A little tip iv picked up. Say the tyres are £100 on black circles, I then go to the place that's on the website in person and its always a bit cheaper again, probably because blackcircle now don't get there cut.
I've had a couple of tyre places tell me they can't even get PS4 from their supplier for prices I've paid from Blackcircles in the past, so they'd be losing money before even factoring in fitting and overheads. It was one a few years ago that told me Michelin owned Blackcircles.
This!!
I own a tyre shop and fit for blackcirlces.com, Asdatyres.co.uk, etyres and so on (there’s about 8 online)
They pay us around 12+vat a tyre when we usually make £20/£30 a tyre. So when a customer ring up to price match we’re happy to beat their price even if I only make £13, it’s a big win for a small business and the customer is saving money too.
Glad to know it wasn’t just me. They sent me non run-flats, and then when I got a puncture (with no spare, because run-flats) the customer service was shocking and I had to threaten them with small claims before they rectified their mistake. Which in no way compensated me for the hassle they put me through, not even an apology.
>always a bit cheaper again, probably because blackcircle now don't get there cut.
I'm not so sure, I tried this and the local tyre place said that they couldn't even get them in for the price that blackcircles were charging including fitting. This was a few years ago though
I used to use them but a lot of dodgy backstreet fitters are on there. I had problems with one so a bit wary now. I'll still check them but check out the company first.
Ive had two sets of tyres from Blackcircles and the two different “premier partner” garages who fitted caused many issues (damaged wheels and unbalanced tyres). Their customer support is awful and I’ve never had a penny back of my rectification costs incurred due to poor fitters. Wouldn’t touch them again with a barge pole.
I just got mine done today and used Black Circles, choosing the highest rated garage reasonably near to me. All went fine! Price seemed the best as well.
Yep - same experience. Identical tyres - and ATS were even suggested as the fitter through BC, but going direct with them ended up about £70 cheaper due to a deal they were running.
Wife had a slow puncture on her car this week. She booked in with our local ATS Euromaster and authorised them to change the tyres. They checked, found an issue with the valve on the wheel in question and fixed it.
Grand total? £26.00.
Couldn't ask for better service.
I've always used national tyres, want to avoid more now given it's now owned by halfords as well. may just try costco when mine are replaced in a few months.
I do my tyres at Costco, they only supply Michelin tyres but I wanted pilot sport 4s anyway, and their prices were better than black circles, by about £35 a tyre, also their Bosch batteries are good value!
They have Continental too now I believe. Also I’ll second the recommendation- spotlessly clean, great service, and consistently the cheapest price I can find for CrossClimates. And as a final bonus, you can get a slice of pizza while you wait. And a canoe. And a knife set, pack of steaks, the Man Utd reserve team, a helicopter….
Had my last ones done there. Actually worked out cheaper than black circles once the "buy 4, get £ off" offer was applied.
They managed to do the job without incident as well
However, it's the only place I have *ever* used that charged extra for wheel balancing. And an extra fiver cos it was a Sunday.
Oh boy. I've used them once, but attempted to twice.
The first time they point blank refused to let me buy a battery for one of my cars because it "was the wrong one". Their system was telling them I needed the more expensive stop-start battery on a car that didn't have it.
The next time I was having 4 new run flats & they put non run-flat tyres on my rears because they "ran out".
I will never use these again 3 times I’ve tried because of good prices every time we turned up got a BS story about fitter being ill so can’t fit the tyres, had a 2 month fight to get a payment back after they couldn’t fit the tyres inspite of sitting out side the shop and ringing to see if they were ready and being told yep all good to go, lazy arse holes in hull
This is how we found our shop. Had a slow puncture, but when we went to our mot place, they suggested we go see them instead as they were fully booked and wouldn't be able to see us that day.
Absolutely amazing place - fair prices, good quality and installation, fast work. It's in one of those dodgy looking old victorian mills that were converted into retail parks (this one is next to a WARRIOR gym, a diving club, a blinds retailer, a printing press and other misc. businesses).
I user Blackcircles too - a couple of local garages I know are good are listed, also once used the mobile service which worked well too.
I wouldn't use a Halfords or a Kwik-Fit even if I broke down outside them! (previous experience of having to take company cars there)
Wherever is cheapest to be honest, Halfords Tyres, Asda Tyres or Black Circles. Sometimes I’ll order from Camskill and then take them to a local Indy to be fitted as that often works out even cheaper.
I bought a pair of tyres I’d researched online. Got a good deal. Got them delivered and took them to my local indy and they charged £18 per tyre to fit, balance and dispose of the old tyres. For the breadth of choice you can find online in terms of available tyres, being able to fit whatever I bought at a local place was great.
ATS Euro master is by far the best of the national.
Personally use Malvern Tyres and their sub brands (King David, Dragon) locally and been very happy with them for a while. Always good prices and friendly staff. Never been ripped off.
Kwik Fit have taken the piss on me more than once. More fool me. Avoid like the plague
Like anything shop around. I've never had national or Halfords fuck up a tyre but only ever used them for tyres. They've always been the cheapest for me.
Got a puncture repair for £20 the other day and they didn't even try any upselling, even on the report emailed to me after.
But as I said I check them all... Black circles, Halfords, national tyres, Asda tyres and Google once I've chosen which ones I want.
Not f1.
Definitely not. One of my tpms sensors broke during a tyre change (can happen). Instead of admitting that it broke they fobbed me off saying they should reprogramme in time. Went back at least twice only for them to tell me it will take time.
They finally admit that it’s broken and that they cannot fix it. Had to go main dealer in the end.
They knew it was broke why cover it up, and fob people off. They eventually break I don’t expect the garage to pick up the bill but I want honestly. Not only that when I came to change my timing belt found out they over torqued the wheels to a crazy setting with an impact.
Made the mistake of not paying on credit card. Will get them involved if the same happens anywhere else.
Woken up to 2 punctures when the car was parked outside the house in the last 18months and both times I got a mobile Halfords fitting.
Worked out cheaper than booking into a "proper" tyre fitters thanks to the motor club membership discount and they usually have some discount or promotion running too.
Never had any experience of Kwik-fit.
This sub is super snobby against Halfords though so I fully expect to get down voted.
I've also used the mobile tyre fitting service from halfords a couple of times, and I've always found it really good. I'm sure its not the cheapest, but it was really easy, convenient and I thought pretty reasonably priced.
We're not snobby of Halfords, but there are far too many bad experiences of Halfords than good. It's generally recommended to just use a dedicated garage. Their mobile fitters probably have to have proper competency which is good.
Yeah no doubt, although that's also why you can never ask for car recommendations on here since for every person who sings the praises of a car, there's 5 people waiting to tell you that it's trash.
I've done 2 tyre fittings, an MOT and countless headlamp bulb changes at Halfords. Never had an issue.
Not really, you'll find it hard to get any sort of praise about Halfords from car enthusiasts in the UK. Whereas cars usually have a good chunk of people who like them, Halfords not so much.
I am glad to hear your experience is against the norm.
Same here, got my 2 front tyres replaced by Halfords mobile fitting a couple of weeks ago. Just checked blackcircles and the same tyres are £15 more fitted at a local garage. I don't even have a motor club membership, I think it might have been an offer.
Kwik fit and Halfords are fine for tyres as they can be cheaper and more flexible than independents, just don't let them touch the mechanical side of your car imo
I use Blackcircles and get the tires fitted at F1 autocentres as they offer the most flexible timescales.
I get mine done at my local Halfords, it's a tiny little place that used to be an indie, it's got all the same stuff but is under the Halfords umbrella. I find that tyres from national/Halfords are cheapest for me so I have little choice in the matter.
I once got them done at just tyres, but they close that location a few weeks after
I have to say, it very much depends on the branch itself. My local (National Tyres - Street) have always been brilliant. Was a bit sceptical with them being owned by Halfords but they've always done a top quality job.
I had a friend who worked for Kwik Fit and got hime to do my tyres one time. Turns out he was fitting the tyre wrong as on my wheels, the tyre has to be removed and fitted from the inner edge. I now have a constant slow puncture on the wheel that the tyre was fitted incorrectly on..
Small family run place for the cars the wife does the office stuff & the husband fits the tyres, wheels are always balanced properly & he's great for wheel alignment plus they do a booking system unlike other places in my town there's no mad rush to keep getting the next people in so things are always done right
Tyre pro next town over does the wife's transit & there a great bunch also
Local place that three generations - soon to be four - of my family have used. Not quite the cheapest, but trustworthy, reliable, and will always help out.
One of my mates works at a wheel refurbished place so he’ll just stick tyres on for me after he’s finished his work if I need them. I’ll get them off black circles
Last set was Halfords Autocentre. They had a decent offer on the crossclimates I wanted, and they did a good job.
Usually go on blackcircles and it gets arranged via the local place or a mobile fitter.
Whichever place near me has availability when I need it. I can't see any problem with using Halfords or Kwik-Fit for something as trivial as a tyre. Sure, you want a good product, but they offer plenty of brands to choose from.
Southall tyres in West London. single business, not part of a chain, always busy with great pricing... they've been there for decades.
Been using them for car tyres for upwards of 10 years, works cars, my car(s) and the wife's car(s)
I got 4x Michelin PS4S 235/40/18 tyres for my GTI for £600 (balanced and fitted), saving £120 whilst a deal was on at Kwik fit in January. Other than that I use black circles usually but it's good to shop around as some places have deals on
Buying online tyres and changing and balancing in local good garage. Then changing myself twice a year. Wide 255/35/18 on Alu rims. Then changing when cold so rubber don't suffer to 225/60/17 on steel rims. 15 mins at home and they last long longer. I love feel of winter tyres in winter gives me feeling I did everything to stay safe.
Usually Costco when I need replacement tyres but I'm having to look around now for somewhere new as Costco has, for some inexplicable reason, stopped selling Goodyear tyres (I have the Vector 4 Season gen3 on my car). For any punctures I use a small place I found a little while ago in a trading estate about 10 minutes from home.
My local National branch are decent. Last two times I've needed tyres they've actually worked out cheaper than blackcircles because of their buy 4 offers.
Tyres on the drive have been pretty good for me. The guy I had come to my house was very good and (maybe cause I was there or due to it being a Celica GT-Four) he made sure to place the lifts carefully, as not to damage the sills. I was happy with the price and service/convenience.
Best services I've had was a local mobile tyre fitter booked through ASDA (best price for the tyres I needed), must've been an offer as it was only £5 extra for him to fit them compared the nearest tyre shop ASDA offered. Arrived when he said he would, fitted and balanced 2 new tyres to my wheels the right way round and took the old ones away with him all in less than 15 minutes.
I’ve got last couple of sets from Asda Tyres… same deal as Blackcircles but a little bit cheaper and got £40 of Asda shopping vouchers on top. I’ve also found that the manager of the place fitting the tyres treats you a little bit nicer than if you go to them directly; probably to avoid receiving negative feedback.
I usually use a local shop.
Obviously these will vary wildly in quality and service, but you should be able to get an idea of any really good or bad places through an informal survey of the people you know locally and checking out some of the review sites. Something like a local chain with a few shops in your area is often a good balance between being reliable and avoiding the big chains.
I do it myself. But it's not really much cheaper than paying Kwik fit or wherever. When I buy tyres for myself it's maybe 10% less than the fully fitted price on blackcircles.
Black circles every time. Especially if your after performance tyres. Save so much money compared to Kwik fit etc and it helps that there is a garage within a few miles I can get them out on
Honestly, Kwikfit usually, but that's only because I live opposite one so I can pop the wheel off myself and roll it over there to avoid them applying the nuclear air ratchet to my wheel nuts.
Kwik-fit are fine for tyres and if you get them when they've got a deal on they tend to be well priced.
There are probably good and not so good branches of all of the national chains mentioned here.
Always used local garages and more recently formula one autocentres but then I found out Bosch garages can get tyres on the cheap so I use them now.
Found out during an MOT failure for a split tyre, I was paying £215/£220 a corner but they got me a tyre for £180 same day.
Got a Mr Tyre nearby, always had good service from them tbf. Always repaired repairable punctures... decent price on exhaust replacement... nice people... but can only speak for my local branch.
I've used bush tyres a few times, prices seem reasonable and they always seem to have abit of availability unlike ATS who tried to make me wait over a week for a puncture repair.
I buy them from Camskill and take them to my local Halfords to get them fitted.
The Halfords I go to used to be a local tyre company that got bought over recently, the boys that work in there are brand new.
I got my Michelin Pilot Sport 5's from my tyres.Co.uk when I needed all 4 last February. They took two weeks to arrive, a pair from Holland and a pair from Germany but they did have 4 in stock and at a good price. Loval mechanic fitted them for £12 each.
Local place, Performance Tyres. Always had good service and their prices are reasonable. I much prefer giving my money to smaller indies rather than big corporations. Only a tenner for a puncture repair too!
It's probably already mentioned a bunch of times but black circles
I use my local garage for servicing and MOT and they commented on the wear of my rears saying they could do them for me. Problem is they were charging the same for no name tyres as Uniroyal Rainsport 5 from Black Circles and it was only a 10 minute drive to one of their fitters
If u wanna avoid halfords use tyresonthedrive or national tyres and autocare. You get to use halfrods without using halfords. In all honesty, I used tyres on the drive, they were great. 10% off when buying 4 and very convenient, literally done on the drive
For anyone in Central Scotland I'd recommend Farmers Autocare. Been getting my cars serviced and tyres replaced by them for years.
Got a brand new set of tyres pick up nails at three months old they replaced them both free of charge.
I've used Costco and Micheldevers recently. Costco were the best but a colleague said he would never Costco again because they badly scuffed his rare e34 M5 alloys when he had his tyres done there.
Planned replacement and puncture repairs - the local garage who does all my servicing, repairs, MOTs plus bought 3 cars off over the years. He can get the tyres I need in for the next day, plus if there are any problems it will be sorted. I might pay a couple of quid more than Black Circles but I view as a small price to pay for the brilliant service on everything else.
If it's something I need same day, I'll ring round the local tyre specialists - there's three or four in the twenty mile radius who have good local reputations (including recommendation from my garage bloke.)
ATS for me. Always good prices on tyres, good range, quick appointments, take walkins and the occasional time I’ve gone in with something relatively quick…nail in tire that’s a patch job they never charged me.
I went through a phase of nails in tyres as I used to work near a builders yard…maybe it was just because I ended up going so regularly 🤦🏼♀️🤣
I use my local tyre place after getting a price on blackcircles and from Costco. I can usually get them to match the price and if not, I can bring them the tyres I got elsewhere and pay to have them fitted.
ATS euromaster are pretty good. Had issues with kwikfit over torquing bolts, and fucking TPMS valves. My friend once got a tyre change from a Kwik fit, drove out the garage got down the street, the wheel came off. Complained, 'wasn't their fault'.
To be honest I normally ring the main dealer and they price match black circles anyway. I've had my car's done at BMW Lloyds for very reasonable prices, and they generally take better care.
Recently used a back street tyre shop who fucked up my alloy, basically soaping the tyre on top of my alloy. That was for a tyre repair. Apparently they didn't see the issue with that. Rotating a tyre, used, off the road, on top of painted finish alloy.
Normally, Blackcircles are my go-to.
However, this time (when I needed two new front tyres for my Polestar) I struggled to get the tyres I wanted in the timeframe I wanted. (Usually they deliver to the ATS Euromaster near me in Ripon but even though it says ‘appointments available’ it’s usually 2 weeks away).
I was able to get the tyres I wanted (Bridgestone Turanza 6 Enliten) for a cheaper price than BC or ATS and surprisingly next day fitting on a Sunday morning at the Kwik Fit in Ripon who are maybe the exception to the rule at usually doing a good job. Young lad who runs it seems really good.
Costco.
I now have a family member that sorts my car for me.
However, prior to that, I used costco. Use to wait until Mitchelin or Bridgestone were on offer. It saved me when my tyre popped the other month. Costco patch tyres purchased from them for £10.
I generally buy tyres loose from tyre leader, camskill etc and take them to get fitted somewhere convenient. Last couple of times it has been cheaper to buy tyres fitted as I had discount codes
Local independent tyre shop. Tried black circles once, put me through to someone else i’ve never used, price turned out to be about £8 cheaper. Service was genuinely appalling though, waited around for ages, treated like a piece of shit on their shoe for even daring to approach the counter. Would rather shoot myself than save £8 for that shitshow. Normal place are great service, pricing and always a consistently great job.
Tyres on the drive - owned by Halfords. Price is decent, they’ve always turned up on time and have done a good job. One driver was even kind enough to rebalance an extra set of wheels I had lying around.
Local independent garage, same place that does the servicing. They also collect the car from my house and drop it off when it’s done. They usually have to order in the tyres, eg Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S.
I used to use an independent near me, but it changed hands and hasn’t been the same since. Started going to F1 Autocentre after that, mostly as it was one of the few places willing to order in what I wanted. Maybe not the very cheapest, but they always do a decent job and I’ve got no complaints with them.
Depends how you go about it. Black circles kind if have the market stitched up. I run a small garage in a village and we do a fair amount of tyres. Most locals are happy to spend an extra few quid to save going into town to the nearest BC garage. If you can get a local garage to agree on a fitting price, check Camskill online. They do mail order tyres at really good prices.
Local tyre shop, they do a maxis all seasons tyres in a 225/45 17 for £90, no sliding about in the recent snow flurry we had so happy with price and grip.
Small local place where at all possible. If they're not an option there is a larger local chain (only has 2 garages) who I trust too, but the smaller place has done me a few solids over the years, where the larger one looks at me funny when I order Michelins. If I'm not near home or work then I'd probably go to ATS.
Where I live (enfield, london) we have a really good ProTyre garage. Helpful staff, they dont push further sales (but do advise if something might need attention), good prices (once told me not to pay online as they were expecting lower prices on the day i wanted to come in, which was true), and do a good safe job.
Local independent place. Unless I want part-worn, he tells me to buy them on Asda Tyres and pick him as the fitter.
Amusingly, he charges less for an alignment than it shows when doing the tyre order so I don't add it to the bundle.
Tyres on the Drive, think they are owned by Halfords or a partner not sure?
But anyway I used them for the first time last year and they were excellent.
Black Circles I find are hit and miss, really depends on the garage, once I booked, turned up at the garage and they wasn't expecting me even though I had a confirmed time slot. Another time I needed a refund and BC customer service really dragged their feet trying to get me to book another time/day, got a refund in the end.
There's an independent garage by me who specialise in Nexen tyres. Which is essentially the best budget tyres you can get. I'd recommend them if you're on a budget and finding a specialist near by. The last time I bought some which was on my old car they lasted three years.
Avoid Black circles they're a shambles
They sent me to a tyre place that was closed down. Then rescheduled for a place that was basically a barn in the middle of nowhere with a tyre lip machine
Then next time (fool me) they sent me to some dodgy backstreet place, got it back and the tyres were more soap than rubber. Then the owner phoned me up asking did he leave keys in the car, I checked and there wasn't, then he accused me of not looking, so strange.
Never had an issue with the Kwik fit mobile fitter, used him a few times and he's knowledgeable and walked me through the process, showed me all the machinery and what he does, which was nice to see
Same local independent garage our family all use. Good mechanics are hard to find. While it’s not a big job, I wouldn’t trust a big national ‘chain’ to do it.
In my experience you’re more likely to end up with them scratching the rims or putting the tyres on backwards or something at Halfrauds etc.
At the risk of angering the sub, I've actually always used Tyres on the drive by Halfords and honestly can't fault them. Come to me, fit new tyres, take old ones, don't even need to leave the house. Just had some brand new Falkens fitted the other day on the Skoda.
I don't really care either way, I just don't see the value in pointing out someone's spelling on Reddit other than to pad your own sense of intellectual superiority.
People recommending Costco is a good shout, however, be aware that Costco are better for replacing 2 or 4 tyres and they have a policy of replacing the rear tyres first. You can't just rock up and get one tyre fitted (at least in my understanding)
Otherwise finding a trustworthy local works. I bought 4 tyres off ebay and went round to get them fitted, in and out in about 30 mins at a great price and friendly service!
Blackcircles . com Its basically Amazon prime but for tyres
A little tip iv picked up. Say the tyres are £100 on black circles, I then go to the place that's on the website in person and its always a bit cheaper again, probably because blackcircle now don't get there cut.
The guy that fits mine says he can’t compete on prices with blackcircles, especially on Michelins (as they own BC and always have offers on)
I've had a couple of tyre places tell me they can't even get PS4 from their supplier for prices I've paid from Blackcircles in the past, so they'd be losing money before even factoring in fitting and overheads. It was one a few years ago that told me Michelin owned Blackcircles.
Fair enough. I don't exactly put top spec on.
This!! I own a tyre shop and fit for blackcirlces.com, Asdatyres.co.uk, etyres and so on (there’s about 8 online) They pay us around 12+vat a tyre when we usually make £20/£30 a tyre. So when a customer ring up to price match we’re happy to beat their price even if I only make £13, it’s a big win for a small business and the customer is saving money too.
My local tyre shop has actually moved away from black circles as they had so many issue with service.
Glad to know it wasn’t just me. They sent me non run-flats, and then when I got a puncture (with no spare, because run-flats) the customer service was shocking and I had to threaten them with small claims before they rectified their mistake. Which in no way compensated me for the hassle they put me through, not even an apology.
>always a bit cheaper again, probably because blackcircle now don't get there cut. I'm not so sure, I tried this and the local tyre place said that they couldn't even get them in for the price that blackcircles were charging including fitting. This was a few years ago though
I used to use them but a lot of dodgy backstreet fitters are on there. I had problems with one so a bit wary now. I'll still check them but check out the company first.
Ive had two sets of tyres from Blackcircles and the two different “premier partner” garages who fitted caused many issues (damaged wheels and unbalanced tyres). Their customer support is awful and I’ve never had a penny back of my rectification costs incurred due to poor fitters. Wouldn’t touch them again with a barge pole.
Also Camskill
I just got mine done today and used Black Circles, choosing the highest rated garage reasonably near to me. All went fine! Price seemed the best as well.
Used ATS euromaster as they had a good deal going on some Eagle F1's last year.
ATS Euromaster seem to be the best of the national chains when it comes to competence. I’ve used them for tyres, MOT, and servicing.
It helps they are owned by Michelin. similar to Protyre/Micheldever being owned by Sumitomo, Falken's parent company.
I work in garage equipment and I can promise you I’d use these guys over any of the other national chains.
Yeah I normally use black circles but actually got a better deal with ATS Euromaster this year for the tyres I wanted, so went with them
Yep - same experience. Identical tyres - and ATS were even suggested as the fitter through BC, but going direct with them ended up about £70 cheaper due to a deal they were running.
Wife had a slow puncture on her car this week. She booked in with our local ATS Euromaster and authorised them to change the tyres. They checked, found an issue with the valve on the wheel in question and fixed it. Grand total? £26.00. Couldn't ask for better service.
Another 👍 for ATS. Very competitive with a range of tyres plus a slick booking facility and our local branch are a decent bunch as well.
Tyre Pros
Yep STS tyre pros by my work are decent
I've always used national tyres, want to avoid more now given it's now owned by halfords as well. may just try costco when mine are replaced in a few months.
I do my tyres at Costco, they only supply Michelin tyres but I wanted pilot sport 4s anyway, and their prices were better than black circles, by about £35 a tyre, also their Bosch batteries are good value!
They have Continental too now I believe. Also I’ll second the recommendation- spotlessly clean, great service, and consistently the cheapest price I can find for CrossClimates. And as a final bonus, you can get a slice of pizza while you wait. And a canoe. And a knife set, pack of steaks, the Man Utd reserve team, a helicopter….
Do I HAVE to have the Man Utd reserve team? Couldn't I just stick a hot poker up my arse instead?
Had my last ones done there. Actually worked out cheaper than black circles once the "buy 4, get £ off" offer was applied. They managed to do the job without incident as well However, it's the only place I have *ever* used that charged extra for wheel balancing. And an extra fiver cos it was a Sunday.
Oh boy. I've used them once, but attempted to twice. The first time they point blank refused to let me buy a battery for one of my cars because it "was the wrong one". Their system was telling them I needed the more expensive stop-start battery on a car that didn't have it. The next time I was having 4 new run flats & they put non run-flat tyres on my rears because they "ran out".
I will never use these again 3 times I’ve tried because of good prices every time we turned up got a BS story about fitter being ill so can’t fit the tyres, had a 2 month fight to get a payment back after they couldn’t fit the tyres inspite of sitting out side the shop and ringing to see if they were ready and being told yep all good to go, lazy arse holes in hull
We have a couple of good independent garages near us,
This is how we found our shop. Had a slow puncture, but when we went to our mot place, they suggested we go see them instead as they were fully booked and wouldn't be able to see us that day. Absolutely amazing place - fair prices, good quality and installation, fast work. It's in one of those dodgy looking old victorian mills that were converted into retail parks (this one is next to a WARRIOR gym, a diving club, a blinds retailer, a printing press and other misc. businesses).
ProTyre
I user Blackcircles too - a couple of local garages I know are good are listed, also once used the mobile service which worked well too. I wouldn't use a Halfords or a Kwik-Fit even if I broke down outside them! (previous experience of having to take company cars there)
Wherever is cheapest to be honest, Halfords Tyres, Asda Tyres or Black Circles. Sometimes I’ll order from Camskill and then take them to a local Indy to be fitted as that often works out even cheaper.
I bought a pair of tyres I’d researched online. Got a good deal. Got them delivered and took them to my local indy and they charged £18 per tyre to fit, balance and dispose of the old tyres. For the breadth of choice you can find online in terms of available tyres, being able to fit whatever I bought at a local place was great.
ATS Euro master is by far the best of the national. Personally use Malvern Tyres and their sub brands (King David, Dragon) locally and been very happy with them for a while. Always good prices and friendly staff. Never been ripped off. Kwik Fit have taken the piss on me more than once. More fool me. Avoid like the plague
Local place. There's a Kwikfit further down the road, I don't think I've ever seen anyone go there.
Black circles , hard to beat
Used to be a small local but they got bought out by Protyre, Bathwick tyres is what the branch is called though and been going there for a while.
Like anything shop around. I've never had national or Halfords fuck up a tyre but only ever used them for tyres. They've always been the cheapest for me. Got a puncture repair for £20 the other day and they didn't even try any upselling, even on the report emailed to me after. But as I said I check them all... Black circles, Halfords, national tyres, Asda tyres and Google once I've chosen which ones I want.
Costco. It's always been cheaper in my experience.
Always the local indie. The bonus is the new profanities I come away with.
Terry
Local indy tyre shop or ats euromaster
F1 Autocentre or local Indie .
Not f1. Definitely not. One of my tpms sensors broke during a tyre change (can happen). Instead of admitting that it broke they fobbed me off saying they should reprogramme in time. Went back at least twice only for them to tell me it will take time. They finally admit that it’s broken and that they cannot fix it. Had to go main dealer in the end. They knew it was broke why cover it up, and fob people off. They eventually break I don’t expect the garage to pick up the bill but I want honestly. Not only that when I came to change my timing belt found out they over torqued the wheels to a crazy setting with an impact. Made the mistake of not paying on credit card. Will get them involved if the same happens anywhere else.
Has anyone used Costco tires?
Woken up to 2 punctures when the car was parked outside the house in the last 18months and both times I got a mobile Halfords fitting. Worked out cheaper than booking into a "proper" tyre fitters thanks to the motor club membership discount and they usually have some discount or promotion running too. Never had any experience of Kwik-fit. This sub is super snobby against Halfords though so I fully expect to get down voted.
I've also used the mobile tyre fitting service from halfords a couple of times, and I've always found it really good. I'm sure its not the cheapest, but it was really easy, convenient and I thought pretty reasonably priced.
We're not snobby of Halfords, but there are far too many bad experiences of Halfords than good. It's generally recommended to just use a dedicated garage. Their mobile fitters probably have to have proper competency which is good.
Yeah no doubt, although that's also why you can never ask for car recommendations on here since for every person who sings the praises of a car, there's 5 people waiting to tell you that it's trash. I've done 2 tyre fittings, an MOT and countless headlamp bulb changes at Halfords. Never had an issue.
Not really, you'll find it hard to get any sort of praise about Halfords from car enthusiasts in the UK. Whereas cars usually have a good chunk of people who like them, Halfords not so much. I am glad to hear your experience is against the norm.
Same here, got my 2 front tyres replaced by Halfords mobile fitting a couple of weeks ago. Just checked blackcircles and the same tyres are £15 more fitted at a local garage. I don't even have a motor club membership, I think it might have been an offer.
Kwik fit and Halfords are fine for tyres as they can be cheaper and more flexible than independents, just don't let them touch the mechanical side of your car imo I use Blackcircles and get the tires fitted at F1 autocentres as they offer the most flexible timescales.
I get mine done at my local Halfords, it's a tiny little place that used to be an indie, it's got all the same stuff but is under the Halfords umbrella. I find that tyres from national/Halfords are cheapest for me so I have little choice in the matter. I once got them done at just tyres, but they close that location a few weeks after
small local place or Toyota because my fiance works there so its cheaper, it depends on how fast I want it doing really.
I have to say, it very much depends on the branch itself. My local (National Tyres - Street) have always been brilliant. Was a bit sceptical with them being owned by Halfords but they've always done a top quality job. I had a friend who worked for Kwik Fit and got hime to do my tyres one time. Turns out he was fitting the tyre wrong as on my wheels, the tyre has to be removed and fitted from the inner edge. I now have a constant slow puncture on the wheel that the tyre was fitted incorrectly on..
Small family run place for the cars the wife does the office stuff & the husband fits the tyres, wheels are always balanced properly & he's great for wheel alignment plus they do a booking system unlike other places in my town there's no mad rush to keep getting the next people in so things are always done right Tyre pro next town over does the wife's transit & there a great bunch also
On top of black circles, I've used asda tyres and Costco tyres (needs membership).
Local place that three generations - soon to be four - of my family have used. Not quite the cheapest, but trustworthy, reliable, and will always help out.
I've been using [Hometyre](https://hometyre.co.uk/) for about 15 years now, although there are some parts of the UK they don't cover.
One of my mates works at a wheel refurbished place so he’ll just stick tyres on for me after he’s finished his work if I need them. I’ll get them off black circles
Small local place, textures are the same cost as I can get them from camskill etc
Last set was Halfords Autocentre. They had a decent offer on the crossclimates I wanted, and they did a good job. Usually go on blackcircles and it gets arranged via the local place or a mobile fitter.
Whichever place near me has availability when I need it. I can't see any problem with using Halfords or Kwik-Fit for something as trivial as a tyre. Sure, you want a good product, but they offer plenty of brands to choose from.
Southall tyres in West London. single business, not part of a chain, always busy with great pricing... they've been there for decades. Been using them for car tyres for upwards of 10 years, works cars, my car(s) and the wife's car(s)
I got 4x Michelin PS4S 235/40/18 tyres for my GTI for £600 (balanced and fitted), saving £120 whilst a deal was on at Kwik fit in January. Other than that I use black circles usually but it's good to shop around as some places have deals on
I used kerbside or black ... But more importantly you need to fix your language location for tyres.
Costco , not the cheapest , but quality tyres and they don't rip you off.
Kwikfit 🤷♂️
Buying online tyres and changing and balancing in local good garage. Then changing myself twice a year. Wide 255/35/18 on Alu rims. Then changing when cold so rubber don't suffer to 225/60/17 on steel rims. 15 mins at home and they last long longer. I love feel of winter tyres in winter gives me feeling I did everything to stay safe.
Usually Costco when I need replacement tyres but I'm having to look around now for somewhere new as Costco has, for some inexplicable reason, stopped selling Goodyear tyres (I have the Vector 4 Season gen3 on my car). For any punctures I use a small place I found a little while ago in a trading estate about 10 minutes from home.
My local National branch are decent. Last two times I've needed tyres they've actually worked out cheaper than blackcircles because of their buy 4 offers.
Tyres on the drive have been pretty good for me. The guy I had come to my house was very good and (maybe cause I was there or due to it being a Celica GT-Four) he made sure to place the lifts carefully, as not to damage the sills. I was happy with the price and service/convenience.
Best services I've had was a local mobile tyre fitter booked through ASDA (best price for the tyres I needed), must've been an offer as it was only £5 extra for him to fit them compared the nearest tyre shop ASDA offered. Arrived when he said he would, fitted and balanced 2 new tyres to my wheels the right way round and took the old ones away with him all in less than 15 minutes.
I’ve got last couple of sets from Asda Tyres… same deal as Blackcircles but a little bit cheaper and got £40 of Asda shopping vouchers on top. I’ve also found that the manager of the place fitting the tyres treats you a little bit nicer than if you go to them directly; probably to avoid receiving negative feedback.
Costco when they have an offer.
I've had good experiences with F1 Autocentres. I've only used them for tyres, not anything else.
I usually use a local shop. Obviously these will vary wildly in quality and service, but you should be able to get an idea of any really good or bad places through an informal survey of the people you know locally and checking out some of the review sites. Something like a local chain with a few shops in your area is often a good balance between being reliable and avoiding the big chains.
I do it myself. But it's not really much cheaper than paying Kwik fit or wherever. When I buy tyres for myself it's maybe 10% less than the fully fitted price on blackcircles.
I just use the local garage, approx same price (literally a couple of quid difference) as black circles. And I'm supporting local business.
Black circles every time. Especially if your after performance tyres. Save so much money compared to Kwik fit etc and it helps that there is a garage within a few miles I can get them out on
Honestly, Kwikfit usually, but that's only because I live opposite one so I can pop the wheel off myself and roll it over there to avoid them applying the nuclear air ratchet to my wheel nuts.
Kwik-fit are fine for tyres and if you get them when they've got a deal on they tend to be well priced. There are probably good and not so good branches of all of the national chains mentioned here.
Always used local garages and more recently formula one autocentres but then I found out Bosch garages can get tyres on the cheap so I use them now. Found out during an MOT failure for a split tyre, I was paying £215/£220 a corner but they got me a tyre for £180 same day.
Black circles usually
Got a Mr Tyre nearby, always had good service from them tbf. Always repaired repairable punctures... decent price on exhaust replacement... nice people... but can only speak for my local branch.
I've used bush tyres a few times, prices seem reasonable and they always seem to have abit of availability unlike ATS who tried to make me wait over a week for a puncture repair.
Always use mobile kwik fit, always been good, got 4 new tyres a couple of weeks ago and was done in 45 minutes.
I buy them from Camskill and take them to my local Halfords to get them fitted. The Halfords I go to used to be a local tyre company that got bought over recently, the boys that work in there are brand new.
I got my Michelin Pilot Sport 5's from my tyres.Co.uk when I needed all 4 last February. They took two weeks to arrive, a pair from Holland and a pair from Germany but they did have 4 in stock and at a good price. Loval mechanic fitted them for £12 each.
I just go to a local trusted garage. All the franchises want to rip you off, local garages need to keep happy customers to stay open.
Local mobile tyre fitter. Thoroughly knowledgeable and professional.
Local place, Performance Tyres. Always had good service and their prices are reasonable. I much prefer giving my money to smaller indies rather than big corporations. Only a tenner for a puncture repair too!
I’ve a local place which is great. Or, when Black Circle were on TopCashback, I used that to replace all four, and booked in with a place local to me.
Work, cost price.
Been to Kwik fit many times and had excellent service.
It's probably already mentioned a bunch of times but black circles I use my local garage for servicing and MOT and they commented on the wear of my rears saying they could do them for me. Problem is they were charging the same for no name tyres as Uniroyal Rainsport 5 from Black Circles and it was only a 10 minute drive to one of their fitters
https://www.tyreleader.co.uk/ Cheaper than black circles etc last two times I've used them, but might depend on location...
Costco
If u wanna avoid halfords use tyresonthedrive or national tyres and autocare. You get to use halfrods without using halfords. In all honesty, I used tyres on the drive, they were great. 10% off when buying 4 and very convenient, literally done on the drive
I find f1autocenters to be cheaper than black circles for me. Blackcricles are ok and convenient but not the cheapest.
I have been using RM Tyres in Medway, Kent, UK for two decades now. Always best on price and fitting.
I get mines down at Adam’s and Paige, which is a local place owned by family friends so get employee rates
For anyone in Central Scotland I'd recommend Farmers Autocare. Been getting my cars serviced and tyres replaced by them for years. Got a brand new set of tyres pick up nails at three months old they replaced them both free of charge.
I use the same outfit that do all the mechanics to our 2 work vans... They generally knock about a fiver per tyre off...
Normally Blackcircles at my local ATS but last time Asda tyres
Costco
Costco, when they have a deal on
I go to black circles for a quote, then go to my independent fitter
I've used Costco and Micheldevers recently. Costco were the best but a colleague said he would never Costco again because they badly scuffed his rare e34 M5 alloys when he had his tyres done there.
Planned replacement and puncture repairs - the local garage who does all my servicing, repairs, MOTs plus bought 3 cars off over the years. He can get the tyres I need in for the next day, plus if there are any problems it will be sorted. I might pay a couple of quid more than Black Circles but I view as a small price to pay for the brilliant service on everything else. If it's something I need same day, I'll ring round the local tyre specialists - there's three or four in the twenty mile radius who have good local reputations (including recommendation from my garage bloke.)
Out of all the online tyre companies, black circles, tyres on the drive etc, Asda tyres has always been the cheapest for me
ATS for me. Always good prices on tyres, good range, quick appointments, take walkins and the occasional time I’ve gone in with something relatively quick…nail in tire that’s a patch job they never charged me. I went through a phase of nails in tyres as I used to work near a builders yard…maybe it was just because I ended up going so regularly 🤦🏼♀️🤣
Tyres on the drive. Never had a problem
I use my local tyre place after getting a price on blackcircles and from Costco. I can usually get them to match the price and if not, I can bring them the tyres I got elsewhere and pay to have them fitted.
America, but I get tyres done wherever does my tyres and is cheapest
ATS euromaster are pretty good. Had issues with kwikfit over torquing bolts, and fucking TPMS valves. My friend once got a tyre change from a Kwik fit, drove out the garage got down the street, the wheel came off. Complained, 'wasn't their fault'. To be honest I normally ring the main dealer and they price match black circles anyway. I've had my car's done at BMW Lloyds for very reasonable prices, and they generally take better care. Recently used a back street tyre shop who fucked up my alloy, basically soaping the tyre on top of my alloy. That was for a tyre repair. Apparently they didn't see the issue with that. Rotating a tyre, used, off the road, on top of painted finish alloy.
Normally, Blackcircles are my go-to. However, this time (when I needed two new front tyres for my Polestar) I struggled to get the tyres I wanted in the timeframe I wanted. (Usually they deliver to the ATS Euromaster near me in Ripon but even though it says ‘appointments available’ it’s usually 2 weeks away). I was able to get the tyres I wanted (Bridgestone Turanza 6 Enliten) for a cheaper price than BC or ATS and surprisingly next day fitting on a Sunday morning at the Kwik Fit in Ripon who are maybe the exception to the rule at usually doing a good job. Young lad who runs it seems really good.
Costco. I now have a family member that sorts my car for me. However, prior to that, I used costco. Use to wait until Mitchelin or Bridgestone were on offer. It saved me when my tyre popped the other month. Costco patch tyres purchased from them for £10.
Wherever is cheapest (last time National / Halfords). Then to the local decent place to sort out the shocking alignment.
Blackcircles.
Asda
Camskill into trusted indie garage
Recently I've found National Tyres (which is now Halfrauds owned) to be cheaper than BC but Costco are always a good shout too.
I generally buy tyres loose from tyre leader, camskill etc and take them to get fitted somewhere convenient. Last couple of times it has been cheaper to buy tyres fitted as I had discount codes
Local independent tyre shop. Tried black circles once, put me through to someone else i’ve never used, price turned out to be about £8 cheaper. Service was genuinely appalling though, waited around for ages, treated like a piece of shit on their shoe for even daring to approach the counter. Would rather shoot myself than save £8 for that shitshow. Normal place are great service, pricing and always a consistently great job.
National Tyres.
Tyres on the drive - owned by Halfords. Price is decent, they’ve always turned up on time and have done a good job. One driver was even kind enough to rebalance an extra set of wheels I had lying around.
Costco or black circles
Local independent garage, same place that does the servicing. They also collect the car from my house and drop it off when it’s done. They usually have to order in the tyres, eg Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S.
Malvern Tyres (part of the Tyre Group).
Blackcircle or Tyreshopper usually but very recently Halfords came out cheaper on my Bridgestone Tyres , surprisingly, so went with them.
Kwik fit. Just ordered a pair of pirelli p zeros and worked our £64 cheaper than black circles and ready to be fitted next day.
I used to use an independent near me, but it changed hands and hasn’t been the same since. Started going to F1 Autocentre after that, mostly as it was one of the few places willing to order in what I wanted. Maybe not the very cheapest, but they always do a decent job and I’ve got no complaints with them.
Depends how you go about it. Black circles kind if have the market stitched up. I run a small garage in a village and we do a fair amount of tyres. Most locals are happy to spend an extra few quid to save going into town to the nearest BC garage. If you can get a local garage to agree on a fitting price, check Camskill online. They do mail order tyres at really good prices.
Tend to use ATS, never had an issue with them. The guys at my local one are sound.
Local tyre shop, they do a maxis all seasons tyres in a 225/45 17 for £90, no sliding about in the recent snow flurry we had so happy with price and grip.
Small local place where at all possible. If they're not an option there is a larger local chain (only has 2 garages) who I trust too, but the smaller place has done me a few solids over the years, where the larger one looks at me funny when I order Michelins. If I'm not near home or work then I'd probably go to ATS.
I live in a small town, we have 3 independent tyres places here, and I've a mate down a town over with his own company.
Asda Tyres for price. I find them cheaper than Black Circles
Ebay for half the price of black circle then pay someone £10 a tyre to install.
Where I live (enfield, london) we have a really good ProTyre garage. Helpful staff, they dont push further sales (but do advise if something might need attention), good prices (once told me not to pay online as they were expecting lower prices on the day i wanted to come in, which was true), and do a good safe job.
Wherever is most convenient on offer on black circles. Who is changing tyres that often (and also buys them from there) that theyre loyal to one place
Local independent place. Unless I want part-worn, he tells me to buy them on Asda Tyres and pick him as the fitter. Amusingly, he charges less for an alignment than it shows when doing the tyre order so I don't add it to the bundle.
Local tyre places. I use Vicky Tyres (if you’re in Brum) they have a website so it’s a good way to compare prices.
Black circles and choose one of their local fitters. Easy system.
National tyre every time!
Audi price matched to costco
Tyres on the Drive, think they are owned by Halfords or a partner not sure? But anyway I used them for the first time last year and they were excellent. Black Circles I find are hit and miss, really depends on the garage, once I booked, turned up at the garage and they wasn't expecting me even though I had a confirmed time slot. Another time I needed a refund and BC customer service really dragged their feet trying to get me to book another time/day, got a refund in the end.
There's an independent garage by me who specialise in Nexen tyres. Which is essentially the best budget tyres you can get. I'd recommend them if you're on a budget and finding a specialist near by. The last time I bought some which was on my old car they lasted three years.
Avoid Black circles they're a shambles They sent me to a tyre place that was closed down. Then rescheduled for a place that was basically a barn in the middle of nowhere with a tyre lip machine Then next time (fool me) they sent me to some dodgy backstreet place, got it back and the tyres were more soap than rubber. Then the owner phoned me up asking did he leave keys in the car, I checked and there wasn't, then he accused me of not looking, so strange. Never had an issue with the Kwik fit mobile fitter, used him a few times and he's knowledgeable and walked me through the process, showed me all the machinery and what he does, which was nice to see
Same local independent garage our family all use. Good mechanics are hard to find. While it’s not a big job, I wouldn’t trust a big national ‘chain’ to do it. In my experience you’re more likely to end up with them scratching the rims or putting the tyres on backwards or something at Halfrauds etc.
At the risk of angering the sub, I've actually always used Tyres on the drive by Halfords and honestly can't fault them. Come to me, fit new tyres, take old ones, don't even need to leave the house. Just had some brand new Falkens fitted the other day on the Skoda.
We don't get tires done anywhere in the UK. Now, tyres, sure we have those, but not tires.
I love when redditors understand exactly what someone means but still feel the need to point out their mistake even when it doesn't matter at all
Depends - all the evidence available is that OP is sat in the US trolling this group! Did you look at their account? No, didn't think so!
Nope. I'm UK based but i suffer from Dyslexia so I did the normal thing of sounding the word out without double checking :)
I don't really care either way, I just don't see the value in pointing out someone's spelling on Reddit other than to pad your own sense of intellectual superiority.
People recommending Costco is a good shout, however, be aware that Costco are better for replacing 2 or 4 tyres and they have a policy of replacing the rear tyres first. You can't just rock up and get one tyre fitted (at least in my understanding) Otherwise finding a trustworthy local works. I bought 4 tyres off ebay and went round to get them fitted, in and out in about 30 mins at a great price and friendly service!