Tyre purchases remains a big ticket item for motorists – survey finds
An aftermarket survey conducted by GIPA UK on behalf of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) has concluded that tyre purchases remains a big ticket item for motorists, writes John Loughran.
The survey found that independent tyre dealers and independent garages are the two main channels of choice for drivers purchasing tyres.
35 per cent of motorists went to an independent tyre dealer to replace their tyres, while 34 per cent used the services of an independent garage.
16 per cent used a fast first, while 11 per cent got their replacement tyres from a franchised dealer. Just four per cent of the motorists surveyed said they purchased their tyres online.
The opinion and recommendations of a professional remain the most important factor in helping drivers decide what tyre brand they want to purchase.
The survey suggested this was a good opportunity to explain the benefits of fitting a quality brand where possible.
The survey confirmed that 45 per cent of motorists would choose the brand offered / recommended by the vendor, while 23 per cent would choose to stick with the brand that is currently on the vehicle.
Some 16 per cent said they would always go for a premium brand if available, while 13 per cent would always go for the lowest price available. Just 2 per cent said they would go for part-worn tyres if available.
When looking at tyres, 45 per cent go with the tyre offered by the professional, so 55 per cent make an active decision about the tyres they want.
Penalty Points
Almost all drivers surveyed (95 per cent) agreed that driving with defective tyres was an offence, and the driver was liable to receive penalty points, if the offence was detected.
The survey suggested that the prospect of getting penalty points, was a good deterrent encourage drivers to check their tyres regularly.
The tyre findings have been published in the ‘Irish Driver’s Aftermarket Knowledge and Perception Survey’, which was presented at SIMI’s recent Independent Aftermarket Conference at the Iveagh Gardens Hotel in Dublin.
Quentin Le Hetet, country director, GIPA UK, gave an overview of the findings to a well attended audience of motor industry professionals.
The survey of 816 Irish drivers, who said they were responsible for the maintenance of their vehicles, builds on a similar survey carried out in 2023.
A big taking from the survey is that the average age of the car parc is 9.6 years, while more than half of the cars on the road (52 per cent) are over 10 years old. This marks an increase of 1.1 years on the 2023 survey when the average age of the car parc was 8.5 years.
Nearly nine out of 10 (87 per cent) drivers in Ireland have an ICE car, with almost half (49 per cent) saying they will want an ICE vehicle next time round.
The allure of electrified cars seems to be falling slightly with less wanting full electric next (down 2 percentage points) with 86 per cent of hybrid EV owners wanting the same engine next (vs 97 per cent in 2023).
Three out of 10 drivers (31 per cent) mentioned battery life expiring quickly as a reason for not purchasing a battery electric vehicle.