Best Places To Buy Car Tires Online

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‍What are the Best Places to Buy Car Tires Online?

Here are our nominees for the best tire stores online and what makes them unique.

Tirerack.com

From the moment they opened their first store in 1979, this online tire and wheel distributor has been providing excellent customer service and a wide variety of information and options. Headquartered in Indiana, Tire Rack sells $512.43 million in sales annually (a lot of tires and wheel parts) and is easily one of the most referred to sites for tires on the internet today.

What sets Tire Rack apart is their sheer volume of offerings, which includes over 26 different tire brands. Their website is very user-friendly and will search their inventory for any vehicle made, from the old classics to the latest sportscars, offering individual suggestions and ratings to help you choose. Shopping for tires can be done by vehicle, tire size, brand, category, or even wheel diameter. You just plug in the make, and model of your baby, click your mouse, and a whole world of suggestions opens up for you, including the manufacturer's recommended tire. Tire Rack will deliver most tires to the customer's choice of a local distribution center, a recommended service center they partner with, or even your home within a day. (They also have mobile installer options, if you wish). Tire rack offers free shipping to orders over $50 and free road hazard insurance for two years, including up to $40 per flat, so that’s deep savings for the consumer.

Tirerack is simply a monster regarding efficiency and effort when working hard to meet the customer’s needs. (A CSR will call customers to double-check the order details before shipping and then follow up with you after the shipment to ensure your satisfaction). For an online company to care about the customer experience that much is one of the reasons a recent report from Consumer Reports gave the company a stellar rating of 91 out of 100 and perfect scores (5/5) for both selection and service. Even though CR dinged them for not having enough free perks, the tire company consistently scores very high on other rating sites, like CNet and CarTalk.com.

Returning tires to Tirerack.com is relatively straightforward as long as you haven’t used them. They have a 30-day return policy, even though you will be responsible for paying the freight to ship them back. Customers simply call and make arrangements over the phone to have the tires picked up and returned to the company.

In late 2021, Discount Tire purchased Tire Rack and is now their parent company. The two brands will continue to operate as separate entities in front of the consumer, both generating income. The acquisition makes Discount Tire the largest independent tire retailer in the world.

Reason To Recommend

Great variety and selection
Excellent customer service
Free Delivery ($50 purchase)
Free Road Hazard Insurance
Excellent reputation for online retailer

Reasons to Avoid

The customer still pays for installation

For a direct link to their website, click Tirerack.com.

Discount Tire Direct

This online purveyor is the mail-order child of Discount Tire, making it the #1 tire distributor in the US. When you click on their website, the procedure is pretty much the same as any other. The easiest way is to enter the vehicle's information, click the mouse and let the website show you options. Since Discount Tire consistently offers lower prices for their tires than anyone else, you will likely notice some savings immediately. Don’t forget to click on the special deals because many manufacturers offer gift cards or significant savings. Should you happen to find the exact tire listed somewhere else, Direct Tire will likely match the price. Online customers simply click on the link, submit the ad online, and a customer service representative will call within one business day with a new offer. Because the warehouses are strategically located in Ohio, Georgia, and Arizona, they can ship your tires within 2-4 business days. Shipping Anywhere in the United States is free. Discount offers lifetime rotation for free.

Discount also works with Synchrony Car Care Credit to offer a financing option should customers need it. But one area they are lagging in is that the only discount they offer is to the military, which is only 5%. Other sites have better programs and more savings.

Manufacturer’s discounts cover all Discount Tire sales against defects in workmanship and material. The tires come with a two-year prorated road hazard policy that is free for any tire. Still, customers who want additional protection can purchase “Certificates for Repair, Refund, or Replacement,” which entitle them to 3 years of protection as long as the tire has more than 3/32nds of tread on them. If a damaged tire cannot be repaired, the policy credits the total purchase price toward a new set of tires or refunds that amount to the consumer. Most customers (92.1%) who have had to use the insurance indicate that they would do so again if given the opportunity.

Discount Tire has many partners that they work with who can install your purchased tires, including the nearly 1000 brick-and-mortar centers in 35 states. In addition, their installation charge tends to be mid-range even though Walmart has the cheapest installation costs and does allow the customer to bring tires purchased from an online dealer.

Discount direct sells nothing other than tires (and wiper blades), which makes their mission uncomplicated. They focus on finding their clients the best tire for the best price. Consumer Reports gave them a 90 out of 100 on their rating of tire retailers. In addition, Discount Tire has made the list of best tire retailers by JD Powers for several years.

Reason To Recommend

Excellent customer service
Free Delivery to Most Locations
Financing option available

Reasons to Avoid

The customer still pays for installation
Shipping is a bit longer than other national chains
The discount program is not as good as other sites

For more information, check out the company website discounttire.com

Simpletire.com

This company is a relatively new player on the scene, beginning its e-commerce business in 2012. Their primary business model is to link many independent tire retailers into one online site, streamlining the customer buying process. By doing so, Simple Tire can compete with other online giants. The company has done very well, receiving several awards as a top workplace. It is now one of the leading retailers in the country, coordinating with over 10,000 installers and over 3,000 distribution points.

Finding the right tire on their website is simple and easy. A customer can select based on various options or simply take a picture of their present tire and then follow the prompts on the SimpleSnap app. The company will assist you in finding the right tires for your car.

The one thing that Simple Tire has going for is its deal page. When browsing the page, one recent tab advertised a 40% discount over the July 4th holiday on thousands of tires. While you may not find a discount that deep, there are several other manufacturer rebates that are available. Also, the company offers discounts to first responders and military and health care workers, so if that applies to you, take advantage of the additional savings. (The website offers a 20% discount on the first set of tires just by signing up for email alerts - so there are plenty of ways to save).

Simple Tire will ship for free to any FedEx pickup site or one of their installer partners within one to two days. If you decide to ship the set of tires directly to your home, expect to pay a small delivery fee of $9.96 a set. If you decide not to use the tires, simply return the unused tires and get a refund minus $15 per tire.

For a direct link to their website, click on Simpletire.com.

Tirebuyer.com

The website by Tire Buyer is the rookie on the block in the world of online tire retailers. In 2021, the company merged with tirescanner.com and had been increasing in size and scope ever since. Using a network of over 11,000 install partners and over 3,000 distribution points, this is legitimately a one-stop shop for all things tires. Customers can allow customer reps to schedule their install appointments, arrange a mobile installer, or allow customers wanting more control to use an installer they prefer.

The company has received rave reviews from bizrate.com, winning an excellence award with a 9.5 rating based on over 2.000 reviews. Tirebuyer.com currently has a 4.7 rating on Google and was named by Newsweek as one of the best online retailers of tires for 2022. Tire prices are very competitive with other online retailers like Tirerack.com or Simpletire.com. The company also has a robust online presence with enough SEO strength to be listed at the top of most Google searches.

One thing that sets tirebuyer.com apart are the various discounts that they offer. The website offers an immediate 15% discount to attract attention and draw customers in. But that isn’t all the company offers. There are discounts for military and first responders, but they also widen the net to include teachers, government workers, and recent college grads. Just upload the proper documentation, or verify through id.me and receive the discount that is being offered. The discount is generally 10% across the board. The company also offers an affiliate program that allows website owners to get in on some of the action and receive commissions for tire sales and discounts on tire purchases.

The delivery rate is the same day in most cases, and they have a return policy that is longer than other sites (45 days), with free return shipping (if the tires were shipped to an installer). If the tires were sent to your home, you have 30 days and will have to pay a fee to have them picked up and sent back.

Reason To Recommend