overly onerous.”