If you have owned a Tesla vehicle for any reasonable length of time, one thing you will find is how durable and reliable the tires are. Tesla tires are built for optimal durability, safety and performance.
However, there may come a time when the tire gets damaged or punctured, and you need to repair it. That’s probably the case if you are reading this article.
So, I will be providing you with all the information you need about the cost of replacing a flat tire on your Tesla electric vehicle.
How Much Does A Flat Tire Repair Cost?
Before going into details about how much it costs to repair or even replace a Tesla flat tire, I think it’s important that you know what options are available to you in the event of a damaged tire on your Tesla.
- Roadside Assistance – If your vehicle is under Roadside Assistance warranty, then you are entitled to Tesla Roadside Assistance round the clock, all year round, for the duration of the warranty. For this, repair will cost you very little or even nothing at all, depending on the damage.
You only need to request Roadside Assistance and a Tesla service technician will get to you as soon as possible. If you are at home or in a safe place, response may take up to 24 hours. But if you are stranded on the road or in some other unsafe space, assistance comes a lot quicker.
Just bear in mind that Roadside Assistance coverage is within 80km.
Here are contacts for Roadside Assistance. I recommend calling them as opposed to requesting assistance via the touchscreen or app. When you call, you can get immediate, detailed information about what options are available to you.
- Towing and Loaner Wheel – If you require that your Tesla be towed to your home instead, or to a nearby third-party service center for the tire repair, then Tesla will provide towing services free of charge to you, within 80km of your vehicle’s location. That is, as long as you have Roadside Assistance warranty.
If your vehicle is not covered by Roadside Assistance, then Tesla can still provide the towing service, but you will cover the transportation costs. Also, if the vehicle needs to be towed beyond 80 km, you would have to cover the transportation cost of the extra distance even if you have Roadside Assistance.
In some regions, Tesla roadside support technicians may loan you an emergency tire. The new tire will be mounted at your cost, and then taken to your nearest third-party repair facility.
Again, you would need to contact Roadside Assistance to know more, and to get this support.
A few more things to know about Roadside Assistance:
- Roadside Assistance is available to you if your vehicle is covered by an active Tesla basic vehicle limited warranty or extended service agreement.
- If the damaged tire is an after-market tire, Tesla will not complete the repair or replacement for you. They may assist you to tow the vehicle at your full cost to a third-party service center within 80 km.
Repair vs Replacement – A repair is only feasible for minor damages such as punctures, lost pressure, and mild tears. Where the damage is severe, the only option available to you is a replacement of the tire. I will also explore cost for replacement later in this article.
Now that you know what options are immediately available to you when it comes to repairing a Tesla flat tire, I’ll go ahead and provide a cost breakdown for repair in a case where you are not covered by warranty, and you have already secured the services of a Tesla or third-party service center.
Cost Breakdown
The actual cost of repairing a flat Tesla tire is between $60 to $90. It depends largely on who does the repair for you.
A Tesla service agent will charge between $80 to $90. Third-party service agents may charge a bit less, depending on the location.
- However, you should know that there are damages that many third-party service agents cannot repair on a Tesla tire.
Here’s a scenario:
Tesla tires have foam in them. If the flat tire is caused by a nail at the center of the tire, for example, it will be difficult for a third-party service center to fix the tire without the right expertise. Your best option would be to engage Tesla Roadside Assistance.
Damage Extent
Apart from the service center that fixes your tire, the extent of damage will also determine the cost of fixing the flat tire.
The greater the damage and repair to be done, the higher the cost of fixing it, irrespective of whether the repair is done by Tesla or a third party.
Whatever the case, fixing a flat Tesla tire should not cost you more than $100 total for materials and labor.
Other Costs
There may be other costs involved when it comes to repairing a flat Tesla tire. These include:
i. The Cost of Towing – If the vehicle needs to be towed, you may have to pay for the transportation. If you have Roadside Assistance, be sure to engage Tesla to tow the vehicle free of charge for you, as long as the distance is within 80km.
ii. Cost of Mobile Service – If you have Roadside Assistance, then you should be covered for mobile service, but that’s if you are engaging Tesla for the repair. If you are engaging a third-party repair shop, you may also have to pay for mobile service or callout.
Should I Repair My Flat Tire or Replace It?
Many Tesla owners find it hard to decide whether to repair the flat tire or just replace it entirely. My answer to this is, it depends. It depends on:
- The extent of damage on the tire – Most flat tires are caused by punctures from sharp objects. These are generally fixable by patching. But, if the damage is not patchable, then a replacement is a better option. The service expert will usually advise on which course of action is best.
- The general state of the tire – The decision on whether to repair or replace the flat tire should be considered from a broader perspective. Even though the flat tire can be fixed, but the tire is already worn, then the wise decision is to replace it entirely.
How Much Does It Cost To Replace A Tesla Tire?
If you have made the decision to replace your Tesla tire, it is important to know what to expect in terms of cost.
Again, the cost for replacement will depend on who is doing the replacement for you, where you are buying the tires from, and what kind of wheels you have.
For example, you may get a tire at $230-$240 from Tesla or other tire sellers. But labour costs may differ. Tesla may charge about $15-$20 to replace one flat tire. A local service shop may charge $20-$30 to replace one tire.
- But the costs above are for the standard long range tires. The cost of replacement performance tires is $300 to $400 per tire, labour cost not included.
How to Know If Tesla Tire is Flat
One great thing about Tesla is the comprehensive notification system. Most issues on the vehicle are captured by the sensors and thenreported to you on the touchscreen notification.
- If you have a flat tire, you are likely to receive notification to pull out safety and check for the flat tire. This is the easiest way to know that your Tesla vehicle has a flat tire.
- Also, if the flat tire is serious, you will notice that the car no longer drives smoothly.
- One trick I have learnt is to occasionally turn off everything inside my Tesla (including the air conditioning and radio), crack the window a little bit open, and listen for any strange sounds. When you have a punctured tire, you are likely to hear strange sounds coming from your car when driving on the road.
- Another way to know when your tire is flat is when the tire loses pressure. This is because a puncture in the tire will cause it to lose pressure. If your tire is losing pressure, you may also get notification on your Tesla from the Tire Pressure Monitoring System.
However, you must regularly check the pressures in all the tires. This is because, if the tires are tubeless, they will not lose pressure when punctured, as long as the sharp object remains inside the tire.
- Still on the matter of tire maintenance, I strongly recommend that you follow Tesla’s tire rotation guidelines. Tesla recommends rotating your tires every 10,000 km or if tread depth difference is 1.5 mm or greater.
- Also, avoid aggressive driving especially if your wheels are the standard long range wheels as opposed to the performance wheels.
Are Flat Tesla Tires Hard to Replace?
No, flat Tesla tires are not hard to replace. It is actually easier to replace them than repair them sometimes. It is only costlier to replace a Tesla tire than to repair it.
Replacing a flat Tesla tire does not require any special expertise.
How to Get the Flat Tire Replacement For As Cheap As Possible
The cheapest way to get a flat tire replacement depends largely on your location, who you engage, and any warranties you may have. However, here are a few things to bear in mind:
- On the average, buying a tire from Tesla may cost slightly more than buying from other sellers.
- But, labour charge is usually lower at Tesla
- If you are in the US, I strongly recommend that you take advantage of the amazing offerings of America’s Tire.
For example, if you are a customer of America’s tire, you have a lifetime warranty for tire patching. This means that you never have to pay to get your tires patched.